X-Git-Url: https://git.donarmstrong.com/?a=blobdiff_plain;f=Documentation%2Fuser%2Fintroduction.itely;h=3c9f721797fbdac1b26b76d9f545ba6409672515;hb=fabf53486884f78f54855a7b4a59cb105d83f638;hp=1ea4aa9435ad64508de22c055f2313e9e5965961;hpb=15000efb04a76873713ba6a6c2a203281d271aa3;p=lilypond.git diff --git a/Documentation/user/introduction.itely b/Documentation/user/introduction.itely index 1ea4aa9435..3c9f721797 100644 --- a/Documentation/user/introduction.itely +++ b/Documentation/user/introduction.itely @@ -16,7 +16,8 @@ that we love to see and love to play from. @menu * Music notation and engraving:: -* Computerized typography:: +* Notation and engraving in LilyPond:: +* Typography and program architecture:: * Music representation:: * Example applications:: * About this manual:: @@ -31,39 +32,40 @@ that we love to see and love to play from. @cindex typography Making sheet music may seem trivial, ``you print 5 lines, and then put -in the notes at different heights'', but as one learns more of it, the -opposite turns out to be true. There are two problems when making -sheet music. First, one has to master music notation: the science of -knowing which symbols to use when what. Second, one has to master -music engraving: the art of placing symbols such that they look -elegant. - -Music notation was first started in the medieval centuries. In this +in the notes at different heights'', but as you learn more of it, the +opposite turns out to be true. One has to master two difficult +tasks. First, one has to master music notation: the science of knowing +which symbols to use when what. Second, one has to master music +engraving: the art of placing symbols such that the result looks +pleasing. + +Common music notation has its roots in the medieval time. In this time, monks started to write down hints that indicated how their -sacred music was sung. These hints (neumes), gradually evolved, and at -some point became the note heads. Lines were added to the neumes, to -indicate a reference pitch, which later became the staff. Over many -centuries, improvements and extensions were added. For example, the -first notation did not have an explicit notion of rhythm, and -polyphonic music only came into existence in the XXX. The graphic -language of notation is still under development; the innovations of -contemporary music require still newer and more complex notations. A -system of notation encompasses such a wide scope of music inherently -is complex: there are many rules, and for every rule there are -exceptional situations where they do not apply. - -The term music engraving derives from the traditional process of -music printing. Only a few decades ago, sheet music was made by -cutting and stamping the music into zinc or pewter plates, -mirrored. The plate would be inked, and the depressions caused by the -cutting and stamping would hold ink. An image was formed by pressing -paper to the plate. The stamping and cutting was completely done by -hand. Making corrections was cumbersome, so engraving had to be done -correctly in one go. As you can imagine this was a highly specialized -skill, much more so than the traditional process of printing books. +sacred music was sung. These hints, neumes, gradually became simpler, +and at some point became the note heads. Lines were added to the +neumes, to indicate a reference pitch, which later became the staff. +Over many centuries, improvements and extensions were added, while +other concepts disappeared. For example, the neume notation did not +have an explicit notion of rhythm, but it did have @emph{custodes}, +symbols at the end of the line to indicate the starting pitch of the +next line. Mensural notation, a notation where each note head takes a +fixed amount of time, came into being together with the rise of +counterpoint in the early renaissance. The graphic language of +notation is still under development; the innovations of contemporary +music require still newer and more complex notations. + +The term music engraving derives from the traditional process of music +printing. Only a few decades ago, sheet music was made by cutting and +stamping the music into zinc or pewter plates, mirrored. The plate +would be inked, and the depressions caused by the cutting and stamping +would hold ink. An image was formed by pressing paper to the +plate. The stamping and cutting was completely done by hand. Making +corrections was cumbersome, so engraving had to be done correctly in +one go. Of course, this was a highly specialized skill, much more so +than the traditional process of printing books. @cindex craftsmanship @cindex master -In the traditional German craftsmanship six years of full-time +In the traditional German system of craftsmanship six years of full-time training, more than any other craft, were required before a student could call himself a master of the art. After that many more years of practical experience were needed to become an established music @@ -71,38 +73,51 @@ engraver. Even today, with the use of high-speed computers and advanced software, music requires lots of manual fine tuning before it is acceptable for publication. -Sheet music is performance material, hence everything is done to aid -the musician in letting him perform better. Music often is far away -from its reader---it might be on a music stand. To make it clearly +Sheet music is performance material: everything is done to aid the +musician in letting him perform better. Music often is far away from +its reader---it might be on a music stand. To make it clearly readable, traditionally printed sheet music always uses bold symbols, on heavy staff lines, and is printed on large sheets of paper. This ``strong'' look is also present in the horizontal spacing. To minimize the number of page breaks, (hand-engraved) sheet music is spaced very tightly. Yet, by a careful distribution of white space, -the feeling of balance is retained, and clutters of black are avoided. +the feeling of balance is retained, and a clutter of symbols is +avoided. + + +@node Notation and engraving in LilyPond +@section Notation and engraving in LilyPond + +Common music notation encompasses such a wide scope of music, and +therefore inherently is complex: there are many rules, and for every +rule there are exceptional situations where they do not apply. The +result is that LilyPond cannot support each and every form of notation +in existence. Rather, we focus on a specific style and idiom: we take +inspiration from late-romantic music printed at the beginning of the +20th century. Most of the contemporary music after that, and most of +the music going back to 17th century can be written in this +idiom. That is not a fundamental limit, though. There is support for +some modern notation like clusters, and older notation, such as white +mensural and gregorian notation, is being worked on. We have used these observations in designing LilyPond. The images below shows the flat symbol. On the left, a scan from a Henle edition, which was made by a computer, and in the center is the flat from a -B@"{a}renreiter edition of the same music. The symbols have noticeable -differences: the left image is much lighter, the staff lines are -thinner, and the glyph has straight layout with sharp corners. By -contrast, the B@"{a}renreiter has a bold and almost voluptuous rounded -look. Our flat symbol is designed after, among others, this one. It -is tuned it to harmonize with the thickness of our staff lines, which -are also much thicker than Henle's lines. - -@multitable @columnfractions .4 .3 .3 -@item +B@"{a}renreiter edition of the same music. The left scan illustrates +typical flaws of computer print: the symbol is much lighter, the staff +lines are thinner, and the glyph has a straight layout with sharp +corners. By contrast, the B@"{a}renreiter has a bold and almost +voluptuous rounded look. Our flat symbol is designed after, among +others, this one. It is tuned it to harmonize with the thickness of +our staff lines, which are also much thicker than Henle's lines. + +@multitable @columnfractions .1 .3 .3 .3 +@item @tab @iftex @image{henle-flat-bw,4cm} @end iftex @html -

- - - - + @end html @tab @@ -110,8 +125,7 @@ are also much thicker than Henle's lines. @image{baer-flat-bw,4cm} @end iftex @html - - + @end html @tab @@ -119,13 +133,11 @@ are also much thicker than Henle's lines. @image{lily-flat-bw,4cm} @end iftex @html - - - + @end html @item -Henly (2000) +Henle (2000) @tab B@"{a}renreiter (1950) @tab @@ -166,19 +178,19 @@ and with some corrections. Can you spot which fragment is which? @cindex regular rhythms @cindex regular spacing -The fragment that was printed uses only quarter notes: notes that are -played in a constant rhythm. The spacing should reflect -that. Unfortunately, the eye deceives us a little: the eye not only -notices the distance between note heads, but also between consecutive -stems. As a result, the notes of an up-stem/down-stem combination -should be put farther apart, and the notes of a down-up combination -should be put closer together, all depending on the combined vertical -positions of the notes. The first two measures are printed with this -correction, the last two measures without. The notes in the last two -measures form down-stem/up-stems clumps of notes. - -@node Computerized typography -@section Computerized typography +The fragment only uses quarter notes: notes that are played in a +constant rhythm. The spacing should reflect that. Unfortunately, the +eye deceives us a little: not only does it notice the distance between +note heads, it also takes into account the distance between +consecutive stems. As a result, the notes of an up-stem/down-stem +combination should be put farther apart, and the notes of a down-up +combination should be put closer together, all depending on the +combined vertical positions of the notes. The first two measures are +printed with this correction, the last two measures without. The notes +in the last two measures form down-stem/up-stems clumps of notes. + +@node Typography and program architecture +@section Typography and program architecture Producing good engraving requires skill and knowledge. It was our challenge to see if we could put such typographical knowledge into a