=item *
-We want to provide an easy-to-use interface for typesetting music in
+Providing an easy-to-use interface for typesetting music in
its broadest sense. This interface should be intuitive from a musical
point of view. By broadest sense we mean: it is designed for music
printed left to right in staffs, using notes to designate rythm and
=item *
-Generate high-quality output. Ideally it should be of a professional
+Generating high-quality output. Ideally it should be of a professional
quality. We'd like to render Herbert Chlapiks words, "Fine music
setting is not possible without a knowledgeable printer," untrue.
=item *
-Make a system which is fully tweakable. It should be possible to
+Making a system which is fully tweakable. It should be possible to
typeset a book on how not to typeset music.
=back
=item *
-GNU LilyPond uses MusiXTeX fonts and TeX for its output. This is not a key
-issue: in a future version, GNU LilyPond might bypass TeX, but at the moment
-TeX is very convenient for producing output.
-
+GNU LilyPond uses TeX for its output. This is not a key issue: in a
+future version, GNU LilyPond might bypass TeX, but at the moment TeX
+is convenient for producing output.
=item *
-GNU LilyPond does not display notes directly, nor will it be rehacked to be
-used interactively. GNU LilyPond writes output to a file. It will not be
-extended to play music, or to recognize music.
+GNU LilyPond does not display notes directly, nor will it be rehacked
+to be used interactively. GNU LilyPond writes output to a file. It
+will not be extended to play music, or to recognize music.
+
+[As an aside, I am contemplating to create a library for rendering
+music, which is "X-capable", so that others can create interactive tools]
=item *
=item *
GNU LilyPond is free. Commercial windows packages for setting music are
-abundant. Free musicprinting software is scarce.
+abundant. Free musicprinting software is scarce. For more thoughts on
+this, please consult the F<gnu-music> documentation.
=item *
=item *
-define the (musical) message of the composer as unambiguously as possible,
+define the (musical) message of the composer as unambiguously as possible.
+
+This means that, given a piece Mudela, it should be possible for a
+program to play a reasonable interpretation of the piece.
+
+It also means that, given a piece of Mudela, it should be possible for a
+program to print a score of the piece.
=item *
-be intuitive, and easily readable
-(compared to, say, Musi*TeX input, or MIDI :-),
+be intuitive, and easily readable (compared to, say, Musi*TeX input,
+or MIDI :-),
=item *
-be writable in ASCII with a simple texteditor, yfte(TM).
+be easily writable in ASCII with a simple texteditor
=back
=item *
-provide simple musical manipulations, such as
-S<(i) extracting> a slice of music from a previously defined piece,
-S<(ii) extracting> only the rhythm from a piece of music,
-S<(iii) transposing>, etc.,
+provide simple musical manipulations, such as S<(i) extracting> a
+slice of music from a previously defined piece, S<(ii) extracting>
+only the rhythm from a piece of music, S<(iii) transposing>, etc.,
=item *
=item *
-Mahlerian orchestral scores,
+Orchestral scores, (eg Mahler)
=item *
-piano pieces (Schubertian, Rachmaninovian),
+piano pieces (eg. Schubert, Rachmaninov),
=item *
=item *
-gregorian chants,
+Gregorian chants,
=item *
=item *
-short excerpts to be used in musicological publications.
+Short excerpts to be used in musicological publications.
=back