On Open Source Byzantine Music

Open-source software has several characteristics that lead to higher software quality:

1. It allows community members to scratch their own itch and contribute improvements.
2. Anyone can view the source code and the issue tracker, and this transparency makes flaws harder to hide.
3. With constant feedback and contributions from the community, the software is continually corrected and improved.
4. Proposed changes are reviewed before they are merged, and this review maintains high coding standards.

When these same open-source strategies are applied to Byzantine music publications, they lead to higher-quality music in the same ways:

1. They allow community members to contribute improvements, such as fixing typos or improving melodic flow.
2. Anyone can view the source files and the public issue tracker, and this transparency makes flaws in notation, accentuation, or layout harder to hide.
3. With constant feedback and contributions from the community, the music is continually corrected and improved, for example by fixing a typo or refining an awkward melodic turn.
4. Proposed changes are reviewed before they are accepted, and this review maintains high editorial standards.

The sheet music on this site is an example of this approach, with its sources available on GitHub, a transparent public issue tracker for discussion and defect reporting, and a public pull request process through which community members can propose improvements.

For a fuller introduction to the culture and practice of open-source work, see Karl Fogel’s Producing Open Source Software. Fittingly, the book itself is also maintained in version control.