diff --git a/src/CMakeLists.txt b/src/CMakeLists.txt
index f8ebfa9f2e..281be10b92 100644
--- a/src/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/src/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ if( CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCXX )
 	endif( APPLE )
 endif( CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCXX )
 
+option( DYN_FLUIDSYNTH "Dynamically load fluidsynth" )
+
 if( CMAKE_SIZEOF_VOID_P MATCHES "8" )
 	set( X64 64 )
 endif( CMAKE_SIZEOF_VOID_P MATCHES "8" )
@@ -490,8 +492,10 @@ set( ZDOOM_LIBS ${ZDOOM_LIBS} "${ZLIB_LIBRARIES}" "${JPEG_LIBRARIES}" "${BZIP2_L
 include_directories( "${ZLIB_INCLUDE_DIR}" "${FMOD_INCLUDE_DIR}" "${BZIP2_INCLUDE_DIR}" "${LZMA_INCLUDE_DIR}" "${JPEG_INCLUDE_DIR}" )
 
 if( FLUIDSYNTH_FOUND )
+  if( NOT DYN_FLUIDSYNTH)
 	set( ZDOOM_LIBS ${ZDOOM_LIBS} "${FLUIDSYNTH_LIBRARIES}" )
 	include_directories( "${FLUIDSYNTH_INCLUDE_DIR}" )
+  endif( NOT DYN_FLUIDSYNTH )
 endif( FLUIDSYNTH_FOUND )
 
 # Start defining source files for ZDoom
@@ -587,9 +591,11 @@ else( SSE_MATTERS )
 	set( X86_SOURCES )
 endif( SSE_MATTERS )
 
-if( FLUIDSYNTH_FOUND )
+if( DYN_FLUIDSYNTH )
+	add_definitions( -DHAVE_FLUIDSYNTH -DDYN_FLUIDSYNTH )
+elseif( FLUIDSYNTH_FOUND )
 	add_definitions( -DHAVE_FLUIDSYNTH )
-endif( FLUIDSYNTH_FOUND )
+endif( DYN_FLUIDSYNTH )
 
 add_executable( zdoom WIN32
 	autostart.cpp
diff --git a/src/sound/i_musicinterns.h b/src/sound/i_musicinterns.h
index 041e3db00e..18b6937dfc 100644
--- a/src/sound/i_musicinterns.h
+++ b/src/sound/i_musicinterns.h
@@ -347,6 +347,8 @@ protected:
 
 #ifdef _WIN32
 	HMODULE FluidSynthDLL;
+#else
+	void *FluidSynthSO;
 #endif
 	bool LoadFluidSynth();
 	void UnloadFluidSynth();
diff --git a/src/sound/music_fluidsynth_mididevice.cpp b/src/sound/music_fluidsynth_mididevice.cpp
index 6cb576b187..fb573f2fb9 100644
--- a/src/sound/music_fluidsynth_mididevice.cpp
+++ b/src/sound/music_fluidsynth_mididevice.cpp
@@ -54,7 +54,9 @@
 #define FLUIDSYNTHLIB	"fluidsynth64.dll"
 #endif
 #else
-#error "TODO: Write a dlopen() version of this code."
+#include <dlfcn.h>
+
+#define FLUIDSYNTHLIB	"libfluidsynth.so.1"
 #endif
 
 #endif
@@ -892,24 +894,33 @@ bool FluidSynthMIDIDevice::LoadFluidSynth()
 
 #ifdef _WIN32
 	FluidSynthDLL = LoadLibrary(FLUIDSYNTHLIB);
-#endif
 	if (FluidSynthDLL == NULL)
 	{
 		Printf(TEXTCOLOR_RED"Could not load " FLUIDSYNTHLIB "\n");
 		return false;
 	}
+#else
+	FluidSynthSO = dlopen(FLUIDSYNTHLIB, RTLD_LAZY);
+	if (FluidSynthSO == NULL)
+	{
+		Printf(TEXTCOLOR_RED"Could not load " FLUIDSYNTHLIB ": %s\n", dlerror());
+		return false;
+	}
+#endif
 
 	for (int i = 0; i < countof(imports); ++i)
 	{
 #ifdef _WIN32
 		FARPROC proc = GetProcAddress(FluidSynthDLL, imports[i].FuncName);
+#else
+		void *proc = dlsym(FluidSynthSO, imports[i].FuncName);
+#endif
 		if (proc == NULL)
 		{
 			Printf(TEXTCOLOR_RED"Failed to find %s in %s\n", imports[i].FuncName, FLUIDSYNTHLIB);
 			fail++;
 		}
 		*imports[i].FuncPointer = proc;
-#endif
 	}
 	if (fail == 0)
 	{
@@ -920,6 +931,9 @@ bool FluidSynthMIDIDevice::LoadFluidSynth()
 #ifdef _WIN32
 		FreeLibrary(FluidSynthDLL);
 		FluidSynthDLL = NULL;
+#else
+		dlclose(FluidSynthSO);
+		FluidSynthSO = NULL;
 #endif
 		return false;
 	}
@@ -940,6 +954,12 @@ void FluidSynthMIDIDevice::UnloadFluidSynth()
 		FreeLibrary(FluidSynthDLL);
 		FluidSynthDLL = NULL;
 	}
+#else
+	if (FluidSynthSO != NULL)
+	{
+		dlclose(FluidSynthSO);
+		FluidSynthSO = NULL;
+	}
 #endif
 }