Hello,
when trying to import the MusicXML version of the Open Goldberg variations from here,
https://musescore.com/opengoldberg/goldberg-variations
(MuseScore account required)
Dorico just crashes.
Yes, same happens here. Sibelius 7.5 imports the file OK.
Unfortunately Dorico is less resilient than more mature MusicXML import routines in its more mature competitors, and malformed or even unusual MusicXML can unfortunately bring the application down at present. If it’s a particular variation you’re interested in looking at, I suggest you find a smaller MusicXML file containing only that variation, as it’s likely that a smaller file will import more cleanly.
But the import will be much more solid within the scope of Dorico 1.x?
We will certainly continue to work on it as and when we can.
I understand. Still, a reliable MusicMXL import is probably an absolutely essential feature for most crossgraders.
We’ve looked at the Goldberg Variations file and the file itself as at fault (though of course Dorico should not crash when encountering such a file).
The difficulty is in Variation 26, which has 3/4 in one hand vs. 18/16 in the other (in the MuseScore MusicXML file, this is starting at bar 813). Our MusicXML guru Richard tells me that the usual way to fake this is to use hidden 3:2 tuplets in the 18/16 hand - which is all in running semiquavers - but instead this file notates them as dotted demisemiquavers. As you can imagine, this doesn’t really add up: a dotted demisemiquaver is three-quarters of the duration of a semiquaver, whereas what is needed is a triplet which would be two-thirds of a semiquaver. In fact the MusicXML is an odd mixture of the two: the notation specifies dotted demisemiquavers but the values give the appropriate duration for a triplet, even though there isn’t a triplet defined.
That’s probably the challenge with MusicXML: to be able to handle quirky solutions used by the export of different notation programs.
I don’t think this qualifies as “quirky” (it’s plainly wrong), but yes, in general that is indeed the challenge.
It would be great of course, if even malformed MusicXML could be imported at least partially.