+@funindex \partcombineChords
+@funindex \partcombineApart
+@funindex \partcombineUnisono
+@funindex \partcombineSoloI
+@funindex \partcombineSoloII
+@funindex \partcombineAutomatic
+
+In professional scores, voices are often kept apart from each other for
+long passages of music even if some of the notes are the same in both
+voices, and could just as easily be printed as unison. Combining notes
+into a chord, or showing one voice as solo is, therefore, not ideal as
+the @code{\partcombine} function considers each note separately. In this
+case the @code{\partcombine} function can be overridden with one of the
+following commands. All of the commands may be preceded with
+@code{\once} in order to have them only apply to the next note in
+the music expression.
+
+@itemize
+@item
+@code{\partcombineApart} keeps the
+notes as two separate voices, even if they can be combined into a chord
+or unison.
+
+@item
+@code{\partcombineChords} combines the
+notes into a chord.
+
+@item
+@code{\partcombineUnisono} combines
+both voices as @qq{unison}.
+
+@item
+@code{\partcombineSoloI} prints only
+voice one, and marks it as a @qq{Solo}.
+
+@item
+@code{\partcombineSoloII} prints only
+voice two and marks it as a @qq{Solo}.
+
+@item
+@code{\partcombineAutomatic} ends
+the functions of the commands above, and reverts back to the standard
+@code{\partcombine} functionality.
+@end itemize
+
+@lilypond[quote,verbatim]
+instrumentOne = \relative c' {
+ \partcombineApart c2^"apart" e |
+ \partcombineAutomatic e2^"auto" e |
+ \partcombineChords e'2^"chord" e |
+ \partcombineAutomatic c2^"auto" c |
+ \partcombineApart c2^"apart" \once \partcombineChords e^"chord once" |
+ c2 c |
+}
+instrumentTwo = \relative {
+ c'2 c |
+ e2 e |
+ a,2 c |
+ c2 c' |
+ c2 c |
+ c2 c |
+}
+
+<<
+ \new Staff { \instrumentOne }
+ \new Staff { \instrumentTwo }
+ \new Staff { \partcombine \instrumentOne \instrumentTwo }
+>>
+@end lilypond
+
+
+@subsubsubheading Using \partcombine with lyrics
+
+@cindex \partcombine and lyrics
+
+The @code{\partcombine} command is not designed to work with
+lyrics; if one of the voices is explicitly named in order to
+attach lyrics to it, the partcombiner will stop working. However,
+this effect can be achieved using a @code{NullVoice} context. See
+@ref{Polyphony with shared lyrics}.
+
+