[Denemo-devel] The Lyrics documentation in the manual

[Richard Shann]

For some reason, I didn't find the section on Lyrics in the manual when
I did a search and so I wrote some stuff and pasted a few bits from
emails people have sent in. So now we have two sections in the manual
and they need amalgamating and (no doubt correcting).
I'm pasting the text here in the hope someone will volunteer to re-write
it. (Please say if you would like to do this, so that two people don't
do it at the same time).
You can see the current state of the manual here
http://git.savannah.gnu.org/gitweb/?p=denemo.git;a=blob_plain;f=docs/denemomanual.pdf;hb=HEAD

and here is the text of two of the sections:

3.6.11 Lyrics

To add lyrics to a staff move the cursor onto the staff and choose Add
Lyric Verse. You need to have the Lyrics View visible (see View menu).
Each verse has a separate tab, with the current verse for the current
staff being visible at any one time.

This means that you will see the lyrics for the current staff disappear
from the Display Window when you switch staffs, which can be
disconcerting, but saves space in the display.

The Lyric pane shows only a few lines initially, but you can drag it
upwards if you need to see more. Lyrics are entered as a syllables
separated by spaces or new lines (which have no other meaning). The full
possible syntax is given in the LilyPond documentation, but Denemo
provides you with menu items for inserting the most useful extras such
as stanza numbers, font selection and skips.

You can switch to the lyrics pane with Ctrl-l, Ctrl-l, and you can
switch back from editing the lyrics to editing the music with the Ctrl-l
(or Esc or Tab keys). You can change verses with Ctrl-PgUpl/PgDn keys
and change staffs with Ctrl-up/down, and save with Ctrl-s.

Stanza numbers can be entered as well as font-changing commands. Use the
MelismataMelismata command to extend syllables over more notes. A
selection of notes that have no lyrics can be skipped using the Skip
Syllables in Selection command. The lyrics menu also contains a command
“Edit Lyric at Cursor” (Ctrl-l, Ctrl-l) which finds the place in the
lyrics corresponding to the cursor position allowing you to edit the
syllable that underlies the current note. 

Verses can be typeset in columns at the end by using command Typeset
Verses at End which can use an externally provided Encapsulated
Postscript file, or can invoke the external Inkscape (or other) vector
graphics editor (see preferencesPreferences to select this).


18.10 Lyrics
Vocal music can be typeset using the commands in the Lyrics menu.

18.10.1 Overview of Lyrics

Lyrics in Denemo are handled as verses of text that can be freely edited
in text editors that appear in the tabs of a notebook that appears when
you execute Add Lyric Verse (Ctrl-l a). The syllables are not attached
to the notes, so you can edit the notes freely without affecting the
lyrics.

Note that the lyrics for a staff are only shown when the cursor is in
the staff concerned - this saves space in the display, but can be
disconcerting when they vanish from the display as you move to another
staff!

While simply typing or pasting the text in will be enough for simple
pieces, special indications can be included are available for more
complex tasks, these follow the rules given in the following section and
in detail in the LilyPond documentation.

In a verse extra spaces and new lines can be used freely without
affecting how the syllables are placed under the notes. Special syntax
inserted for things like alignment beneath noteheads should be on a line
by itself, so that Denemo knows not to display it under the notes of the
display.

18.10.2 Syllabification

Dashes (“-” hyphens), double dashes (“--”), underscores “_” and double
underscores “__” and double quotes (the typewriter ones) all have a
special meaning.

Typewriter double quotes "" can group together separate words to be sung
to a single note, or enclosing a space " " can skip a note.

Syllable skips can be made for an entire selection of notes.

Usually dashes are typeset with -- . For instance: The Lord is com --
pas -- sion and love, slow to an -- ger and rich in mer -- cy. Moreover,
there is a convention for vocal music that eighth notes (and sixteenth
etc.) are typeset with beams if there is a melisma and without beams if
you sing separate syllables. You can use the Stop Beaming directive
(under Directives > Typesetter) for vocal music and do manual beaming
where melismata are present.

Richrd