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.