Lyric Extenders on Long Vowels
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Lyric Extenders on Long Vowels
I'm typesetting this portion of the "Kyrie" for a composer, and I noticed he has long melismas on open vowels (see below).
My question is, is it acceptable to leave them without extenders? Technically that follows the "rules." Also, words that end in consonants but are not technically melismas (but end on a tied note) should also not be extended?
Thanks!LilyPond Lover
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Re: Lyric Extenders on Long Vowels
I would suggest that it is not acceptable to do without extension lines. The work tends to look unfinished without. Whatever the merits or usefulness of the practice, it is what singers expect, and anything unexpected is a source of confusion.
Extensions should be used on the last syllable, if it has more than one note. Whether it is a vowel or a consonant is irrelevant.
Extensions should be used on the last syllable, if it has more than one note. Whether it is a vowel or a consonant is irrelevant.
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Re: Lyric Extenders on Long Vowels
Thank you for your input. I gather that is what is the case. I can't remember where I heard that "rule" but I just looked it up and it seems to be the case that extenders apply to all words, regardless if they end in consonants or vowels.benwiggy wrote:I would suggest that it is not acceptable to do without extension lines. The work tends to look unfinished without. Whatever the merits or usefulness of the practice, it is what singers expect, and anything unexpected is a source of confusion.
Extensions should be used on the last syllable, if it has more than one note. Whether it is a vowel or a consonant is irrelevant.
LilyPond Lover
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Re: Lyric Extenders on Long Vowels
I would have expected Lilypond to handle extensions correctly by default.
If you're looking for a good book of music engraving rules, I can recommend Elaine Gould's "Behind bars", from Faber Music.
If you're looking for a good book of music engraving rules, I can recommend Elaine Gould's "Behind bars", from Faber Music.
Re: Lyric Extenders on Long Vowels
The current LilyPond default requires you to manually indicate where the extensions should be. It's easy to do, but you do need to remember to when and where to do it. At least there's the flexibility.benwiggy wrote:I would have expected Lilypond to handle extensions correctly by default.
There are a small handful of developers who are currently working on automatic lyric extension lines, but judging by the back-and-forth about it, I suspect it won't be incorporated into a development release for at least a few more micro releases.
Music Typeface Designer & Engraver - LilyPond | Sibelius | Finale | MuseScore | Dorico | SMuFL | Inkscape | FontForge
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Re: Lyric Extenders on Long Vowels
LilyPond isn't automated, but that's okay. I'm aware of the rules right now, and it wasn't LilyPond's fault but the engraver. :Dbenwiggy wrote:I would have expected Lilypond to handle extensions correctly by default.
If you're looking for a good book of music engraving rules, I can recommend Elaine Gould's "Behind bars", from Faber Music.
I have this book, and for some reason I could have sworn I saw what I mentioned earlier in it. I just checked it today (along with the Stone, Read, Heussenstamm, and Wood).
LilyPond Lover
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