Denemo

The first and main thing you need to know about Denemo is that it is a music notation editor. The notations you enter are typeset using the LilyPond music engraver. The second thing you need to know about Denemo is that it is free and open source. And the third thing you need to know is that the application is available for multiple platforms.

To be more precise, Denemo is available for Windows, Mac OS X, and GNU/Linux. To get the application up and running on Microsoft’s Windows operating system you must download an installer (it’s close to 60MB in size), run it, and then go through the instructions presented onscreen by a setup wizard.

To help you figure out the interface, Denemo presents Excessive Tooltips. When you have things figured out, you can turn them off from the Help Menu. Denemo’s interface can be customized. From the View menu you can pick and choose which elements will be displayed onscreen: score layout, snippets, lyrics, playback controls, and more.

Using your PC’s keyboard, by using a MIDI controller, or by using a micropohone you can enter music notation into Denemo. Then Denemo uses the LilyPond music engraver to typeset the notation you entered. Thus, you can efficiently generate sheet music at the highest publishing standards.

Released under a GNU General Public License, Denemo is a free and open source application.

There’s much to like about Denemo: it is free and open source, it is available for multiple platforms, it is a very nice music annotation program, it uses LilyPond to generate beautiful sheet music.