Choir score divisi

[Hector Pascal]

Hi everyone,
In my choir score example (pictured), the altos sing unison from the beginning of the 'piece' until they divide into A and A2, on page 2 at bar 26.

Question: Is my use of A and A2 staff labels acceptable? The reason I ask is Gould on page 462-463, 468, talks about using A1 and A2 when division happens, but the problem is my first three bars are not A1, they're unison. Plus, when they go back to unison, it will be mid-system! Do you think, therefore, my use of A and A2 staff labels is ok?...

Sorry for this mind-bending question! Hope you are all going well,
Cheers,
Hector.

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[benwiggy]

When the Divisi point occurs in the middle of a system, usual practice is to show the unison music in both staves. If I'm a second Alto, I'll be reading rests for 2 bars before I get to the Divisi mark.

(Dorico handles this really well, automatically providing you with the duplicate unison notes up to the divisi point.)

[Hector Pascal]

Hi Benwiggy, What about if I hide the rests on the A2 staff immediately leading up to the DIV., as an extra precaution?
Thanks very much for your help, benwiggy! I did not know that dorico could do that! I am on Finale for this project at the moment.

Cheers,
Hector.
PS: Congratulations on your 1000th post

[benwiggy]

As a singer, I'd want to see the notes on both staves. Usually, there are arrows at the end of the previous page, indicating the split, and (if I'm ever going to look at staff labels), the labels are telling me that Alto 2 is on the lower line. So I'll sing what's on that line.

An average of 3.25 posts a day over 9 years!

[Hector Pascal]

Hi benwiggy, Ok, I've got the little expanding arrows looking good at the end of the previous Alto system, and I've got A1 and A2 staves with their notes looking good (with a staff style for the A1 label).... Q. Should I still put a DIV. label at the top of A1's first bar or would that be superfluous? And, likewise, should I put a UNIS. label at the beginning of the system where they return to being just one unison Alto staff? (I'll put the contracting arrows at the end of the divided system).

You are a great help, so thank you muchly, benwiggy.
PS: I plan to soon enter the score into dorico as I'm keen to try dorico's divisi automation.

[OCTO]

I think you can cut-off the empty line, and add the clef before the barine of "divisi".
And use a staff-style to call Alto - A1 for that passage (next system).
Yes, use div. and unis. where it happens. Do not let them to "assume" anything.

[Hector Pascal]

Much appreciated, thank you very much, OCTO