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3.5 Ancient notation templates

3.5.1 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 where 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.

\version "2.6.0"

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.instrument = "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.instrument = "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.instrument = "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.instrument = "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 {
  \context StaffGroup = choirStaff <<
    \context Voice =
      discantusNotes << \global \discantusNotes >>
    \context Lyrics =
      discantusLyrics \lyricsto discantusNotes { \discantusLyrics }
    \context Voice =
      altusNotes << \global \altusNotes >>
    \context Lyrics =
      altusLyrics \lyricsto altusNotes { \altusLyrics }
    \context Voice =
      tenorNotes << \global \tenorNotes >>
    \context Lyrics =
      tenorLyrics \lyricsto tenorNotes { \tenorLyrics }
    \context Voice =
      bassusNotes << \global \bassusNotes >>
    \context Lyrics =
      bassusLyrics \lyricsto bassusNotes { \bassusLyrics }
  >>
  \layout {
    \context {
      \Score
      \override BarLine #'transparent = ##t
      \remove "System_start_delimiter_engraver"
    }
    \context {
      \Voice
      \override Slur #'transparent = ##t
    }
  }
}

[image of music]

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