The following instructions are for general users. If you are an advanced user and have installed other Python packages before, or want to use an EGG, SVN, PIP, or setuptools, you should read Installing Music21 with SVN, setuptools, and PIP.
Music21 requires Python 2.6 to run. Python 3 is not yet supported.
To determine the Python version you have installed, open a shell or terminal and enter the following command-line argument (where “$” is the prompt):
$ python -V
it should display something like:
Python 2.6.2
if so, you’re okay. If not, go to http://www.python.org/download and download a newer version. Multiple versions of Python can exist on a single computer without any problems.
Download the most-recent music21 package from the following URL.
Linux users should download the .tar.gz file.
After downloading the music21 toolkit, the package is installed like any other Python extension library. Python stores extension libraries in a directory called ‘site-packages’. The site-packages directory is located in different places depending on your system. To find where your site-packages directory is located, you can enter the following command in the Python interpreter:
>>> import distutils.sysconfig
>>> print(distutils.sysconfig.get_python_lib())
First, uncompress the .tar.gz file.
Open a shell or terminal, enter the outer-most music21 directory, and use python to execute the setup.py file with the ‘install’ argument:
$ cd /path/to/dir/music21-version
$ python setup.py install
You may need special permission to write in the Python site-packages directory. An easy way to temporarily gain this permission is to use the sudo command. If the above returns a permissions error, try the following:
$ sudo python setup.py install
If you cannot gain permission to install music21 in the Python site-packages directory, you can still run and use music21. Place the music21 folder anywhere convenient and note the file path. Start Python, and add this file path to Python’s list of directories searched for modules:
>>> import sys
>>> sys.path.append('/Users/ariza/Desktop/music21')
>>>
This can be done permanently by adding the music21 directory to the Python PYTHONPATH environment variable. This is not necessary if music21 is installed in the Python site-packages directory. See the following link for more details:
After a successful installation, you may proceed to Quick Start: Getting Started with music21 to begin using music21.
You may need to install additional software to take advantage of some features of music21. For information on additional software you may need, see Extending Music21 with Additional Software.
You may want to configure your Environment to support opening MusicXML files in MuseData or adjusting other settings. To do so, see Configuring Environment Settings.
If you have followed all the instructions and encounter problems, contact the music21 group for help: