RE: engraving question - temporary voices in vocal music

[James Lowe]

Hello

)-----Original Message-----
)From: Janek Warchoł [mailto:address@hidden
)Sent: 20 February 2011 22:54
)To: James Lowe; colinpkcampbell
)Cc: Phil Holmes; address@hidden; Trevor Daniels; Shane
)Brandes; Francisco Vila; lilypond-user
)Subject: Re: engraving question - temporary voices in vocal music
)
)W dniu 20 lutego 2011 01:50:15 UTC+1 użytkownik James Lowe
)<address@hidden> napisał:
)> Don't string players have to put up with this kind of thing all the time?
)>
)> They just add the notation 'div'/'non-div' or 'unison'.
)>
)> Why not for vocal?
)
)I don't know how to explain this... I mean, there is only one melody
)throughout that measure, no structural changes. In my opinion it should
)either have all notes double-stemmed, or all notes single-stemmed.
)Maybe the attachment will explain what i mean.

Thanks for taking the time to create some examples.

As a non-vocalist I immediately think that the notes that are NOT 
double-stemmed are played (sung) by all - else there would be rests in the 
appropriate voice. As unless you are a Tuvan throat singer it is unlikely that 
even if the notes were constructed in the < x x > style vs << { x } \\ { x } >> 
style that you'd expect the same voice to sing two notes at the same time so 
the direction of the stems seems unimportant for vocal - so I still stand by 
what I said before that you can use 'div' and 'unison' markups to make it clear 
:)

Now of course I am probably making huge sweeping generalizations through 
hundreds of years of engraving traditions based on little more than having to 
learn to how to engrave a few Violin parts this weekend.

But when I look at these examples it is pretty clear to me.

James