
SEBASTIAN: A SMuFL-compliant font for music notation.


This is a beta release, designed for testing.

INSTALLATION

For use with Dorico, or other SMuFL-compliant notation software, the Sebastian.json metadata file must be placed in one of the following locations:

Windows: C:\Program Files\Common Files\SMuFL\Fonts\Sebastian\Sebastian.json
Mac: /Library/Application Support/SMuFL/Fonts/Sebastian/Sebastian.json
(Linux: /usr/share/SMuFL/Fonts/Sebastian/Sebastian.json)

The .otf file itself should be installed as for any other font, following your OS's usual practice.


NOTES

There are now well over 800 glyphs, which should be sufficient for a large subset of standard notation. Usage may reveal the need for fine-tuning, as well as any urgent missing symbols. There is still work to be done in adding a number of performance technique symbols, and some noteheads.

It is envisaged that many remaining symbols will be borrowed from Bravura, such as simple geometric forms, where a compelling unique form is neither necessary nor useful. 


HISTORY
In 2014, Florian Kretlow uploaded his unfinished Sebastian font project onto Github. This included a 'Finale-compatible' OTF font, plus a few other fonts with assorted symbols. Further variants and designs are contained in FontForge .sfd files. 

In 2020, I decided to select the best designs, and set them in SMuFL-compliant glyph positions. I have then made various adjustments to many of the symbols: clefs, rests, flags, dynamics, noteheads; as well as creating additional symbols based on existing forms, and resizing and positioning.

All these were based on Florian's original designs, without which I could not have attempted this. I am eternally grateful to Florian for his cooperation and support in this project, on top of his original decision to release his designs to the community.

So, this may be thought of as 'Sebastian Rebooted', or 'Sebastian 2.0' (but for the fact that there wasn't a 1.0...)

FINALE

The font also contains the revised music characters in the 'ASCII' range, for compatibility with apps such as Finale. This area has been given fairly cursory attention!


LICENCE

Sebastian is offered on the SIL Font Licence.


Ben Byram-Wigfield
January 2021

