TeX output of lilypond

[Werner LEMBERG]

Handling the TeX output of lilypond in LaTeX is not easy.  For
example, to center a music piece you have to do the following
currently (assuming that the line length of the music is 120mm):

  \hfill
  \hbox to 120mm {\vbox{%
    \input eg-strophe.tex
  }}
  \hfill
  \hbox{}

I doubt that many lilypond users have the patience/knowledge to find
this solution -- \begin{center} ... \end{center} doesn't work.

Is there any reason why staves aren't wrapped with a proper
\hbox/\vbox construction to give the staves a natural width and
height?

I suggest the following code around staves:

  % From latex.ltx
  \nexbox\voidbox
  \def\leavevmode{\unhbox\voidbox}

  \leavevmode
  \hbox to <staff-length> {%
    \lower <0.4 * staff-height1>% 0.4 is an ad-hoc value
    <original lilypond staff1>%
    \hss
  }%
  \interscoreline
  \leavevmode
  \hbox to <staff-length> {%
    \lower <0.4 * staff-height2>%
    <original lilypond staff2>%
    \hss
  }%
  \interscoreline
  ...

Then I can say for foo.ly:

  \begin{center}
  \input foo.tex
  \end{center}

Even more, if all constructions which produce a space and/or
paragraphs are removed in the various lilypond .tex initialization
files (I consider this a bug anyway), you can say

  These three notes
  \input three.tex
  are part of the melody.

and three.tex is indeed embedded into the text, no longer producing a
paragraph of its own.  The 0.4 constant to lower the staves should be
made configurable, of course.

The perhaps cleanest solution to avoid a zillion of trailing percent
signs is to say

  \endlinechar -1

at the beginning of a file; now newlines no longer produce spaces or
paragraphs.  At the end this must be reset with

  \endlinechar `\^^M

If you like, I can prepare a patch.


   Werner


PS: BTW, lilypond doesn't write a final newline at the end of the file.