Music Engraving Today by Steven Powell

[benwiggy]

I bought Music Engraving Today by Steven Powell just after it was released in 2002, when I was just getting started; and I just rediscovered it on my shelf, so I thought I would mention it here.

It was the first book that showed me "This is what you should be aiming for". As well as some info on correct notation, a la Gould; it dealt with choosing staff size; note spacing, vertical justification, page layout. All with copious illustrative examples and do's and don'ts.

Also, it wasn't a user manual for software. Although it mentioned both Finale and Sibelius, even showing some pictures of dialogs and windows, it was more about The Result than the method.

In many ways, I think there's probably scope for a revised edition!

[Fred G. Unn]

Yep, I got that one too soon after it was released!

IMG_5190.jpeg (1.19 MiB) Viewed 259 times

I honestly didn't really use it much. By that point I already had Ross, Read, Stone, and the Ken Williams book. An employer had given me a photocopy of the Schirmer style guide. I maybe had Roemer by then too. I had spent a ton of time customizing my Finale output to look as close as I could get it to SCORE, so didn't care much for the thin lines, fonts, long stems, brackets, slurs and ties, etc. of the Finale engraving in the book.

A modernized version of it with examples and settings from Dorico, Sibelius, and MuseScore would be very interesting! I definitely don't have the Sibelius or MuseScore skills necessary to write it, but someone here probably does. David Berger wrote a similar Sibelius-specific book a few years ago called Streamlined Sibelius. (Full disclosure: he gives me a shout out in the introduction.)
https://www.suchsweetthundermusic.com/p ... d-sibelius

[RMK]

If you are interested in obtaining this out of print book, do not go to Amazon, where copies are going for up to about $300.

I found a copy on Ebay for about a tenth of that.

[prokofiev]

It is a common misconception that computer-based music notation applications allow one to merely play the notes, press a button, and—poof!—generate professional quality scores and parts. Learning how to produce music notation of high quality on a computer is a three-step process. Step one requires learning correct notation practices (stem directions, stem length, music spacing, etc.). For this first step musicians can turn to several outstanding notation texts including Kurt Stone’s Music Notation in the Twentieth Century (New York: W. W. Norton, 1980) and Gardner Read’s Music Notation (New York: Taplinger Publishing, 1979). Step two involves mastering the notation software itself; only recently have any books on notation software become available, notably, Bill Purse’s The Finale] Primer, 2d ed. (San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 2000) and Thomas Rudolph and Vincent Leonard Jr.’s Finale: An Easy Guide to Music Notation (Boston: Berklee Press, 2002). In step three the musician/engraver merges strong notation and software skills developed in the first two steps with an engraver’s eye for detail to produce acceptable, if not outstanding, scores. Until recently, the only book available for the would-be engraver was Ted Ross’s insightful but outdated Teach Yourself the Art of Music Engraving and Processing, 3d ed. (Miami: Hanson Books, 1987). Although the details on traditional engraving are quite enlightening, Ross’s book was written well before the advent of computerbased notation applications. Steven Powell’s new book, Music Engraving Today: The Art and Practice of Digital Notesetting, rectifies this problem by combining insightful discussion of standard engraving practice updated to address problems and challenges introduced by notation software.

The first of three parts, “Engraving Basics,” focuses on material covered in the notation books mentioned above. Chapters cover “Page Fundamentals,” “Rhythm,” “Pitch,” “Putting Markings in their Places,” and “Dealing with Divisi.” While this treatment may seem to duplicate material from existing texts, Powell frequently discusses the subjects in greater detail, noting differences of opinion when authorities disagree. These chapters also include engraving details (e.g., the space between a clef and a repeat sign compared to the space between a time signature and a repeat sign) and important notation issues frequently overlooked in earlier books (e.g., the fact that most articulations should be centered over the stem and not the notehead when placed stem side). Powell enhances his discussion with detailed musical examples illustrating various musical situations on a measure-by-measure or even beat-by-beat basis. In some instances, topics could be covered in greater detail. For example, while the text covers the vertical placement of dynamics (p. 42), it unfortunately never addresses horizontal placement. The latter is a common notational error for an amateur, and is even easier to commit with a notation program than by hand.

Part 2, “Individual Genres,” examines specialized typesetting practices, with chapters devoted to “Chorus,” “Solo Voice,” “Keyboard,” “Orchestra,” “Band,” “Music for Books,” and “Commercial Music.” Each chapter begins with genre-specific layout issues and concerns (e.g., score sizes, staff reductions, lyrics in a choral score, pedaling in a keyboard score). Powell adds cohesiveness to his discussions by using a model notation project in each chapter. This approach helps the reader see, appreciate, and learn the fine points of engraving. Chapters end with useful engraving quizzes in which the reader views a representative score that to the casual eye may seem quite acceptable. Closer examination by those who have carefully studied Powell’s examples soon reveals a multitude of serious mistakes. Subsequent narrative identifies and explains each mistake (e.g., an accidental colliding with note or incorrectly placed augmentation dot) followed by a fully corrected version of the quiz’s manuscript.

While all of part 2 is filled with valuable information, the orchestra and band chapters fall a bit short compared to the outstanding chapters on chorus, solo voice, and keyboard. The examples for band and orchestra are not nearly as complicated as many, if not most, scores engraved today in these genres. Coming after the detailed and fascinating examination of keyboard music, the orchestra chapter seems particularly sparse. Surprisingly, the orchestral score example on page 114 does not meet the same standard of editorial excellence evident in the other musical examples.

Parts 1 and 2 are liberally sprinkled with useful tips and notes regarding engraving problems common in computer notation applications. Part 3, “Tools of the Trade,” provides the most in-depth look at notation software. After a brief overview of the history and current state of music notation software, the discussion centers around three notation projects intended to test (according to Powell) the only two established, up-to-date, and acceptable music engraving programs, Coda Music’s Finale and Sibelius Software’s Sibelius. Although readers might wish for a winner in these projects (probably the application that they currently use), the true value of this section lies in Powell’s detailed comparison of the processes he used to enter the music into each of these applications. Especially compelling is Powell’s concluding “Wish List” of features for each project and application. Part 3 closes with chapters covering important details on “Music Fonts” and “Typography and Page Layout.” Beginners may initially choose to skip this information, but will want to revisit these chapters as they build skills and experience.

The book includes a limited bibliography of traditional print resources on notation, as well as citations for key Web sites focusing on notation, Finale -related topics, and software companies. (URLs were working at the time this review went to press.) Missing from the bibliography are books that help one learn the fundamentals of a music notation application, such as the Purse or Rudolph and Leonard books mentioned above. The index is short and omits many terms necessary for finding important concepts, compromising the book’s usefulness. For example, brackets, braces, and their appropriate uses are discussed in detail in the text, but do not appear in the index.

Music Engraving Today, while not perfect, is an essential book. Musicians who have already mastered the fundamentals of music notation and notation software, and who use that software to notate music for their coursework, compositions, or musical examples should have this book. It should also be a staple of any library supporting such musicians. Since most applications are updated on an annual or biannual basis, this reviewer is always concerned about the longevity of a text dealing with a digital topic. The greatest strength of Powell’s approach is that he encourages the reader to develop a critical eye that is sensitive to correct notation and high engraving standards, for software is indeed only a tool. This focus ensures that his book will remain useful well past next year’s version of Finale, Sibelius, or their successors.

Charles Menoche, Central Connecticut State University

[benwiggy]

I
Charles Menoche, Central Connecticut State University

Is this a copy-pasted review from somewhere else? Probably better just to post a link, and provide context; otherwise it comes across like a random AI response.

[benwiggy]

By that point I already had Ross, Read, Stone, and the Ken Williams book. An employer had given me a photocopy of the Schirmer style guide. I maybe had Roemer by then too.

Ross is far from comprehensive. There's very little about vertical spacing and page layout. Style guides often don't cover those areas either, either than "this is what we want on a title page".

I found lots in Powell's book that was either explained better, or presented more clearly.

[Fred G. Unn]

If you are interested in obtaining this out of print book, do not go to Amazon, where copies are going for up to about $300.

I've bought a lot of books on notation on AbeBooks too. It's easy to set up an alert to be notified if a title you want becomes available.

[Fred G. Unn]

Ross is far from comprehensive. There's very little about vertical spacing and page layout. Style guides often don't cover those areas either, either than "this is what we want on a title page".

True, but there's actually a decent amount about that stuff in Ross on pages A2-A7, A28-31, etc. In the late 90s I had a job for 10 hours a week in the rental return library of NYC Boosey & Hawkes, refiling rental music, erasing marks, etc., so in addition to whatever copy work I was doing I was staring at their parts all the time too. It was a great job for a broke musician as I could come in whenever I wanted and could easily take off for rehearsals, out of town gigs, etc. I guess I had a reasonable grasp on what parts were supposed to look like back then.

[RMK]

I've bought a lot of books on notation on AbeBooks too. It's easy to set up an alert to be notified if a title you want becomes available.

I did check AbeBooks. They had four copies ranging from $75 to $165.

[prokofiev]

I
Charles Menoche, Central Connecticut State University

Is this a copy-pasted review from somewhere else? Probably better just to post a link, and provide context; otherwise it comes across like a random AI response.

It is published within Project Muse:

Notes, Volume 59, Number 4, June 2003, pp. 911-912 (Review)
Published by Music Library Association
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/not.2003.0069

For additional information about this article:
https://muse.jhu.edu/article/42834