LilyPond Learning Manual: A.6 Ancient notation templates

## A.6 Ancient notation templates

### A.6.1 Transcription of mensural music

When transcribing mensural music, an incipit at the beginning of the piece is useful to indicate the original key and tempo. While today musicians are used to bar lines in order to faster recognize rhythmic patterns, bar lines were not yet invented during the period of mensural music; in fact, the meter often changed after every few notes. As a compromise, bar lines are often printed between the staves rather than on the staves.

>     global = {
>       \set Score.skipBars = ##t

>       % incipit
>       \once \override Score.SystemStartBracket #'transparent = ##t
>       \override Score.SpacingSpanner #'spacing-increment = #1.0 % tight spacing
>       \key f \major
>       \time 2/2
>       \once \override Staff.TimeSignature #'style = #'neomensural
>       \override Voice.NoteHead #'style = #'neomensural
>       \override Voice.Rest #'style = #'neomensural
>       \set Staff.printKeyCancellation = ##f
>       \cadenzaOn % turn off bar lines
>       \skip 1*10
>       \once \override Staff.BarLine #'transparent = ##f
>       \bar "||"
>       \skip 1*1 % need this extra \skip such that clef change comes
>                 % after bar line
>       \bar ""

>       % main
>       \revert Score.SpacingSpanner #'spacing-increment % CHECK: no effect?
>       \cadenzaOff % turn bar lines on again
>       \once \override Staff.Clef #'full-size-change = ##t
>       \set Staff.forceClef = ##t
>       \key g \major
>       \time 4/4
>       \override Voice.NoteHead #'style = #'default
>       \override Voice.Rest #'style = #'default

>       % FIXME: setting printKeyCancellation back to #t must not
>       % occur in the first bar after the incipit.  Dto. for forceClef.
>       % Therefore, we need an extra \skip.
>       \skip 1*1
>       \set Staff.printKeyCancellation = ##t
>       \set Staff.forceClef = ##f

>       \skip 1*7 % the actual music

>       % let finis bar go through all staves
>       \override Staff.BarLine #'transparent = ##f

>       % finis bar
>       \bar "|."
>     }

>     discantusNotes = {
>       \transpose c' c'' {
>         \set Staff.instrumentName = #"Discantus  "

>         % incipit
>         \clef "neomensural-c1"
>         c'1. s2   % two bars
>         \skip 1*8 % eight bars
>         \skip 1*1 % one bar

>         % main
>         \clef "treble"
>         d'2. d'4 |
>         b e' d'2 |
>         c'4 e'4.( d'8 c' b |
>         a4) b a2 |
>         b4.( c'8 d'4) c'4 |
>         \once \override NoteHead #'transparent = ##t c'1 |
>         b\breve |
>       }
>     }

>     discantusLyrics = \lyricmode {
>       % incipit
>       IV-

>       % main
>       Ju -- bi -- |
>       la -- te De -- |
>       o, om --
>       nis ter -- |
>       ra, __ om- |
>       "..." |
>       -us. |
>     }

>     altusNotes = {
>       \transpose c' c'' {
>         \set Staff.instrumentName = #"Altus  "

>         % incipit
>         \clef "neomensural-c3"
>         r1        % one bar
>         f1. s2    % two bars
>         \skip 1*7 % seven bars
>         \skip 1*1 % one bar

>         % main
>         \clef "treble"
>         r2 g2. e4 fis g | % two bars
>         a2 g4 e |
>         fis g4.( fis16 e fis4) |
>         g1 |
>         \once \override NoteHead #'transparent = ##t g1 |
>         g\breve |
>       }
>     }

>     altusLyrics = \lyricmode {
>       % incipit
>       IV-

>       % main
>       Ju -- bi -- la -- te | % two bars
>       De -- o, om -- |
>       nis ter -- ra, |
>       "..." |
>       -us. |
>     }

>     tenorNotes = {
>       \transpose c' c' {
>         \set Staff.instrumentName = #"Tenor  "

>         % incipit
>         \clef "neomensural-c4"
>         r\longa   % four bars
>         r\breve   % two bars
>         r1        % one bar
>         c'1. s2   % two bars
>         \skip 1*1 % one bar
>         \skip 1*1 % one bar

>         % main
>         \clef "treble_8"
>         R1 |
>         R1 |
>         R1 |
>         r2 d'2. d'4 b e' | % two bars
>         \once \override NoteHead #'transparent = ##t e'1 |
>         d'\breve |
>       }
>     }

>     tenorLyrics = \lyricmode {
>       % incipit
>       IV-

>       % main
>       Ju -- bi -- la -- te | % two bars
>       "..." |
>       -us. |
>     }

>     bassusNotes = {
>       \transpose c' c' {
>         \set Staff.instrumentName = #"Bassus  "

>         % incipit
>         \clef "bass"
>         r\maxima  % eight bars
>         f1. s2    % two bars
>         \skip 1*1 % one bar

>         % main
>         \clef "bass"
>         R1 |
>         R1 |
>         R1 |
>         R1 |
>         g2. e4 |
>         \once \override NoteHead #'transparent = ##t e1 |
>         g\breve |
>       }
>     }

>     bassusLyrics = \lyricmode {
>       % incipit
>       IV-

>       % main
>       Ju -- bi- |
>       "..." |
>       -us. |
>     }

>     \score {
>       \new StaffGroup = choirStaff <<
>         \new Voice =
>           "discantusNotes" << \global \discantusNotes >>
>         \new Lyrics =
>           "discantusLyrics" \lyricsto discantusNotes { \discantusLyrics }
>         \new Voice =
>           "altusNotes" << \global \altusNotes >>
>         \new Lyrics =
>           "altusLyrics" \lyricsto altusNotes { \altusLyrics }
>         \new Voice =
>           "tenorNotes" << \global \tenorNotes >>
>         \new Lyrics =
>           "tenorLyrics" \lyricsto tenorNotes { \tenorLyrics }
>         \new Voice =
>           "bassusNotes" << \global \bassusNotes >>
>         \new Lyrics =
>           "bassusLyrics" \lyricsto bassusNotes { \bassusLyrics }
>       >>
>       \layout {
>         \context {
>           \Score

>           % no bars in staves
>           \override BarLine #'transparent = ##t

>           % incipit should not start with a start delimiter
>           \remove "System_start_delimiter_engraver"
>         }
>         \context {
>           \Voice

>           % no slurs
>           \override Slur #'transparent = ##t

>           % Comment in the below "\remove" command to allow line
>           % breaking also at those barlines where a note overlaps
>           % into the next bar.  The command is commented out in this
>           % short example score, but especially for large scores, you
>           % will typically yield better line breaking and thus improve
>           % overall spacing if you comment in the following command.
>           %\remove "Forbid_line_break_engraver"
>         }
>       }
>     }

### A.6.2 Gregorian transcription template

This example demonstrates how to do modern transcription of Gregorian music. Gregorian music has no measure, no stems; it uses only half and quarter note heads, and special marks, indicating rests of different length.

>     \include "gregorian.ly"

>     chant = \relative c' {
>       \set Score.timing = ##f
>       f4 a2 \divisioMinima
>       g4 b a2 f2 \divisioMaior
>       g4( f) f( g) a2 \finalis
>     }

>     verba = \lyricmode {
>       Lo -- rem ip -- sum do -- lor sit a -- met
>     }

>     \score {
>       \new Staff <<
>         \new Voice = "melody" \chant
>         \new Lyrics = "one" \lyricsto melody \verba
>       >>
>       \layout {
>         \context {
>           \Staff
>           \remove "Time_signature_engraver"
>           \remove "Bar_engraver"
>           \override Stem #'transparent = ##t
>         }
>         \context {
>           \Voice
>           \override Stem #'length = #0
>         }
>         \context {
>           \Score
>           barAlways = ##t
>         }
>       }
>     }

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