Structure — Partitura

Structure in Partitura organizes scores into parts, measures, and optionally staffs and voices.

Compact Part Form

The preferred authoring form places parts directly inside score:

score {
  title "Chamber Work"
  composer "Example"

  part "Flute" {
    measure 1 {
      note c5 quarter
    }
  }

  part "Piano" {
    measure 1 {
      note c4 quarter
    }
  }
}

Construct	Description
`part "Name" { ... }`	Compact part with name and measures
`part "Name" instrument "..." { ... }`	Part with instrument assignment
`measure N { ... }`	Measure with number and content

Explicit Part Form

When staff, voice, or part-list identity is semantically required:

score {
  part-list {
    part-group g1 start {
      name "Winds"
      abbreviation "Ww."
      symbol brace
      group-barline yes
      group-time false
    }
    part-ref p1
    part-ref p2
    part-group g1 stop
  }

  parts {
    part p1 {
      name "Flute"
      instrument "flute"

      staff s1 {
        voice v1 {
          measure 1 {
            note c5 quarter
          }
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Part List

The part-list block defines part order and grouping:

part-list {
  part-group g1 start {
    name "Strings"
    abbreviation "Str."
    symbol brace
  }
  part-ref p1
  part-ref p2
  part-group g1 stop

  part-ref p3
}

Part-Group Fields

Field	Description
`name "..."`	Group display name
`abbreviation "..."`	Group abbreviation
`symbol value`	Group symbol (e.g., `brace`, `bracket`)
`group-barline yes/no`	Whether group shares barline
`group-time true/false`	Whether group shares time signature

Part-Group Rules

The same group identifier MUST be used on matching start and stop boundaries
Group-defining fields MUST appear only on the start boundary
part-group start and stop boundaries MUST be explicit
part-group numbering or identity MUST remain explicit where needed

Parts Block

The explicit parts block exposes full hierarchy:

parts {
  part p1 {
    name "Flute"
    instrument "flute"

    staff s1 {
      voice v1 {
        measure 1 { ... }
        measure 2 { ... }
      }
    }
  }
}

Construct	Description
`part id { ... }`	Part with identifier
`name "..."`	Part display name
`instrument "..."`	Instrument name (General MIDI)
`staff id { ... }`	Staff with identifier
`voice id { ... }`	Voice with identifier
`measure N { ... }`	Measure with number

Measures

Measures contain music-data items:

measure 1 {
  key c-major
  time 4/4
  clef treble
  direction "Allegro"
  note c4 quarter
  note d4 quarter
  rest quarter
  note e4 quarter
}

Measure Flags

measure 1 {
  implicit true
}

Field	Description
`implicit true`	Mark measure as implicit (hidden number)

Canonical Emission Rules

A direct part "Name" { ... } form inside score is preferred when explicit part-list identity is not needed
staff and voice SHOULD appear only when polyphony, cross-staff writing, or explicit MusicXML semantics require them
part-list MUST preserve part order and part-group boundaries
Parts and measures MUST be the primary authoring units
Measure content MUST remain ordered

Next Steps

Notes & Events — compact note syntax, pitch, duration, rests, chords
Attributes — key signatures, time signatures, clefs, transposition