Also Salieri, you can just post the code here if you want - fewer steps for both of us.
I also prefer to avoid using the Cephalicus unless it is in the incipit, as you did on valde - it's just a strange one to explain to choirs and it brings up an argument about where to put the consonants.
How's this? Couldn't fit translation in subtitle because only one line is allowed
Also I fixed up the format a little, made it bigger, and added Title and scripture text. Any other comments about the format/look of the page? I want to get that just right before I keep going!
Here are some quick remarks on the layout, format en look of the chant engravings. Just to help you improve the quality of the engravings. Also see the attached file.
1. The initial seems a bit large; I would make it a little smaller (with the top of the capital just under the do line). 2. I would use for indication of genre and mode the way the 1974 Graduale Romanum does that: IN. VII, OF. II, CO. IV, etc. It's shorter, can be printed on a single line, and can therefore get some more weight. 3. There's some debate whether to use "I" or "J" in Latin. Strictly, there's no right or wrong. The Vatican however quite consistently uses "I" throughout all liturgical (and other) publications for over the last 50 years. I tend to go where Rome goes; using "J" looks hopelessly outdated to me. 4. I would use ligatures for ae (æ) and oe (œ). 5. Be consistent in the use of spaces before ":"; generally you put a space before a colon, but sometimes it's absent. 6. Only the first two letters of the first syllable are capitalized; except when the first syllable is a three letter word, then all three letters are capitalized. When using ligatures: they are treated as one letter. So the introit for the Fourth Sunday of Lent would start with "LÆ-ta-re" if you use the ligature æ.
7. I would use an italic font for the Scripture texts.
Smvanroode and Serviam, how's this? The only suggestion I didn't take was the ligatures - the Gregorian Missal does not use them, neither does Gregobase, and I don't use a Mac. So, one less thing to change.
And this Resurrexi - yae? Note that the Gregorian Missal keeps the entire word capital for this one. I'm not sure if there is a reason for that, so I left it
Greogobase does allow them. The problem is it's crowdsourced and therefore completely up to the person who entered the code in (and many people do not know how to achieve the ligatures or simply don't care). There are examples on there that do include them, however. Also, my copy of the gregorian missal uses them. (Example is 3rd Sunday of Lent, pg. 277) I just checked and it also has LÆ-tá-re Ie-rú-sa-lem : (pg 280)
I wonder if you have a different edition because those pages don't match either my Gregorian Missal or Roman Graudal, and neither do the ligatuers. I have the one published in 1990. O well
The 1990 Gregorian Missal used the same plates as the 1974 Graduale, which used the same plates as the 1961 Graduale. In looking at my Triplex (1979), I noticed that the Masses where the entire first word is capitalized tend to be those Masses where they also used an ornate capital letter (Advent I, the three Masses of Christmas, Epiphany, Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Easter Vigil, Easter Sunday, Ascension, Pentecost Sunday, etc.); also, occasionally they've capitalized an entire word if it's very short like "QUI", presumably because "QUi" looks strange.
I checked my graduale novum and it also uses the ligatures. My old copy of the Liber Brevior and my recent copy of the Triplex do not use them, however.
Ultimately, it is an editing choice, but it is certainly a long-standing tradition which stems from ancient manuscripts.
Indeed, the Solesmes editions of the Graduale Romanum long used the same plates, maybe going back to 1908? They're extremely similar. In the 1974 edition you can actually see that they changed all "J"s to "I"s by hand. Anyway, from about 1970 onwards, all newly typeset chant by Solesmes uses ligatures.
Solesmes set the standard and they still produce one of the most beautiful engravings I know. They manage to get the proportions right to create balanced, well readable scores. Just bought the Antiphonale Romanum I yesterday and they again did a superb job. The Graduale Novum is a bit disappointing in that regard.
When I typeset chant, I always look at the latest of Solesmes, closely watching and learning from the masters! See my latest engraving.
These ligatures can also be directly added in GABC: they are available in the character utility of PCs (or you can copy/paste and save them from this note).
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