Mozart the music processor
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 Mozart 14 screenshot | |
| Original author(s) | David Webber |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 9 November 1994 |
| Stable release | 14.0.17.0
/ 13 May 2019[1] |
| Written in | C++ |
| Operating system | MS Windows 7/8/8.1/10 |
| Available in | English, Czech, Danish, Dutch, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Welsh |
| Type | Scorewriter |
| License | Proprietary |
| Website | www.mozart.co.uk |
Mozart the music processor is a proprietary WYSIWYG scorewriter program, which runs on computers running Microsoft Windows. It enables the user to create, edit, and print musical notation and listen to it via MIDI.[2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]
The name of the program reflects its author's love of the clarinet and a classical work for that instrument, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's clarinet concerto.[9]
History
Origins
Work was started on the software in the late 1980s as a personal project to assist its author in arranging music for the groups in which he played. The model was that of a WYSIWYG word processor, but for music notation. The idea was to be able to type the music as a document, save it in a file, print it as well as play it back through the computer's speakers. Following the advent of the internet, Version 1 was released to the world on 9 November 1994.
Development
Mozart 1, in 1994, was entirely based on its author's vision of what a music processor should be. Mozart's development in the subsequent decades has been driven by the needs of its users[10]. Since the 2011 publication of Elaine Gould's book, Behind Bars, it has been used as the primary guide to developing and maintaining high quality music engraving in Mozart.
Timeline
Since the initial release in 1994, new major versions have been released regularly[11]. Intermediate free service packs are issued as needed.
- 1994: Mozart 1 – a 16 bit program for Windows 3.1
- 1996: Mozart 2 – a 32 bit program for Windows 95
- 1997–2001: Mozart 3 – Mozart 6
- 2002: Mozart Viewer/Reader is released: a free program which will view, print, and play Mozart (.mz) files.
- 2003: Mozart 7
- 2004: Mozart 8 – aka Mozart 2005
- 2006–09: Mozart 9, 10
- 2010: The Mozart Jazz Font is introduced
- 2011 –2014: Mozart 11, 12
- 2016: Mozart 13 - introduces the ribbon bar interface
- 2018: Mozart 14 – automates proportional spacing
Features
Interface
- Score entry by computer keyboard, mouse, on-screen piano keyboard, external MIDI instrument
- Extensive set of keyboard shortcuts with additional customisable mapping
- Programmable through macros
- Import: MusicXML, NIFF, abc, MIDI (.MID, .RMI, .KAR)
- Export: MusicXML, abc, MIDI (.MID, .RMI, .KAR), images including BMP, GIF, PNG, JPEG, TIFF, EMF,
- Help: extensive, context-sensitive help system
Score and instrumentation
- An extensible library of score templates
- Support for a large collection of transposing instruments
- Support for tablature notation, chord symbols, chord shapes, and percussion.
- Support for a number of plucked string instruments (i.a. guitar, banjo, ukulele, lute, tamburitza) in various tunings
- Score can be shown in concert pitch, written pitch, B♭ pitch
- Transposition to any key
- Extraction of parts from a score
Music entry
- Clefs include treble, bass, alto, tenor, percussion, tablature, and others.
- Time signatures automatically respected in the music
- Key signatures from 7 flats to 7 sharps and changes with optional cancelling naturals
- Repeated accidentals automatically respected
- Optional courtesy accidentals
- Cross- and diamond-shaped note heads, cue notes
- Enharmonic transformations involving (
, ♭, ♮, ♯, 
)
- Lyrics attached to notes
- All text items support Unicode characters
- Text entry has keyboard shortcuts for accented characters and symbols
Play-back
- Playback optionally with tracking cursor
- Playback follows repeats and redirections
- Playback obeys dynamics, pedal marks, phrasing, rubato, and articulation including tremolo and reiteration
Miscellaneous
- Mozart 10 Gold-certified to run under Wine-1.1.36 on Slackware Linux 12.1[12]
- Support for foot pedal page turners
Limitations
- Limited control over MIDI events
- The time signature must be common to all parallel staves
- No Gregorian chant notation
- No quarter tone notation
See also
References
- ^ "Release notes, Mozart 14". Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ Chad Criswell. "Mozart Music Notation Software Review". MusicEdMagic. Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ "Shareware scene: Mozart". PC Plus. No. 105. July 1995. p. 373.
- ^ "Mozart". Computer Life. No. 9. December 1995. p. 10.
- ^ "Intelligent programming". Classical Music. No. 680. 31 March 2001. p. 43.
- ^ "Feature: Making music with your PC". PC Home. No. 113. 2001. p. 45. ISSN 1351-5373.
- ^ "Mozart 4.1". PC Format. No. 168. December 2004. p. 115.
- ^ "Mozart - a top quality music notation program". QA Education. No. 63. Winter 2010. p. 29.
- ^ "About the author". Retrieved 20 May 2019.
- ^ "User group". Retrieved 21 May 2019.
- ^ "History of Mozart". Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- ^ Toal, Lawrence (21 January 2010). "WineHQ – Mozart the Music Processor Mozart 10". Wine HQ. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
