Re: Notation on page 2 of same score

[David Wright]

On Sat 03 Oct 2020 at 13:42:44 (+0200), Lukas-Fabian Moser wrote:
> Am 03.10.20 um 06:43 schrieb David Wright:
> > Alternatively, you can use   \set associatedVoice   to switch voices, or
> > yet again, a NullVoice, which is somewhat similar to the suggestion below.
> > These have the advantage of not affecting any MIDI you might require.
> Yes, \set associatedVoice is handy sometimes, good idea :-).
> > If you have no reason to stick with 2.18.2, you can \addlyrics to
> > the staff, ie both voices. I've commandeered the revised version
> > to illustrate.
> 
> That's really interesting - I must have missed that change. To wit:
> 
> \version "2.19"
> 
> \new Staff <<
>   \relative { c''4 b c2 } \\
>   \relative { g'2 e4 c4 } \\
> >> \addlyrics { One two three four. }
> 
> Amazing. Thanks!
> 
> And another clarification: \addlyrics \with { ... } is also a
> construction that needs current Lilypond. 2.18.2 knows \addlyrics but
> doesn't accept context modification by \with. Try compiling
> 
> \version "2.18.2"
> 
> \new Staff \relative { c'4 d e2 }
> \addlyrics { I will work. }
> 
> \new Staff \relative { c'4 d e2 }
> \addlyrics \with { \override LyricText.font-size = 5 }
> { Will I work? }
> 
> with 2.18.2 and 2.20.

Yes, for size/font changes like that, I'd usually put them inline
with the lyrics themselves, particularly if there are several
changes. For vertical affinity, you needed to break it up into
the "two-step process", as shown in NR. (Use that search term.)

> > The words needed some syllables added, as there has
> > to be a one for each and every moment (a note in either part).
> > Otherwise, just the upper part of the ChoirStaff needed modification.
> 
> Ah, if I understand correctly, that is the drawback of the \new Staff
> { ... } \addlyrics approach?

Why a drawback? Assigning the words to the sopranos works here,
but fails as soon as you have moments occurring in the alto only,
like the attached. Here, the tenor rhythm happens to follow the
sopranos, so Staff lyrics work fine.¹ If there were independent
moments in the lower staff, then this wouldn't work.

You can even \addlyrics to the ChoirStaff, but you lose all the
lyric extenders, so it's not really useful: you'd have to place
all four parts on one Staff to get them back again. I don't know
whether any one ever intends to add that enhancement to ChoirStaff,
or how much work that would involve.

Which approach you use depends on the music that you're engraving.
I've used the Staff-lyrics method for setting hymns, and music
like carols, but only where a single stave contains all the rhythmic
variation. I've used associatedVoice in the past (pre-NullVoice),
but you can get problems with intervals of a second, whenever the
first note in the moving part is displaced (which shifts the
lyric from left-aligned too).

So I've found NullVoice to be the most reliable for getting
everything lined up correctly. If you see adding the occasional
"_" to the lyrics as a drawback, then I'm afraid that generating
a NullVoice is even more tedious.

¹ The attached has also had the extenders added automatically.

Cheers,
David.

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