Re: Melisma line

[David Wright]

On Tue 25 Sep 2018 at 14:34:37 (+0200), address@hidden wrote:
> On 2018-09-24 at 01:02, David Wright wrote:

> > That's adds a lot of complexity. I prefer a simpler approach:
> > 
> > %%
> > \version "2.18.2"
> > 
> > A = \relative g' { g2 g( g g) g g g g }
> > n = \lyricmode { "" }
> > 
> > Txt = \lyricmode { Ah Ah __ \n _ Ah Ah }
> > 
> > \score { \A \addlyrics { \Txt } \layout {} }
> > 
> > nbsp = \markup \char ##x00A0 % safer alternative than the literal char 
> > (which does work)
> > n = \lyricmode { \nbsp }
> > 
> > Txt = \lyricmode { Ah Ah __ \n _ Ah Ah }
> > 
> > \score { \A \addlyrics { \Txt } \layout {} }
> > %%
> > 
> > The first method can emit warning messages so I use the second,
> > defined in a library \include.
> > 
> > You only need one melisma stopper, and I then use _ for subsequent notes as
> > 
> >    … a melisma __ \n
> >    \repeat unfold 83 _
> >    Next lyric …
> > 
> > is so tidy, and easily edited.

> David: Already after testing Simon's method the thoughts started in my
> head, that I ought to search for a non printable control character,
> but then it dealt with the original ASCII characters (the interval hex
> 0x00 to 0x1F). Indeed I was not aware of the special character you
> use. But it works perfect, and I have not noticed any unwanted side
> effects.

If you write, say,
word. __ _ _ \repeat unfold 83 \n
you might find that systems which are filled with only \n lyrics take
a little more vertical space than
word. __ _ _ \n \repeat unfold 82 _
or
word. __ _ _ \n \repeat unfold 82 " "
do (where the wordless systems are filled with blank space).

This annoys me because I have to print music on Letter paper after
being used to the taller A4 size, so every little bit counts.

> So that is the way I will chose. The last lines in your
> message, starting with "You only need one melisma stopper" I do not
> fully understand, but the method you describe before that is crystal
> clear.

However, if you write
word. __ _ _ \repeat unfold 83 _
instead of the above, you get an 85 syllable lyric extension,
of course. The "melisma stopper" is the single "\n" that follows
the "__ _ _" and terminates the desired 2 syllable lyric extension
by assigning an (invisible) lyric to the next syllable. My definition
of \n uses Unicode's "no-break space" character.

Why so many repeated blank syllables? I typeset a lot of songs
that are in 4-part harmony much of the time, but with cadences etc
where the "backing" voices need extra words that the tune doesn't;
this sort of thing:

"altotext" is for the tune:
  Re -- mem -- ber the days, the old vaude -- ville craze,
  when we were the best on the show, __
  …
"sopranofrag" has those extra snippets:
  \repeat unfold 17 _
  best on the show, \n
  \repeat unfold 36 _
  old rou -- tine, \n
  …

and the score is my standard one for this genre, which looks like:

\book {
  \bookOutputSuffix "2staves"
  \score {
    \transpose f f
    \new ChoirStaff <<
      \new Staff = stop <<
        \new Voice { \clef treble \global }
        \new Voice { \accident \voiceOne \soprano }
        \addlyrics \with { alignAboveContext = stop } { \sopranofrag }
        \new Voice { \accident \voiceTwo \alto }
        \addlyrics { \altotext }
      >>
      \new Staff = sbottom <<
        \new Voice { \clef "bass^8" \global }
        \new Voice { \accident \voiceOne \tenor }
        \addlyrics \with { alignAboveContext = sbottom } { \tenorfrag }
        \new Voice { \accident \voiceTwo \bass }
        \addlyrics { \bassfrag }
      >>
    >>
    \layout { }
  }
}

Cheers,
David.