Canorus

Active

Country: Slovenia (SI)
Founded: 2005
Developer: Reinhard Katzmann and team (Matevž Jekovec, Georg Rudolph)
Pricing: Free (open-source)
Open source: Yes
Platforms: Linux, Windows, macOS

Indexes

Music Notation

Overview

Canorus is a free cross-platform music score editor that supports note writing, unlimited staffs, polyphony, MIDI playback, chord markings, and lyrics.¹²⁴ It serves as the successor to NoteEdit, offering import/export to formats like MIDI, MusicXML, LilyPond, and others, along with scripting capabilities in Python or Ruby.²³⁶

Key Features

Polyphonic notation - Excellent input system for entering polyphonic music with mouse and keyboard bindings.
MIDI support - MIDI input, output, and playback via ALSA sequencer.
Import/Export filters - Supports MIDI, MusicXML, ABC Music, MusiXTeX, LilyPond, PDF, and SVG.
Scripting - Extensible with Python and Ruby scripts.
Unlimited staffs - Handles unlimited number and length of staffs.
Edit modes - Select and Edit modes with emacs-like keybindings (Ctrl-Z undo, etc.).
Printing - Exports to PDF via LilyPond integration.
User-defined events - Rich selection of standard symbols and custom events.

Pricing

Plan	Price	Includes
Free	$0	Full access to all features, open-source.

Platforms & Requirements

Cross-platform using Qt4, runs on Linux (via ALSA for MIDI), Windows (Win32), and X11 systems; macOS support implied by cross-platform claims but not explicitly detailed.¹³ Minimum requirements align with Qt4; no notable platform-specific limitations mentioned.

Integrations & Ecosystem

MIDI import/export/playback
MusicXML import/export
LilyPond export and printing
ABC Music import/export
MusiXTeX import/export
PDF export
SVG export
Canorus (.can) and XML formats

Alternatives

App	Difference
NoteEdit	Predecessor project that Canorus forked and extended as its official successor.
MuseScore	More actively maintained modern alternative with broader platform support and GUI features.
LilyPond	Text-based notation focused on high-quality engraving, lacks graphical editor like Canorus.
Sibelius	Commercial software with advanced professional features, not free or open-source.

Reputation

Canorus is recognized as a capable free music score editor, praised for polyphonic input, MIDI connectivity, scripting, and format support as NoteEdit's successor.²¹ It has niche use in Linux communities but appears less actively developed recently, with last mentions around 2016 workshops.⁷ Criticisms include potential abandonment risks similar to its predecessor, limiting its adoption compared to more modern tools.²

Sources (9)