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File Import & Library

Where to Find Sheet Music

Crescendo works with any MusicXML, MIDI, or LilyPond file. Here are the best places to find music to practice.

Quick Recommendation

For practice mode with note checking, you need MusicXML files. The best free sources are MuseScore.com (largest library) and OpenScore (high-quality classical).

PDFs from IMSLP can be viewed in Crescendo, but practice mode won't work since the app can't identify individual notes in an image.

Source Comparison

Source Format Practice Mode Cost
MuseScore.com MusicXML, MIDI Full support Free / $49/yr
OpenScore MusicXML Full support Free
Mutopia Project MIDI, LilyPond Converted Free
IMSLP Mostly PDF View only Free
Your Own Files Any supported Full support Varies

MuseScore.com

Recommended

The largest collection of user-uploaded sheet music with over 1.5 million scores. Most pieces are available in MusicXML format, which works perfectly with Crescendo.

How to get music from MuseScore.com

  1. Visit musescore.com and search for a piece
  2. Create a free account (required to download)
  3. Click Download and choose MusicXML format
  4. Import the downloaded file into Crescendo

Pricing

  • Free account: Download public domain scores in MusicXML
  • Pro ($49/year): Download all scores including copyrighted arrangements

Note: Download the file to your device first, then import it into Crescendo. Direct import from MuseScore.com is not available since their API is closed.

OpenScore Lieder Corpus

High quality

Over 1,300 professionally-engraved classical songs with piano accompaniment (mainly 19th-century vocal music by Schubert, Brahms, Schumann). The piano parts are substantial and great for practice. All scores are CC0 licensed (public domain) and available in MusicXML.

How to get music from OpenScore

  1. Visit OpenScore Lieder on MuseScore.com
  2. Browse or search for a piece
  3. Click Download and choose MusicXML
  4. Import into Crescendo

Why OpenScore is great

  • No account needed to download
  • Scholarly-quality editions (not amateur transcriptions)
  • 100% free, no subscription required
  • Direct MusicXML downloads (no conversion needed)

Note: These are vocal pieces (Lieder) with piano accompaniment, not piano solo works. The piano parts are musically rich and excellent for practice, but the score will include a vocal staff.

Mutopia Project

Requires conversion

A collection of 2,124 public domain classical pieces. Mutopia provides MIDI and LilyPond files, both of which Crescendo can import and convert automatically.

How to get music from Mutopia

  1. Visit mutopiaproject.org
  2. Browse by composer, instrument, or style
  3. Download the MIDI file (easiest) or LilyPond file
  4. Import into Crescendo (conversion happens automatically)

Note: Mutopia doesn't provide MusicXML directly. When you import MIDI files, some visual details (beaming, dynamics) may differ from the original score. For the most accurate notation, prefer MusicXML sources.

IMSLP (Petrucci Music Library)

Mostly PDF

The world's largest collection of public domain music with over 843,000 scores. However, most files are PDFs, which can only be viewed in Crescendo (not used for practice mode).

What you can do with IMSLP PDFs

  • View the sheet music as a "digital music stand"
  • Use the metronome while viewing
  • Swipe to turn pages, zoom and pan

What you cannot do

  • Get note-by-note feedback (app can't read notes from images)
  • Use practice mode features (auto-advance, loop points)
  • Practice hands separately

Finding MusicXML on IMSLP

Some IMSLP uploads include MusicXML attachments, but this is rare. Look for "Music files" section on the score page. If MusicXML is available, download that instead of the PDF.

Better alternative: If you want to practice a piece from IMSLP, search for the same piece on MuseScore.com or OpenScore to find a MusicXML version.

Teacher-Assigned Files

Personal

If your piano teacher assigns pieces, they can share MusicXML files with you. This is the most direct way to practice exactly what your teacher wants.

How teachers can share files

  • Email attachment: Download to your device, then import
  • Cloud storage link: Use "Import from URL" in Crescendo
  • USB transfer: Copy directly to your phone or tablet

Supported cloud storage for URL import

  • Works automatically: Dropbox, Google Drive, GitHub, GitLab
  • Download first: iCloud, OneDrive, MEGA (download the file, then import)

For teachers: Export from MuseScore (free software) as Compressed MusicXML (.mxl) for smallest file size with full notation preserved.

Creating Your Own Music

Advanced

If you compose or arrange music, you can export from notation software and practice in Crescendo.

Notation software that exports MusicXML

  • MuseScore (free, open-source) - File > Export > Compressed MusicXML
  • Finale - File > Export > MusicXML
  • Sibelius - File > Export > MusicXML
  • Dorico - File > Export > MusicXML
  • Notion - File > Export > MusicXML

Best format to export

Choose Compressed MusicXML (.mxl) when available. It's smaller than uncompressed MusicXML and preserves everything Crescendo needs.

MuseScore recommendation: MuseScore is free and works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. It can also open MIDI files and save them as MusicXML, which is useful for converting files from other sources.

Importing Tips

From your device

  1. In Crescendo, go to Library
  2. Tap the Add button (bottom-right)
  3. Choose Import Files
  4. Select your file(s)

From a URL (cloud storage)

  1. Copy the file's share link
  2. In Crescendo, go to Library
  3. Tap Add > Import from URL
  4. Paste the link (Crescendo auto-detects your clipboard)
  5. Tap Import

Crescendo automatically converts links from Dropbox, Google Drive, GitHub, and GitLab to direct download URLs.

Common Questions

Why can't I use PDFs for practice mode?

A PDF is like a photograph of sheet music. The app can display it, but it can't identify individual notes to check if you're playing correctly.

For practice mode with note checking, you need a structured file format like MusicXML that contains actual music data (which notes, which rhythms, which staff).

Can I find pop songs or movie themes?

MuseScore.com has many user-created arrangements of popular songs. However, most copyrighted arrangements require a MuseScore Pro subscription ($49/year) to download.

Classical music in the public domain (Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, etc.) is always free to download.

What if I only have a MIDI file?

MIDI files work fine. Crescendo automatically converts them to MusicXML when you import. The notes will be correct for practice mode.

However, some visual details may differ from the original score (beaming, enharmonic spelling, dynamics). For the best visual match, use MusicXML when available.

Can I import directly from MuseScore.com?

No, direct import from MuseScore.com isn't available. Their API is closed to third-party apps.

The workaround is simple: download the MusicXML file to your device first, then import it into Crescendo using the file picker.

How do I share a piece with my student?

Export your score as MusicXML from your notation software (MuseScore, Finale, etc.), then share it via:

  • Email: Attach the .mxl file
  • Dropbox/Google Drive: Share a link (student can use "Import from URL")
  • AirDrop (iOS): Direct transfer if nearby
Is there a file size limit?

100MB per file. Most sheet music files are well under 5MB, so this limit is rarely an issue.

For URL imports, the limit is 50MB to ensure reasonable download times.

Still Need Help?

Can't find a piece in MusicXML format? We might be able to help locate it.

support@crescendopiano.app

Response time: 2-3 business days

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