+@item
+Beams can now have their slopes preserved over line breaks.
+@lilypond[fragment,quote,relative=2]
+\override Beam #'breakable = ##t
+\override Beam #'consistent-broken-slope = ##t
+a8[ b c d e f g \bar "" \break f e d c b a]
+@end lilypond
+To do this, several callback functions are now deprecated.
+@itemize
+@item @code{ly:beam::calc-least-squares-positions}
+@item @code{ly:beam::slope-damping}
+@item @code{ly:beam::shift-region-to-valid}
+@end itemize
+All of these functions are now automatically called via @code{ly:beam::quanting}.
+Furthermore, @code{ly:beam::quanting} now only takes one argument -
+the beam grob.
+
+@item
+Music, event, and scheme functions can now be defined with optional
+arguments before mandatory arguments.
+
+@item
+There is a new @code{define-event-function} command in analogy to
+@code{define-music-function} that can be used for defining music
+functions acting as events without requiring a direction specifier
+(@code{-}, @code{^}, or @code{_}) placed before them.
+@lilypond[quote,verbatim,raggedright]
+dyn=#(define-event-function (parser location arg) (markup?)
+ (make-dynamic-script arg))
+\relative c' { c\dyn pfsss }
+@end lilypond
+
+@item
+A list of ASCII aliases for special characters can be included.
+@lilypond[quote,verbatim]
+\paper {
+ #(include-special-characters)
+}
+\markup "• † ©right; &OE; &ss; ¶"
+@end lilypond
+
+@item
+There is a new @code{define-scheme-function} command in analogy to
+@code{define-music-function} that can be used to define functions
+evaluating to Scheme expressions while accepting arguments in Lilypond
+syntax.
+
+@item
+The construct @code{#@{ @dots{} #@}} can now be used not just for
+constructing sequential music lists, but also for single music events,
+void music expressions, post events, markups (mostly freeing users from
+having to use the @code{markup} macro), markup lists, number
+expressions, context definitions and modifications, and a few other
+things. If it encloses nothing or only a single music event, it no
+longer returns a sequential music list but rather a void music
+expression or just the music event itself, respectively.