LilyPond Options

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If you use one of the LilyPond export functions, a dialog will appear in which options specific to LilyPond export may be altered.

The LilyPond version installed on the system should be automatically detected in the dialog, but it is possible to export to any other LilyPond version since 2.6. Historically, LilyPond's syntax has changed somewhat over time, but since LilyPond version 2.6 changes have have been less radical and more maintainable.

Paper size can be A3, A4, A5, A6, Legal, US Letter, and Tabloid. All paper sizes may also be used in Landscape mode.

Font size affects the size of the notes. If you want to fit more staffs into the paper, you should decrease the font size.

Export content concerns tracks that have segments in them, which are the tracks that are not empty. It is possible to export “All” tracks, “Non-muted” tracks, the current “Selected” track, or “Selected” segments. If LilyPond export is launched from the Notation view, Selected segments include the same selection which was used in opening the Notation view.

It is possible to Merge tracks that have the same name. This options allows for example to make a piano score with several independent voices. You may give first three tracks name “Right” and three next tracks “Left” and then merge them in LilyPond export. (This provides an easier way to manage overlapping segments with the price that the top and bottom parts will have different names on the page. If you wish both of them to be named, eg. “Piano,” then you will have to keep all of the segments on the same pair of staffs. Consult Piano by Example for a hands-on demonstration of this.) Adjust → Fine Positioning → Push Right/Left.

Tempo marks are not exported by default. If tempo changes rarely, you may want to export all tempo marks, but if tempo changes too often, you may export only the first mark.

Lyrics is exported if this option is checked. Text is entered in Unicode, which makes it possible to enter lyrics in all languages. Multiple lines of lyrics per staff is also possible, see the section on Editing lyrics.

Beams defined in Rosegarden can be exported, or the default beam grouping of LilyPond can be used. Future versions of Rosegarden may support nested note grouping.

Lyrics are aligned left by default. Sometimes center or right alignment provide more pleasing output.

The staffs normally cover the whole page from top to bottom. When there are only a few staffs, this option places the extra vertical space at the bottom of the page.

DEPRECATED? I think so: LilyPond is also capable of producing MIDI output. Check this option if you wish the LilyPond source to use this option. Note however that MIDI output which you obtain with Rosegarden sequencer, via File → Export → Export MIDI file, and LilyPond's MIDI output may differ considerably.

You can edit headers both in LilyPond export dialog and through Composition → Edit Document Properties.

Some of the headers will appear only in LilyPond output. The position of the printable headers match roughly with the positions of the headers in the printed output. Below is shown an example with all headers and lyrics entered with Unicode text.

^1] Many users have complained about our opaque binary file format. It is, in fact, nothing more than gzipped XML.