arranger.ly (new library)

[Gilles Thibault]

I have been using a Lilypond library called "arranger.ly" for several 
years. It has made it much easier for me to create arrangements for 
large ensembles and it is time for me to share this new approach with 
the community.

What I call "arrangement" here is for example the transcription for 
Concert Band (winds + percussions) of a piece intended for a symphony 
orchestra.
The arrangement has the peculiarity that you don't know at the 
beginning, what each instrument will play ! Just a few ideas here and 
there: theme1 to a set of instruments, theme2 to another set instruments 
etc..., and between these great guiding ideas, you try to complement in 
the most suitable way the music that remains with the other instruments 
available.

Arranger.ly breaks the usual linear method of data entry (measure by 
measure, instrument by instrument) and allows us to work, as our ideas 
come to mind:
  "Insert theme1 at bar 5 to clarinets 1 2 3 and alto saxophones 1 2"
and, if theme1 is to high for the range of an alto saxophone between bar 
10 and 15 :
  "(Please) transpose now an octave lower the alto saxophones 1 2 from 
bar 10 to bar 15"

At the beginning of his work, user has only 2 things to do :
  1) declare a variable named "global" with all the timing infos of the 
piece
     ex: global = { \time 4/4
                    \partial 4 s4
                    s1*10
                    \time 5/8
                    s8*5*20 }
    arranger.ly uses bar numbers as locating system of musical 
positions, and needs these infos to translate this system to Lilypond 
system, based on moments.

  2) declare all the instruments of your score in a list:
     all = #'(flI flII oboe clI clII clIII clB altoI altoII ...)
     and initialize it by the function: init
     #(init all)

Now, at this state, all your instruments are filled by MultiMeasureRests 
(+ here a rest), as if you had entered :
   flI = { r4 R1*10 R8*5*20}
   flII = { r4 R1*10 R8*5*20}  % etc...

You can then use all the functions provided by arranger.ly. In one shot, 
you can for example, insert a music into several instruments or in 
several places, or even copy out an entire section of music.
There is a list, classified by topic, of all provided functions in page 
1 and 2 of the doc (quick access here:
   http://gillesth.free.fr/Lilypond/arranger-docs/arrangerDoc-en.pdf   )
Please note that arranger.ly functions are 100% scheme (just a warning 
for scheme refractories).

If you want to see arranger.ly working in "real life", there is a 
tutorial in the directory: TUTO of the project. It proceeds in steps. 
You go from one step to the next in the NOTES.ily file, by adding a 
comment: % where indicated, and then by re-compiling the SCORE.ly file.
For the understanding of what is done, I strongly advise to download the 
conductor of the original piece: the second movement of the BORODINE's 
Polovtsian Dances. If the laws of your country allow it, you can get it 
here:
    http://imslp.org/wiki/Special:ImagefromIndex/22928
    (you have to wait about 15 seconds).
    the 2nd movement is from page 9 to 20

arranger.ly is intended for Lilypond 2.20, but should work under 2.21, 
and even the latest versions of 2.19.

Thank you for reading.
Happy exploring.
Many thanks to the French list for its constant help and support.


%%%%%%%%%%%% links

The GitHub link of the project:
  https://github.com/gilles-th/arranger.ly
Direct link:
   http://gillesth.free.fr/Lilypond/arranger-GIT-copy/arranger.ly.zip

--
Gilles