The absolute failure of any version I tried of Lilypond to compile
any file I tried, including the sample file, did indeed turn out to
be due to a corrupt font. Since it was one involving a language I
have zilch capability in, I simply dragged the copy of the font out
of both my library and the system library font folders. I have now
confirmed that Lilypond works correctly after that fix. Thanks to
Han-Wen for diagnosing the problem correctly and to Graham for
answering some of my questions along the way.
Lenore