Re: OT: Beauty of programming languages

[Adrian Oehm]

45 years old

Day job: Chemist (like Borodin!)

Started with computers in the days of the VIC-20.  Went through several BASIC 
interpreter computers.  Work with both Windows (work) and Mac (home) now.  Work 
use includes some programming in high level BASIC-like languages, and some 
rudimentary SQL, HTML.

Vocalist (counter-tenor) in a church choir - have been singing since I was 
7-ish…  Know enough piano to tinkle and amuse myself.

Started engraving music (pieces I’d written) in the late 80’s on the Mac Plus 
(9” screen and all!) with a program called “Music Publisher”.  For its time, it 
wasn’t bad.  Came with a separate keyboard so you typed the music in, notes 
appearing on the screen on the staves.

Tried Finale…couldn’t work out how to use it…so I gave up.  Bought a lesser 
version from the same stable (well it is now) called Print Music.  I use that 
to tinker with pieces on screen then playback the audio.

Came across LilyPond when I was looking to set a vocal piece I’d written that 
had chanted sections.  I wanted stemless notes, and couldn’t do that in PM or 
Finale.  Lily did the job, and well, and I’ve used it to set a range of vocal 
music since - my own and others works.

While the interface can sometimes be a challenge, I steal from what I’ve done 
before and what’s in the manuals and usually get it to work.  I’ve made my own 
templates which makes it easier for me.  My code my not always be the 
prettiest, but, hey, it works!

Always impressed by the look of the output, as are those for whom I’ve set 
music.

I don’t mind the text input at all - I just use the basic editor that opens 
when you launch the application.  One thing I do like about the text based 
input is that even if I lose Lilypond for some reason, all my work is there 
accessible in text files…not like the pieces I have in Music Publisher 
files…now long inaccesible!