Notation

BSMT · 1.0.0

Canonical notation and encoding

The BSMT working specification for house notation, source encoding, semantic interpretation and accessible rendering.

Status: CANONICAL_WORKING_SPEC
Version date: 2026-09-30
Primary reference: Parashkev Hadjiev
Policy: Preferred house notation; not mandatory author notation.

Four layers

Terminology

Canonical English terminology for journal prose.

Source encoding

ASCII-friendly editor/author/tool input.

Semantic registry

Typed meaning of functions, scale degrees, chord members, modifiers and figures.

Rendered notation

Accessible HTML/MathML/LaTeX output.

Pitch, accidentals and scale degrees

Pitch letters

CDEFGAH

H: B-natural
B: B-flat

Accidentals

♯sharp𝄪double sharp♭flat𝄫double flat♮natural

Scale degrees

IIIIIIIVVVIVII

Roman-numeral case does not encode chord quality.

Function tokens

Ttonic

Ssubdominant

Ddominant

Wlower mediant

Mupper mediantSOURCE_SPECIFIC

W: W — literal W; it is not a turned or rotated M.

Source encoding and grammar

The ASCII code is an input format for editors, authors and tools. It is not the visual symbol.

[LEFT_UPPER|]BASE(INDEX1)(INDEX2)(INDEX3)...expression := [left_upper '|'] base { '(' index ')' } ;

Each successive parenthesized token is a lower index of the immediately preceding element.

Recommended website wrapper: [[h:0|W(5)(3)(3)]]
: The wrapper is not part of the symbol itself.

Canonical examples

S_{II}

EncodingS(II)

T_{VI}

EncodingT(VI)

D_{VII}

EncodingD(VII)

{}^{°}W_{5_{3_{3}}}

Meaning: lower mediant in major under influence of the same-name minor, in root position, with fifth and doubled third

Encoding0|W(5)(3)(3)

Same-name major/minor influence

Chord in major under influence of the same-name minor.

0|…

Chord in minor under influence of the same-name major.

+|…

Left-side degree/plus markers identify influence between same-name major and minor; they are not individual chord-tone alteration signs.

Individual chord-tone alteration notation is distinct from the left-side mode-influence prescripts.

Rendering and accessibility

HTML: MathML / structured nested spans
MathML: Preserve recursive index structure and accessible semantics.
LaTeX: generated publication output
SVG: fallback for special geometry only
Semantic text and a plain-text fallback are required.

Unresolved graphical micro-syntax

These cases must not be graphically approximated. Preserve the semantic distinction and fail closed until an exact notation rule is frozen.

exact placement of chord-member alterations
secondary-function arrow syntax
variant notation
special Lydian-source symbol if retained

Implementation contract

Parser: Parse source encoding into a typed AST.
Semantic resolution: Resolve meaning through registered symbol families.
Renderer: Generate accessible HTML/MathML and LaTeX from the AST.
Validator: Reject malformed expressions and semantically impossible registered combinations.
Reuse: The same grammar and renderer should be consumed by the society site, journal-facing web presentation, and publication-production tooling.