MuseScore

New note input modes allow you to play music on a MIDI keyboard in real time and have MuseScore transcribe both pitches and rhythms, either using the built-in metronome or your foot pedal to keep the tempo
New input mode to allow entry of rhythm first, pitches later
New command to rewrite rhythms to show beat divisions according to time signature rules
New and improved commands to change duration of existing notes while in note input mode, including adding and removing augmentation dots
Synthesizer improvements, including updates to the default SoundFont and better support for SFZ format
Ability to upload audio to MuseScore.com along with your score, so others can hear your score with your chosen SoundFont or SFZ
Improved historical tablature support, including lute bass strings
When changing instruments mid-score (e.g., from flute to clarinet), the transposition is now handled correctly
Improved selection controls, including the ability to select notes of the same pitch, duration, or notehead, and the ability to select or deselect all element types in the Selection Filter
New command to swap selection with clipboard (simultaneously paste to and copy from the selected range)
More controls: ability to reorder score tabs, customize pause length of breaths and caesuras, add/remove brackets on accidentals, set MP3 bitrate, add page breaks when creating albums, include fingering in tablature staves
New and improved templates and instruments, including various marching bands and percussion ensembles, a general percussion staff, more standard clefs for basses, additional ethnic instruments
UI improvements in Staff Properties, New Score Wizard, Edit Drumset, and other windows

Features

Allow voltas on all staves
#14910: Piano Keyboard doesn't show notes during playback
New "Getting Started" tutorial score
#56786: Allow the bends input in a standard staff
#54761: Easier way to search an item in shorcut list
Add palette context menu to enable single palette mode
Play chords out of note input mode

UI

Display "Report a bug" and "Copy" button in About box
Fix "copy revision" button in About box on Retina display
Move Add button in time signature dialog in the same corner than in the key signature dialog

Templates and instruments

Add Chamber Music templates
Custom template files are now in the second category
Add Violins, Violas, Violoncellos and Contrabasses
Add Ukulele and Ukulele Tablature to the list of common instruments
Better abbreviations for Euphonium, Tuba, and Double Bass

Debug

Add command line option -w to disable the webview in startcenter
Add command line option to create template
Add originalFormat as metatag when importing a file

Misc. bug fixes

Fix #58706: Regression in MuseScore 2—Em dash (—) not supported
Fix #58646: Pinch to zoom (on touch screen) results in net zero zoom
Fix #54691: SHIFT- adds note to same octave when key signature contains flats
Fix #7886: [trunk] Section break and courtesy clef
Fix #58496: Section break doesn't reset courtesy time sig
Fix #58481: A time signature change with an attached image to the staff may cause problems
Fix #58231: Crash changing text style on empty lyric
Fix #57646: Segment-attached element in Voice 2 causes corruption in Voice 1 on copy and paste
Fix #57756: Crash when deleting time signature when vertical frame is present
Fix #57556: Arrow key / transpose (and others) commands don't obey selection filter
Fix #57496: Section Break pause properties don't stick if set to 0.00sec
Fix #57861: [XML and CAPX Import] An & in the partname or in a staff text of MusicXML or CAPX file results in unloadable MuseScore file
Fix #57431: Courtesy time signature not created when changing time signature
Fix #57436: Undo from common to cut time time sig displays 2/2
Fix #57226: Crash pasting chords symbols from different staves
Fix #56951: Starting playback with repeats in a certain order causes a crash
Fix #55411: Cross-staff tuplet number collision avoidance is incorrect
Fix #56876: Load Album dialog sometimes shows scores, not albums - and vice versa
Fix #56536: "Break every X measures" tool does not operate on the last measure in selection
Fix #23473: Notes and rests shorter than 128th do not display or copy properly
Fix #53481: FreeSerif font included with MuseScore is missing italic
Fix #53341: Undo doesn't works after appending a frame
Fix #51761: Slurs & lines disappear or move in the non-rewritten measures on add of time signature
Fix #55446: Split staff in parts with slur causes a crash
Fix #53266: Corruption pasting into a sequence that ends in the middle of a tuplet
Fix #56191: Crash playing score with ties and tremolo
Fix #53161: Notes created by extending chord over barline are not tied to the correct notes
Fix #53461: Respell Pitches command changes only concert pitch spelling, regardless of current state
Fix #54346: Clef in part is offseted when system text is present in pickup
Fix #52506: Split Staff on particular slur crashes MuseScore
Fix #54556: Multimeasure clef position bug
Fix #54766: Not able to move fret to maximum when using Up arrow key
Fix #54506: Infinite program loop while playback with looping tie of death
Fix #51886: Enharmonic change made using "J" on concert pitch instrument not saved
Fix #54196: Regression after 2.0 - Score with pickup measure are corrupted when reopen
Fix #51881: Measure number mode not preserved on save/reload
Fix #53196: Chord Symbols on Multi-Measure Rest NOT Transposed to/from Concert Pitch
Fix #52936: 8va with Bravura or Gonville not read correctly
Fix #52386: symbols added to "Repeat measure sign" measure will disapear on reload (win & linux 2.0)
Fix #53751: Shorten stem are not read correctly
Fix #53931: Customised slide position is not read correctly.
Fix #52926: Tremolo position
Fix #54216: Crash when creating new score using empty custom template
Fix #53506: MuseJazz font line spacing too wide
Fix #53761: cross-staff beam too short
Fix #52841: Add sound feedback in repitch mode
Fix #42356: Pedal playback remains on if pedal line ends at closing repeat bar
Fix #53631: "Export Parts" generates a "Score_and_Parts" in a continous view.
Fix #53696: Export as audio gets stuck at 99% with some file and some soundfont.
Fix #53406: Technique text style should be spatium dependent
Fix #51876: Crash navigating into multimeasure rest using Measure Properties
Fix #51201: Voltas don't respond to CTRL-R
Fix #52131: REGRESSION: Preferences | Shortcuts: Detection of conflicts ignores shortcut states
Fix #51721: Staff miscentered vertically when set to 1 line musescore 2.0
Add controller read in PortMidi driver

User interface

Continuous view - scroll horizontally through your score with no line or page breaks

Start Center - start-up window which lets you easily pick up your work in progress or create new scores—and includes old MuseScore Connect, which puts a MuseScore composer in the spotlight and links to the MuseScore music sharing website and social media

Inspector panel - easily alter parameters (e.g., positioning) of any element

Piano keyboard - on-screen piano keyboard for note entry

Customizable palettes and workspaces Basic and Advanced workspaces included by default, or define your own

Usability

Selection filter - choose which types of elements to select for copy and paste operations

Re-pitch mode - replace pitches without changing rhythms

Image capture mode - save rectangular selections as graphics

Explode/Implode - separate chords onto multiple staves, or combine multiple staves into chords

More precise manual adjustments - nudge nearly any element any direction with keyboard or Inspector

Musical notation

Tablature support - variety of tab notation styles for guitar, bass, lute, and more

Fret diagrams - easily create diagrams and set up your own palette of commonly used chords

Dynamic text styles - changes automatically apply to all elements with that style

New fonts - three musical fonts to choose from, with matching text fonts

Flexible chord symbols - enter chord symbols using any common spellings, including support for German and solfege note naming and lower case minor chords

Slash notation - fill selection with beat slashes, or convert notated rhythms to slashes on, above, or below staff

Layout improvements - automatic correct positioning and spacing for multi-voice chords and rests, dots, accidentals, ties, articulations, hairpins, pedal markings, voltas, etc.

More supported notations - pedal change markings, grace notes after (trill endings), falls/doits/scoops/plops/bends, bagpipe embellishments, figured bass, ambitus, early music notations, more flexible time signatures, and a huge set of additional music symbols from Steinberg's new open source Bravura music font

Import/Export

Guitar Pro import - supports GP3, GP4, GP5, and GPX formats

Import PDF - addition of an OMR service to import PDF files

MusicXML import/export improvements - greater compatibility with other applications, ability to control degree of layout to be preserved

MIDI import improvements - automatic simplification of rhythms, handling of multiple voices

MP3 export - in addition to other audio formats WAV, FLAC and OGG

Save online - improved integration with musescore.com for online publishing

Playback

New SoundFont - MuseScore's own more realistic Fluid R3

Mid-score instrument changes - play a different instrument on the same staff

Flexible swing style - swing eighth note or sixteenth note, set swing ratio

Improved JACK support - for interoperability with other MIDI and audio programs

Playback of more score markings - crescendo, decrescendo, smart tempo text interpretation, tremolo, mordents, improved repeats and voltas, etc.

Score management

Linked parts - changes in score automatically reflect in parts and vice versa

Albums - combine several scores, e.g. multiple movements, into albums

Styles - define and apply custom score styles, select default styles for scores and for parts

Split and join measures - divide measure into shorter ones or combine measures into longer one

Accessibility

Keyboard shortcuts - expanded availability of actions and many more shortcuts by default

Documentation - extended handbook, available in print-friendly HTML and as PDF download

Translations - into more than 50 languages, which can receive updates via the web

Screen reader - support for NVDA screen reader (Windows-only) to read the music verbally

Contextual help - new online help (F1) system aggregating online help resources

Bug fixes
Playback

Fix #19148: Distortion in sound playback after several measures of play due to reverb
Improve the stability of the sequencer and user interface interaction

Crashes

Fix crash when loading files with invalid tuplet
Fix crash when exporting parts with voltas
Fix possible crash during MusicXML import
Fix crash when changing voices without valid input state

User Interface

Fix #16692: Save and Save As dialogue boxes fail to open when Title contains colon
Fix last element in file format combo box in the File -> Open Dialog is empty on Mac OS X
Fix Two percussion clefs in palette
Fix #16301: Verbose program listing in Add/Remove Programs
Change default shortcut for voices to Ctrl + Alt + Voice number (Previous shortcuts were not working on Mac)
Fix small icons on Windows and Mac
Add 1024x1024 icons on Mac OSX for retina display
Fix: Fermata applied to rest isn’t positioned where it was placed until score is saved and re-opened
Better looking new score wizard on Mac OS X
Fix: Two invisible boxes in 'Lines'

Updates
Installer

Windows binaries are now signed with an Authenticode certificate
Windows installer is also available in MSI format to ease the deployment of MuseScore through Group Policy
Both Windows installers are signed with an Authenticode certificate

Plugins

Updated musescore.com “Save online” plugin, cosmetic changes
Updated ABC import plugin, support for larger files

MuseScore 1.2 includes nearly 100 bug fixes, mainly in MusicXML import and export, notation, user interface, playback, styling and parts. With the much improved MusicXML support, you can now reliably import your sheet music collection from Sibelius or Finale into MuseScore.

A lot of effort went again into localizing MuseScore 1.2. The MuseJazz font has been extended tremendously for international alphabets. There are new translations for Estonian and Belarusian, and updates for the other 43 translations.

We also said goodbye to Moussorgsky’s Picture of an Exhibition, which has served us well as the MuseScore demo score for many years now. We found a worthy replacement in Marc Sabatella’s Reunion, which was composed specifically for MuseScore.

Last but not least, MuseScore Connect – which was introduced in version 1.1 – has been completely rebuilt. You can now search for sheet music shared by the community on musescore.com as well as search through your own collection and open scores directly into MuseScore. But this is just the start. From now on, MuseScore Connect will improve independently from the MuseScore releases.

MuseScore 1.1 is a bug fix release. The focus of this release was stability by reducing bugs, only a very limited set of new features were added. Several new translations were added.

New Features

MuseScore Connect
add sol notehead, alternative brevist notehead group, new symbols for old notation
fix #4526: Adding ties to chords
MuseJazz font includes triangle, circle with a slash, and other symbols for chords
MuseJazz font includes complete ASCII character set for text
New "MuseJazz" style to use MuseJazz for all text elements
New "Jazz Lead Sheet" template and style
New chord description (XML) files to switch between popular styles of chord symbols
Space / Shift-Space in chordname entry allows chords to be placed on beats with no notes
Tab / Shift-Tab in chordname entry skips to the next / previous measure
"Acoustic Bass" (pizz. default) added to instrument list

Bug fixes

Import/export

fix printing of images (fix #10140: Save as PDF with several images causes crash)
fix #11245: MusicXML doesn't save Tempo Text if there's no name
fix crash on capella import with timesig 0
import part name from MusicXML
Add support for notehead color in MusicXML export and import
Add shape notehead support in MusicXML export and import
add MusicXML testfile for noteheads
import & export harmony even if not on chord/rest in MusicXML
fix #10849: musicxml exports lyrics only with notes in voice 1.
note: file attached to http://musescore.org/en/node/10168 not handled yet
fix crash on WAV export in fluid
fix #9919: error on open/read musicxml was not handled
fix #9842: Tempo value not exported in Lilypond
fix #9830: Percussion sounds not exported correctly in MusicXML

Playback

reduce default reverb gain from 0.5 to 0.2
fix #11164: Synth control status on startup and audio export
fix #5142: Notes do not release together in Swing or Shuffle mode
fix playback start position when repeat in the score
fallback to default soundfont if can't load the preferences one

Usability and interface

open MuseScore maximize on very first startup
fix entry of underline character in lyrics entry mode
(for german keyboard press Strg+Umsch+"-", for english Ctrl+"_")
better handling of Tab key in text element
fix #11246: change default number of measures and pickup measure timesig
Restore ability to delete instrument name in place
Right click on instrument name for staff properties
new chordstyle is apply now immediatly
remove "what's this" in toolbar and help menu
remove delete button in symboldialog, fix system flag
fix #10935: fix Soundfont path //
fix #10934: double error message on opening a 2.0 score
add shortcut for navigating between score tab

Plugins

add timesig object in plugin framework
add undo support for scnote pitch and tuning
add : chord.small, chord.noStem, rest.small, note.velocity, score.keysig
set notehead shape from plugin framework
more page format option accessible via plugins

Build

fix #10915: Rename WRC to WRC.BAT in CMakeList.txt

Miscellaneous

fix #11267: Shift + drag tuplet, delete, undo cause crash
fix #10585: Accidental offset in small staves corrupted by saving and reloading (patch by Miwarre)
fix #10313: Align settings in Edit Text Style dlg box not stored (patch by Miwarre)
fix rest position for 1 and 3 staff lines
don't play midi note according to preferences (#10024)
measure number no more selectable to avoid crash on undo
barline at start of system not selectable to avoid crash on undo
can't create empty part anymore
fix #10564: Selecting voice before enabling Note Entry and entering notes causes crash
fix #9107: Pasting multiple multi-voice notes causes crash
fix #9805: Second Voice can end up broken
fix #9307: Nested tuplets causes crash
fix crash reported in http://musescore.org/node/10674 comment 2
fix #1722: Continue last session tries to open discarded score
fix #9338: chordname scrolls offscreen
fix #10660: Continue last session & play panel enabled
fix #5900: Courtesy accidentals lost in transposition
fix #9332: Unable to create slash-headed notes on drum staff
fix #10165: Measure num. every n shows number (every n) + 1
fix #9342: repeat entry doesn't scroll display
fix #10048: Opening Page Settings causes crash
fix #10370: Shortcuts cannot be cleared, implement "reset to defaults" in preferences-shortcuts dialog
fix #10335: importCharsetList does not appear
fix #10264: Select a flag and enter a note causes crash
fix #7814: error with single-line-staff percussion notation
don't print blue frame around selected image
fix #7944: Instrument limit (again)
fix #9996: Chord navigation does not work on multistaff
fix #9883: Insert vertical frame between two parts of the same line (volta, cresc) causes crash
fix #9852: Measure number hidden by horizontal frame
fix #9792: Clef not displayed after changing clefs in previous measures
fix #9790: Pasting notes featuring key signature change and lyrics corrupts following bar
fix crash when inserting vertical frame (#9765)

Translation

New languages: Faeroese, Slovak, Lithuanian, Croatian, Belarusian, Vietnamese, Esperanto, Persian
All existing languages are updated from http://translate.musescore.org

* fix #6775: Seg. fault by double clicking any element twice
* fix #7233: Transpose by diminished second doesn't work (0.9.6 branch regression)
* fix #7232: D.S. after coda sign freezes playback
* fix #7167: Time signature change causes triplets to corrupt score
* fix #7211: Copy/Paste notes over rest of diff. durations in staves
* fix #7142: Crescendo & delete measures problems
* fix #7197: MuseScore fails to open MSCZ files with capitals
* fix #6932: Changing notehead of a breve crash
* fix #7077: Applying double-note tremolo to dotted notes fails and alter measure duration
* fix #6937: Measure Properties should be modal dialog
* fix #6888: When exchanging voice, voice 1 is removed
* fix get keysig from plugin when concert pitch mode is set
* fix #6735: C# for AltoSax in default soundfont is silent
* add access to DPI and notehead, note boundingbox and note position from plugin framework
* fix #7150: Changing soundfont does not work for audio export

Critical
* fix #6597: Close/reload crash on XP
* fix #6658: Natural in every keysig on mac PPC
* fix #6508: Crash removing instrument with volta
* fix #6706: Crash when inserting slurs from palette while editing text
* fix #6740: Autosave works only the first time
* fix #6479: Crash when closing score during playback
* fix #6624: Crash when deleting a tuplet from a MusicXML import
* fix #5667: Font problem (quarternote looks too big in text on Linux)
* fix #6620 : Crash on changing dynamics font size

Plugin framework
+ fix cursor move on repeatmeasure in plugin framework
+ fix instrument name containing flats for plugin framework

UI
+ fix #6505: Mixer is not refreshed when scores are switched
+ fix mouse wheel handling for mixer elements
+ fix repeat command (ctrl+r) for staves > 1

Translation
+ New language: Asturian
+ All other languages are updated from http://translate.musescore.org

* The focus for the past weeks was to improve stability and fix as many bugs and crashes as possible. Besides that, improvements were made to the MuseScore code, the plugin framework, import & export and more.
* This RC1 contains the translations coming from the translation server and one new language has been added: Simplified Chinese. Also the pdf handbooks have been updated, including two new ones Japanese and Simplified Chinese handbook. A big thumbs up to all translators.
* The 0.9.6 Release Candidate looks different with the new wordmark being integrated. This includes a new splash screen, a new default background image and various tweaks.

* Many bug fixes
* New F keys for Mac OS
* The installation path has changed from "C:\Program Files\MuseScore 0.9" to "C:\Program Files\MuseScore".
* The Windows installation file is 25% smaller in size due to a changed compression setting
* The available handbooks in pdf have been updated. There are a couple of new handbooks in the pipeline which still need a final check: Hungarian, Romanian, Russian. These will be included in the 0.9.6 Release Candidate.