Engraving Vocal Music

1) When setting text, you control how the singer “reads” each sentence or line of poetry. In English, whether a syllable is stressed or unstressed can alter the meaning of the word or phrase.

There are several musical ways to place stress on a syllable or word:

  • higher than the notes before/after it

  • longer than the notes before/after it

  • louder than the notes before/after it

  • metrically prominent

2) Dynamics and hairpins go ABOVE the staff so as not to collide with lyrics.

3) Hyphen vs. word extension - what is the difference?

  • use a hyphen when a multisyllabic word is set with multiple pitches.

  • use a word extension when a single syllable is extended over more than one pitch (whether as a melisma, or on a tied note)

4) Slurs used ONLY for melismas (multiple pitches on a single syllable).

  • do not use slurs for musical grouping or articulation guidance.