abc2ly

Convert an ABC file to LilyPond format

$ abc2ly [input.abc]

$ abc2ly -o [output.ly] [input.abc]

$ abc2ly -b [input.abc]

$ abc2ly -q -o [output.ly] [input.abc]

abc2ly [OPTION]... FILE

abc2ly is a converter script bundled with LilyPond that transforms ABC music notation files into LilyPond input format. ABC notation is a simple text-based music notation system popular for folk and traditional music, while LilyPond is a powerful music engraving program that produces high-quality sheet music.
The tool reads ABC files conforming to the ABC standard and outputs equivalent LilyPond markup that can then be processed by LilyPond to generate publication-quality PDF or other output formats. This allows musicians and archivists with existing ABC tune collections to leverage LilyPond's superior typesetting capabilities.

-o, --output=FILE

Write output to specified FILE instead of stdout.

Preserve ABC's notion of beams in the output.

Be strict about conversion success.

Suppress progress messages during conversion.

Show help message and exit.

Show version number and exit.

Not all ABC features may translate perfectly to LilyPond. Complex ABC constructs or non-standard extensions might require manual adjustment in the resulting LilyPond file. The conversion preserves musical content but formatting preferences may need fine-tuning.

abc2ly was developed as part of the LilyPond project by Han-Wen Nienhuys, Laura Conrad, and Roy Rankin. It has been included with LilyPond distributions since the early days of the project, providing a bridge between the simpler ABC notation popular in folk music communities and LilyPond's professional engraving system.

lilypond(1), midi2ly(1), musicxml2ly(1)