Doc: NR 2.1 Vocal: add Dialogue over music

[lilypond.git] / Documentation / notation / vocal.itely

diff --git a/Documentation/notation/vocal.itely b/Documentation/notation/vocal.itely
index 7a3fce6c41c3ebfcd60767294a9432407dc92aec..756fb3fdcb2083f9a545b02be2d888dee868b051 100644 (file)
--- a/Documentation/notation/vocal.itely
+++ b/Documentation/notation/vocal.itely
@@ -532,9 +532,11 @@ inserted by hand.
 
 Making a lyric line run slower than the melody can be achieved by
 inserting @code{\skip}s into the lyrics.  For every @code{\skip},
-the text will be delayed another note.  The @code{\skip} command
+the text will be delayed by another note.  The @code{\skip} command
 must be followed by a valid duration, but this is ignored when
-@code{\skip} is used in lyrics.
+@code{\skip} is used in lyrics which derive their durations from the
+notes in an associated melody through @code{\addlyrics} or
+@code{\lyricsto}.
 
 @lilypond[verbatim,ragged-right,quote]
 \relative c' { c c g' }
@@ -796,9 +798,10 @@ indicates a melisma and will cause the preceding syllable to be
 left-aligned.
 
 @warning{The @code{@bs{}skip} command must be followed by a number,
-but this number is ignored in lyric mode.  Each @code{@bs{}skip}
-skips a single note of any value, irrespective of the value of the
-following number.}
+but this number is ignored in lyrics which derive their durations
+from the notes in an associated melody through @code{\addlyrics} or
+@code{\lyricsto}.  Each @code{@bs{}skip} skips a single note of any
+value, irrespective of the value of the following number.}
 
 @lilypond[verbatim,quote]
 \score {
@@ -2006,7 +2009,7 @@ Notation Reference:
 @ref{Fitting music onto fewer pages},
 @ref{Page formatting},
 @ref{Score layout},
-See @ref{Separating systems},
+@ref{Separating systems},
 @ref{Setting the staff size},
 @ref{Using an extra voice for breaks},
 @ref{Vertical spacing}.
@@ -2123,7 +2126,7 @@ Musical Glossary:
 @rglos{Frenched staves},
 @rglos{transposing instrument}.
 
-Notation Manual:
+Notation Reference:
 @ref{Grouping staves},
 @ref{Hiding staves},
 @ref{Instrument transpositions},
@@ -2390,7 +2393,80 @@ note heads, as demonstrated in @ref{Special note heads}.
 @node Dialogue over music
 @unnumberedsubsubsec Dialogue over music
 
-TBC
+Dialogue over music is usually printed over the staves in an italic
+font, with the start of each phrase keyed in to a particular music
+moment.
+
+For short interjections a simple markup suffices.
+
+@lilypond[quote,verbatim,relative=2]
+a4^\markup { \smallCaps { Alex - } \italic { He's gone } } a a a
+a4 a a^\markup { \smallCaps { Bethan - } \italic Where? } a
+a4 a a a
+@end lilypond
+
+For longer phrases it may be necessary to expand the music to make
+the words fit neatly.  There is no provision in LilyPond to do this
+fully automatically, and some manual intervention to layout the
+page will be necessary.
+
+For long phrases or for passages with a lot of closely packed
+dialogue, using a Lyrics context will give better results.  The
+Lyrics context should not be associated with a music Voice; instead
+each section of dialogue should be given an explicit duration.  If
+there is a gap in the dialogue, the final word should be separated
+from the rest and the duration split between them so that the
+underlying music spaces out smoothly.
+
+If the dialogue extends for more than one line it will be necessary
+to manually insert @code{\break}s and adjust the placing of the
+dialogue to avoid running into the right margin.  The final word of
+the last measure on a line should also be separated out, as above.
+
+Here is an example illustating how this might be done.
+
+@c This should be a snippet, but it can't be as it needs to be
+@c manually adjusted to suit the imposed line length.  -td
+
+@lilypond[quote,verbatim,ragged-right]
+music = \relative c'' {
+  \repeat unfold 3 { a4 a a a }
+}
+
+dialogue = \lyricmode {
+  \markup {
+    \fontsize #1 \upright \smallCaps Abe:
+    "Say this over measures one and"
+  }4*7
+  "two"4 |
+  \break
+  "and this over measure"4*3
+  "three"4 |
+}
+
+\score {
+  <<
+    \new Lyrics \with {
+      \override LyricText #'font-shape = #'italic
+      \override LyricText #'self-alignment-X = #LEFT
+    }
+    { \dialogue }
+    \new Staff {
+      \new Voice { \music }
+    }
+  >>
+}
+@end lilypond
+
+@c TODO show use of \column to produce dialogue on two lines
+
+@seealso
+Notation Reference:
+@ref{Manual syllable durations},
+@ref{Text}.
+
+Internal Reference:
+@rinternals{LyricText}.
 
 
 @node Chants psalms and hymns