Re: caesura

[Graham Percival]

On Sat, 01 Mar 2003 01:01:02 +0100
Han-Wen Nienhuys <address@hidden> wrote:
> address@hidden writes:
> > \property Voice.TextScript \override #'extra-offset = #'(-6.0 . -3.0)
> > \time 4/4 c'\pp^\fermata^#"arco" ais'\mp^\fermata r2 |
> > \property Voice.TextScript \revert #'extra-offset
>
>   \once \property Voice.TextScript \override #'extra-offset
>     = #'(-6.0 . -3.0)

IIRC the \once property was introduced after I wrote the piece -- I wrote
it for music theory a year ago.  But thanks for reminding me about \once.
:)
 
> As for the caesura, I think  the proper solution is to add the
> character to the font, and use it with BreathMark  (syntax: \breathe).
> From what I gather, the symbol is not complicated, so it should be easy. 

Probably.  Unfortuntely, I don't have an example of it handy (most of
the time the conductor just tells us to put it in there, so I make two
angled slashed in the music in my messy handwriting :) , and I'm not
at all familiar with fonts.

Paul, do you have an example you could scan in or something?

> BTW, you do know that we have a breath mark that looks like little
> tick ( ie. ' ) through the top staffline.  Would that satisfy Paul?

I use \breathe quite often, but that's not quite what Paul is after.

Imagine this: the whole orchestra is playing fast 16th notes,
fortissimo, with an accel.  The music builds up -- and then suddenly
stops, leaving a few beats of silence before something else happens.

That's the kind of place this symbol is used for (sometimes called
"railroad tracks").  It's not a breath mark that's used to aid in
phrasing a lyrical melody; it's a sudden, complete, and perhaps
unexpected stop.  I think it's used more often in musical theatre
than in symphonic music.

Cheers,
- Graham