Arch Linux (recommended)
Screenshots & videos
About
Denemo is a music notation program that lets you rapidly enter notation. Music can be typed in at the PC-Keyboard, or played in via MIDI controller. The typesetting is done in the background by LilyPond while you work, and is generally flawless publication quality. Any final tweaks to can be done on the final typeset score with the mouse if needed. This represents an enormous practical improvement over the most programs which require you to re-position colliding notation constantly as you enter the music. Unique to Denemo are methods to enter music in a musical, rather than mechanical, manner. You play in a phrase or two of the music using the number keys to indicate the note durations. Audible feedback lets you hear what you have entered; playing the phrase a second time on a real instrument adds the pitches to the rhythm. Again, Denemo gives you audible feedback so that you don’t enter E-flat when you meant D-sharp etc. Another great feature is the ability to put links in the score to the original source document that you transcribed from. Clicking on such a link opens the document for you and highlights the bar you are looking at. You can use this to continue work from where you left off, or for looking back at the source to check a doubtful bar.
Additional information
Project
- Developer
- Richard Shann
- License
- GPL-3.0+ (free software)What this license lets you do
- Homepage
- www.denemo.org
- Languages
- ca, cs, da, es, fr, it, zh_CN
Install
- Available via
- Flatpak · Arch Linux (2) · Debian · Ubuntu · Fedora · Gentoo · Nixpkgs
All 8 packagings
Flathub (Flatpak), AUR, AUR (Git build), Debian, Ubuntu, Fedora, Nixpkgs, Gentoo
- Flatpak sandbox
- Wide access
Runs in a sandbox, but a broad part of it is open — typical for tools that need to manage your files or system. It shows what the app is able to do, not what it does.
What it can access
- Reads and changes your whole home folder
- Can access all devices, including cameras and USB
- Plays and records audio
About this data
- Sources
- 11 independent sources agree
- Catalog data as of
- October 12, 2026
How each source lists it (8)
| Source | Name | Version | Built by | License | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flathub (Flatpak) | Denemo | 2.6.49 | Official build | GPL-3.0+ | Create music scores |
| AUR | denemo | 2.6.0-1 | — | GPL | A music score editor |
| AUR (Git build) | denemo-git | 1:2.5.1.r11060.198f7a3c2-1 | — | GPL | A music score editor |
| Debian | denemo | 2.6.39-0.3 | Distribution build | — | free graphical music notation editor (GTK front end to LilyPond) |
| Ubuntu | denemo | 2.6.49-0.2 | Distribution build | — | free graphical music notation editor (GTK front end to LilyPond) |
| Fedora | denemo | 2.6.0 | Distribution build | GPL-3.0-or-later | Graphical music notation program |
| Nixpkgs | denemo | 2.6.49 | Distribution build | GPL-3.0 | Music notation and composition software used with lilypond |
| Gentoo | denemo | 2.6.0-r102 | Distribution build | GPL-3.0-or-later AND OFL-1.1 | A music notation editor |