Re: Feature request: 'line' articulation

[Michael Käppler]

Valentin Villenave wrote:
> > For example, if I have understood this correctly, your snippet can't scale
> > the font-size according to global-staff-size at this moment.
> >     
>
> Yes it can.
>   
Sorry... I should have looked more carefully at this.
> > Also it would
> > be nice if LilyPond could determine the right position (above or under the
> > staff) automatically, like it does with other articulation scripts.
> >     
>
> It does now (I've updated the snippet to demonstrate this).
>   
I don't understand. What I meant was that the ^ or _ operators shouldn't
be necessary as you can type simply a4\tenuto. But the snippet doesn't
show that
behaviour?
> If anyone can find a proper (documented) name for this "vertical line"
> articulation, I think we could consider adding it to the default
> LilyPond distribution.
>   
That seems to be pretty difficult. I haven't consulted any primary
sources yet, but Nikolaus Harnoncourt collects some statements from 18th 
 century literature in "Der musikalische Dialog. Gedanken zu 
Monteverdi, Bach und Mozart", pg. 155f:

Leopold Mozart, "Versuch einer gründlichen Violinschule": [Points] This 
means, ... that the notes have to be played not only on one bow, but ... 
with slight emphasis separated from one another. [Lines] If there are 
small lines instead of points, the bow is lifted on every note.

Johann Joachim Quantz (vermutlich "Versuch einer Anweisung, die Flute 
traversiere zu spielen", Harnoncourt doesn't name the source clearly):
If there are lines, the notes have to be pushed [I don't know what the 
correct english term is - it's about tonguing] keenly and the notes may 
only sound half as long than they actually are. Notes with points are 
played with little bow and without interrupting the tone.

Up to now it sounds as if I'm completely wrong with my interpretation of 
"more weight". But Harnoncourt states in case of Mozart's music:
"Mozart uses the stroke in two meanings: as sign of accent (like a 
slight sforzato), for example on long notes [printed are whole notes 
with strokes] (Symphony "Jupiter", KV 551, Finale, measure 233ff.) or on 
the first note on repeated tones or if some notes shall be emphasized. 
[printed are four 8th notes with strokes on the 2nd an 4th] (Gran 
Partita KV 370a, finale movement, measures 18 and 22) Such accent 
strokes are normally drawed powerful, one sees clearly the pressure the 
note shall played with. It has to be mentioned, that in Mozart's time 
the later well-known accent symbol > wasn't known and also other 
componists used similar symbols.
The second meaning of the stroke is completely different: as sign for a 
strong shortening and great lightness.
(...)

For further confusion, I had a talk with Ludger Remy one year ago, who i 
s a well known German expert for 17th/18th century music. He said that 
in french music the strokes can mean that the baroque hierarchy of 
accents is abolished. Therfore every note is stressed similarly.

I think we won't find a term for this which is used throughout 18th 
century music literature in a similar matter. Let's just call it "stroke"?

A better explanation for the LSR could be: "This short vertical line 
placed above the note is commonly used in baroque music. It's meaning 
can vary, e.g. it may indicate a slight accent, a strong shortening or 
 that all notes with those lines shall be stressed similarly. The 
following example ..."

Regards,
Michael