Multimedia & graphics macOS
Frescobaldi for macOS
Edit LilyPond sheet music on Mac with syntax completion, a score preview and MIDI playback. This download is Frescobaldi 4.0.7 for Intel Macs.
- Operating system
- macOS; minimum supported version not established by the consulted sources
- Architecture
- Intel Mac (publisher-labeled build)
- Download package
- DMG disk image
Selected file: Frescobaldi-4.0.7-Intel.dmg. A separate Frescobaldi-4.0.7.dmg is listed; its architecture is not asserted here.
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What is Frescobaldi?
Frescobaldi is a free, open-source text editor for writing sheet music in LilyPond. It pairs a syntax-aware editor with a music view, so you can work on notation source and inspect the resulting score in the same workspace. Point-and-click navigation connects the score with its source text, while the Score Wizard helps set up a new piece.
For longer projects, document outlines and reusable snippets help organize the work. MIDI playback lets you listen to LilyPond-generated MIDI files, and notation tools can transpose music, change note-name languages and adjust rhythms. This is a text-based notation workflow: the publisher describes editing a .ly file, running LilyPond and correcting the source before updating the preview.
The linked package is the Intel Mac DMG for version 4.0.7, released May 30, 2026. That release restores macOS packages with a new Apple certificate; the earlier certificate-related absence of Mac packages no longer describes this release. The publisher also offers a separate Mac disk image. Check its release page if you need a different Mac build.
MusicXML export is described as experimental, so do not assume complete interchange with other notation applications. The screenshot is an older publisher example of the editor and PDF preview on Linux, not a capture of the current Mac release; window styling and layout can differ.
What it offers
- Write LilyPond source with syntax highlighting, automatic completion, indentation and code formatting.
- Navigate between notation source and the score using the music view's two-way point-and-click support.
- Set up a score with the Score Wizard and reuse text through the Snippet Manager.
- Listen to LilyPond-generated MIDI files and use MIDI capture to enter music.
- Transpose notation, change note-name languages and adjust rhythms with music-editing tools.
Good to know
- MusicXML export is experimental, according to the publisher.
- The documented workflow uses LilyPond source text and repeated LilyPond runs; it is not a purely visual score-entry workflow.
- The linked DMG is explicitly the Intel build, not a verified package for every Mac architecture.
Product images
Sources
References used for this listing. Retrieval dates do not indicate hands-on testing.
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