Score properties

Updated 1 year ago
This page shows old instructions for MuseScore 3.
For MuseScore 4 users, see Score properties.

    The Score Properties dialog contains document meta tags such as "workTitle," "Composer," "Copyright" etc. To view the dialog:

    1. Make sure that the applicable score or instrument part is the active tab;
    2. From the menu, select FileScore Properties.

    Several meta tags are generated automatically when you create a score using the New Score Wizard, and others may be added later. Meta tags can also be incorporated into a header or footer if required—see below.

    Edit meta tags

    1. Make sure that the applicable score or instrument part is the active tab;
    2. From the menu, select FileScore Properties;
      Score Properties
    3. Edit the text of the various meta tags as required;
    4. To add another meta tag, click on the New button. Fill in the "New tag name" field and press OK;
      Input tag name

    Pre-existing meta tags

    Every score displays the following fields in Score Properties:

    • File Path: The score file's location on your Computer.
    • MuseScore Version: The version of MuseScore the score was last saved with.
    • Revision: The revision of MuseScore the score was last saved with.
    • API-Level: The file format version.
    • arranger: (empty)
    • composer: This is initially set to the same text as "Composer" on the first page of the New Score Wizard.
    • copyright: This is initially set to the same text as "Copyright" on the first page of the New Score Wizard (if you need a copyright symbols, copy/paste this: ©).
    • creationDate: Date of the score creation. This could be empty, if the score was saved in test mode (see Command line options).
    • lyricist: This is initially set to the same text as "Lyricist" on the first page of the New Score Wizard.
    • movementNumber: (empty)
    • movementTitle: (empty)
    • originalFormat: This tag exists only if the score is imported (see file formats).
    • platform: The computing platform the score was created on. This might be empty if the score was saved in test mode.
    • poet: (empty)
    • source: May contain a URL if the score was downloaded from or saved to MuseScore.com.
    • translator: (empty)
    • workNumber: (empty)
    • workTitle: This is initially set to the same text as "Title" on the first page of the New Score Wizard.

    If you need to display multiline text in a header or footer (as a result of these meta tags), you must first enter the multiline text into a Text Editor (e.g. Notepad for Windows, TextEdit for Mac, Nano for Linux). Then you can copy and paste that multiline text into the relevant meta tag field. For example a multiline copyright:
    Words: © 2000 The Archbishops' Council. Used with permission.
    Music: © 2006, 2021 The Royal School of Church Music. All Rights Reserved.

    Entering Work / Movement / Part metadata

    • workNumber is the number of the larger work (e.g. 8—for "The Four Seasons," Op. 8, by Vivaldi).
    • workTitle is the title of the larger work (e.g "The Four Seasons,").
    • movementNumber is the number of the movement in the larger work (e.g. 3 for Autumn).
    • movementTitle is the title of the movement in the larger work (e.g.“Autumn”).

    It is customary, when using the New Score Wizard, to create a work with the movementTitle as title (even though it ends up in workTitle then) and, directly after creating the score, amending this information in the Score Properties dialogue.

    Every part additionally has the following meta tag, generated and filled on part creation:

    • partName: The name of the part as given on part creation (which is also used to fill the corresponding part name text in the top vertical frame—be aware that later changes to one are not reflected in the other).

    This meta tag is not present in the main score and thus is not available for use in its header/footer or in an added part name box in the top vertical frame, unless manually added as a new tag to its score properties.

    To show the content of one or more meta tags in a header or footer for your score/part:

    1. Make sure that the correct score or instrument part is the active tab;
    2. From the menu, select FormatStyle...Header, Footer:
      Style / Header, Footer
      If you hover with your mouse over the Header or Footer text region, a list of macros will appear, showing their meaning, as well as the existing meta tags and their content.
      Style / Header, Footer
      In this list $I and $i are only available in extracted, linked parts, because the partName score property is only defined there, unless, as described above, it got manually added to the main score properties. Not shown in this tooltip, but available likewise, is the $:partName: meta tag.
      Furthermore $v and $r are only available as of MuseScore 3.6.
    3. Add tags (e.g. $:workTitle:, note the leading and trailing colons) and macros (e.g. $M, no colons) to the appropriate boxes, as required;
    4. Click Apply to see how the header or footer looks in the score. Make corrections to the dialog if required;
    5. If an instrument part is in the active tab, click Apply to all parts, if you want to apply these settings to all the score parts;
    6. Click OK to assign the header or footer and exit the dialog.

    See also

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