Shape Note Barlines and Repeats

• Sep 20, 2013 - 00:40

Hello,

What a great tool the Shape Note plugin is...

Is anyone planning a tool that would permit for historically correct repeat signs and bar lines for those interested in compiling such music?

Thanks,

DCDC

Comments

• Sep 20, 2013 - 14:30

Sure, here's an example from the Southern Harmony, an early shape note book:

http://www.ccel.org/ccel/walker/harmony/files/hymn/Jerusalem.html

Specifically, note the thick final bar and the double dot repeat signs (without bar). Note that some of these repeats are within the measure and not at the bar itself.

Also, note the "backwards" "C" for the time signature and the antique bass clef - a little less important to me, but would still be nice to have.

Thank you,

DCDC

Reply

• Oct 13, 2013 - 23:45

Hmmm... Your example seems to me a very peculiar printing style, possibly reflecting some local practice (it also seems to be a very late example of movable-type or 'punched metal' printing -- sorry, I don't know the exact terms in English).

While the possibility to reproduce different styles could be interesting, a full and reliable implementation of the 'standard' notation has a higher priority, I think.

Also, there are possibly other special notations which might be more 'important', either because standard notation cannot replace them (Braille, for instance, or cantus firmus) or because of the huge musical corpus which have been written using them (for instance, the XV and XVI c. 'squared' notation, with its peculiar elements like ligaturae or coloratio). However, as flemish-franco-italian polyphony of XV and XVI c. can be easily and rather faithfully rendered with modern Western 'standard' notation, I believe this Southern Harmony notation also can.

But thanks for contributing an interesting specimen, though!

M.

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