A graphical editor for LilyPond

[Richard Shann]

 With release 0.7.2 now out, denemo has become an editor for LilyPond. 
The idea is to allow you to edit arbitrary LilyPond files graphically, 
that is, with a live display of the edited notes in the context of the 
music around it.  Programs like Noteedit let you generate LilyPond, but 
you cannot use them with a general LilyPond file - e.g. a file with 
stuff that you have added by hand to refine the output. So when you 
come to make changes to your score later on you can't read it back in to 
Noteedit or whatever you started with - you  have to work with the 
LilyPond text.
The intention is to develop the denemo program so that it shows the 
notes, articulation, dynamics and so on, with instant access to the 
LilyPond text for arbitrary textual edits. There is no special attempt  
to reproduce the spacings etc that make LilyPond's printed page 
appealing - there is no way the program will ever start interpreting 
embedded scheme for example!
This release is being made to gauge interest in the approach. It is 
capable of being used for real work, but there are major features that 
it does not support; importantly but fairly easy to fix
1) Only Dutch note names
2) No \relative editing
3) Lots of filling in the dots stuff in the parser still to do.
4) It uses rather old-fashioned LilyPond (1.6.x)
The relevant website for denemo can be found at 
http://denemo.sourceforge.net
Unfortunately, the examples directory has been omitted from the release 
(its in the CVS) but here is a small example which illustrates the sort 
of thing denemo can now read, allow you to edit and write back out in 
the same format as it read in.

%%%%%%%%%
Key =  \notes \key c \minor
TimeSig = \notes \time 3/4

ViolinI = \context Voice = VlnI \notes  { \Key \TimeSig c''4 d'' e'' }
ViolinII = \context Voice = VlnII \notes  { \Key  \TimeSig a''4 b'' c'' }

Violini = \context Staff = Vlns <
\ViolinI
\ViolinII
>

\score {
   \Violini
   \paper {}
}
\score {
    \context Staff \ViolinII
}
%%%%%%%%%%
This example includes a second score block just put there for editing 
the ViolinII part, to illustrate the flexibility available.
If you think this work might be useful for you I would like to hear 
about it - there is also a mailing list at 
address@hidden

Richard Shann