Frames and text

• Mar 30, 2025 - 19:31

When opening a new, single-staff document from the templates (to keep things simple) there is a vertical frame at the top. In this frame are inserts (?) for title, subtitle, and composer. If I select one of these and drag, it shows a connection to the upper left corner of the frame.

I don't understand why these elements are anchored, nor do I know how (or if) I can add additional text lines (not inserts) to this arrangement. I'm pretty unclear about the whole text concepts, with staff text, system text, expressions, etc. More videos and handbook reads are on the agenda for this afternoon, but any additional tips will be most welcome.

Many thanks.


Comments

For your first sentence, make it "When opening a new score, there is a vertical frame..." It appears on every new score.

If you click on Add / Text from the main menu, you will get the following submenu:

20250330 171045 - title header.png

Observe that the first five entries are separated from the rest. These five create entries in this "title header".

20250330 171045 - title header 2.png

"Part Name" and "Title" are attached to the top of the frame, respectively at left and center. "Lyricist" and "Composer" to the bottom, respectively at left and right. "Subtitle" is attached to the top and centered, but has a vertical Offset of 10 to move it below the "Title". You can change any of these positions. Here, for example, are the Properties of the "Subtitle":

20250330 171045 - title header 3.png

You can move any of the five elements in this title header frame by drag-and-drop or by changing their Offset or Alignment on the Properties tab.

If you wanted, for example, the "Title" to be multiple lines, just type Enter and it becomes two lines.

20250330 171045 - title header 4.png

Observe that now you'll have to adjust the Height of the frame and the Offset of the "Subtitle" to keep them in roughly the same relation to one another. This screenshot has the Height at 18 and the Offset of the "Subtitle" at 15.

20250330 171045 - title header 5.png

If you delete the entire title header frame and then use one of these five entries, it rebuilds the title header frame with that one entry in it.

You could create a similar frame by attaching a vertical frame to the first note/rest in the score and then adding text to the frame. The page titled How to add lyrics in columns describes how to create and add text to such a frame. To put it at the beginning, use Add / Frames / Insert vertical frame for the first step instead of "Append". However, this "similar frame" would not use the Add / Text menu items.

Hope that covers your questions. If I missed anything or you have additional questions, please ask and I (and others :-) will do our best to help.

In reply to by TheHutch

I suppose this isn't the place (or time) for a development suggestion, but it has always surprised that, in addition to the five slots listed, there isn't one for "Dedication," which would appear above the Title (and perhaps italicized by default.)

I realize that this can be easily accomplished by inserting a vertical/text frame above the title frame, and I've done so many times; I'm just surprised it isn't built into the template.

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