Rhapsody Note
Rhapsody is a legacy product which has been superceeded by Rhapsody2, Rhapsody3 and now Rhapsody4. It's included here because, unlike the later versions of Rhapsody, it will run on first generation Acorn computers with only 2GB of RAM. If you are using RISC OS 3.5 or later please have a look at Rhapsody 4 instead.

Rhapsody is to a musical score what a word processor is to a book. It will enable you to enter a musical score onto the screen; to edit it in all sorts of ways; to save it and merge it with other scores; and finally to print it out on your printer in a variety of scales and formats.

In addition, (and this is something no word processor can do) Rhapsody will also perform your masterpiece, either through the internal sound system, using, perhaps, sampled voices, or through an electronic instrument such as a synthesizer which is fitted with a MIDI port. (To do this you will also need a MIDI interface fitted inside your computer).

All the essential facilities for producing a piece of music rather than just a sequence of notes, are provided. These include repeats, dynamic markings, crescendos and decrescendos, accelerandos and ritardandos, staccato and accented notes and a huge range of trills and ornaments.

If you have a MIDI instrument, you can use it not only to play scores but also to help input musical parts. This can be done in real time while the computer is playing the rest of the score. Rhapsody is compatible with both Maestro and MIDI files so if you already have musical pieces in either of these formats, they can easily be converted to Rhapsody files.

Rhapsody has been carefully designed to be as easy as possible to use. It conforms closely with the guidelines set down for other standard RISC OS packages such as !Paint and clearly it owes a lot to the pioneer in this field - !Maestro, so if you are familiar with these programs, you will find Rhapsody very easy to master. This manual assumes that you are familiar with the RISC OS environment. If this is not the case please read the manuals supplied with your computer. You will soon find that choosing items from a menu and clicking on icons becomes second nature.

Whether you are an instrumentalist in search of a tireless and uncomplaining accompanist; a struggling pianist who wants to discover what your pieces should actually sound like; a teacher who wants a third Euphonium part in Eb tomorrow; or a budding (or even a professional) composer who wants to see your works in print and hear them competently performed, Rhapsody is the program you have been waiting for.

© Copyright 3QD Developments - 04/09/2026