A programming language where code is composed like music.
BitSonata is an almost Turing-complete programming language based entirely on musical structure. In BitSonata, writing a program means composing a song. Variables, expressions, control flow, and logic are expressed through melody, rhythm, harmony, and musical motifs.
Inspired by music theory and powered by abstract syntax trees, BitSonata is designed to be interpreted, expressive, and musical — your code doesn't just run… it plays.
To mix 2 of my passions, coding and music. Trying to turn computer science into art, and being able to enjoy CS
- 🗝️ Key-based scope: The code is key based, so it can be played in every possible instrument. It is possible to write the same code in 2 completly different keys
- 🎶 Variable declarations via rhythmic motifs.
- 🔁 Loops, conditions, and logic built from cadences, intervals, and phrasing.
- 🧠 Melodic arithmetic: Ascending = addition, descending = subtraction, and more.
- 🎼 Readable and musical output — you can literally listen to your code. (MuseScore website)
Follow these steps to get started with BitSonata:
-
Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/bitsonata.git cd bitsonata -
Install dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt
-
Compose your code
- Use MuseScore or your preferred music notation software to compose your program as a music sheet or MIDI file.
- Save your composition in one of the supported formats (
.mxl,.musicxml,.xml,.mid,.midi).
-
Run the interpreter
python interpreter.py "path/to/your/music_sheet_or_midi"Replace
"path/to/your/music_sheet_or_midi"with the actual path to your file. -
Listen and enjoy
- The interpreter will process your musical code and execute it.
- You can listen to your code and see the output in your terminal.
Example:
python interpreter.py "examples/hello_world.mxl"💡 Tip: Try composing simple melodies to get started, then experiment with more complex musical structures to explore the full power of BitSonata!
Use for your BitSonata files:
.mxl.musicxml.xml.mid.midi
my_composition.mxl
It's been mainly tested with .mxl
- More freesom when composing
- for loops
- ELSE conditionals
- break statement
- array support
- Live interpreter with MIDI output
- Audio input for live performances (vibe coding at its mamximum exponent)
- Visual editor for composing, turns the music into pseudocode so it is easier to code
- Improve lexer so it allows more modes than major and minor
- More examples
- Web interpreter so everybody can use it online
- Company website
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
MIT License
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