Ripple - a Tool for Producing Scores and Parts with Lilypond

[Sharon Rosner]

Hello everybody,

I'm new on this list, but have been working with Lilypond for the last few years, using it to produce performance materials for my ensemble (http://bachsoloists.org), and focusing mainly on Bach's liturgical works.

Having to work very fast, I started to write scripts to help me automate a lot of the work of setting up my source files and reduce the amount of typing to a minimum. Eventually, I made it into a little project that I call Ripple. You can look at it here:

   https://github.com/ciconia/ripple

Ripple does a lot of stuff:

- Automatically create scores and parts from files organized in a consistent, easy-to-understand directory hierarchy.

- Extended syntax for writing music: support for macros (for repetitive rhythms and articulations), shorthand for appogiatura, divisi, cue voices. Also alternative syntax for basso continuo figures, and improved syntax for lyrics. More here: https://github.com/ciconia/ripple/blob/master/SYNTAX.markdown

- Proof mode for faster editing - automatically generate a PDF for the part you're currently editing each time you save it.

- Automatically create MIDI versions of your scores.

- Compile different musical works or specific movements from different works into a single score or part.

How it works: you use a YAML file to describe the work - titles, score order, midi tempo etc, and then enter the music for each part in a separate file. Lyrics and figures also go in separate files. Then you run ripple and it compiles everything into .ly files and then executes Lilypond to create PDF scores and parts (and optionally MIDI files).

You can look at my scores here (I took considerable inspiration from the work of Nicolas Sceaux):

  http://bachsoloists.org/scores

And my source repository is here:

  https://github.com/ciconia/music/

Ripple is really something I built to satisfy my own needs, so it's pretty much oriented toward a specific kind of music (i.e. baroque music), but now I feel that other people can also benefit from it, and maybe even participate in developing it further, so I'd love to hear what you guys think about it.

Best regards

Sharon Rosner