Source and Summit Editor - GABC - a few questions
  • Bri
    Posts: 104
    I am wondering if the Source and Summit Editor (for GABC) has the ability to do any of the following:

    1. Can I add a cross in the Magnificat and Benedictus to indicate where to cross oneself?
    2. Is there a way to left justify part of the subtitle and then right justify another part?
    3. Is there a way to add extra text at the bottom (e.g., pointed verses below a psalm tone)?
    4. Is there a way to add footnotes?

    If the above are not possible, are there any good workarounds?

    Thanks!
    Bri
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,161
    To check the features available in GABC code, see the reference materials on gregoriochant org .

    The new S&S editor doesn't run Gregorio software, so I do not know how many of the GABC features are implemented. (The old Illuminare editor does run an old version of Gregorio.)

    If the feature you want is not implemented in the S&S editor, try my processor site at run.gregoriochant.org .

    Both sites are intended for producing chant scores. Adding custom headers and footnotes is something you can do in a word processor program. It's pretty easy to make a score from GABC, then save it as a graphic file and use that image in your word processing document.

    Thanked by 2tomjaw Bri
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 1,975
    It’s very misleading at this point. I don’t know what they’re running with S&S, but because they use gabc, you can’t do things in the documentation ( tags come to mind) that don’t work inexplicably.

    So their code only goes up to Gregorio 3.x and then they’re doing something new.

    If you go Chonak’s way, paying for Adobe is worth it. I mean, you can certainly use a word processor, but I like having more control, and you can get good results with Adobe, plus the ability to mess with the output in case of less typical page formatting requirements.
    Thanked by 1Bri
  • henry
    Posts: 241
    What is GABC?
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,161
    GABC is a notation for representing Gregorian chant in a text file. People using the Gregorio program to make music scores with square-note notation enter GABC text as the program's input, and get a score image as output. For more information, see gregoriochant.org .
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,161
    About MatthewRoth's comment on word processors, I use the free OpenOffice program for simple documents, and that's probably enough if you are just preparing scores for your singers or for a music handout at your parish.

    Adobe InDesign would be good for a book-length document (though I use the LaTeX-book software).
    Thanked by 1Bri
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 1,975
    I too use LaTeX directly for everything including weekly Vespers materials (I just typeset stuff, in fact). And I agree, particularly if it's just for the choir, you don't have to use Adobe (or LaTeX), but I don't like struggling with manipulating graphics around text.

    As we like to say, YMMV. But I do recommend making the leap to using, at least, Chonak's website (what you can do is start it in Source and Summit, then copy it to his website — I sometimes do this to minimize errors) and then take the resulting file from there to use as a graphic in a word processor or in InDesign (Scribus would be the free-and-open-source alternative…).

    By the way, and I'm undercutting my point that the Adobe suite is worth a subscription to use it weekly (and I believe members here use it regularly…), but the compiler of the pre-1955 Holy Week book used Adobe InDesign for the layout and Chonak's website for the chant elements.
    Thanked by 1chonak
  • Bri
    Posts: 104
    I did figure out the answer to my question #2 in the original posting.

    I somehow overlooked the following that is in the Source and Summit Editor:

    text-left:
    text-right:

    These allow for adding left justified and right justified text (e.g., the name of the translator or a Scriptural reference).
    Thanked by 1a_f_hawkins
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