Re: Compound time signature style

[David Kastrup]

Hans Aberg <address@hidden> writes:

>> On 7 Nov 2014, at 11:38, David Kastrup <address@hidden> wrote:
>> 
>> Hans Aberg <address@hidden> writes:
>> 
>>>> On 7 Nov 2014, at 10:08, David Kastrup <address@hidden> wrote:
>>> 
>>>> The question was when to use 4/4 and when to use C in a time
>>>> signature.  This is not related to the accent structure of the music
>>>> as much as it is to the century of its origin and the conventions
>>>> used in its respective music field.  Math does not provide answers to
>>>> the particular distinction this thread is about since the math behind
>>>> C and 4/4 is quite the same.
>>> 
>>> The “+” notation I think is quite recent, possibly invented by Béla
>>> Bartók and Vinko Žganec for the description of Balkan meters. So the
>>> use of anything else than numerals is a modernity.
>> 
>> We are talking about the use of C for 4/4.  I doubt many people consider
>> that a modernity.
>
> In the compound time signatures “+” notation, that would be.

I quote what the current discussion is about (cf
<URL:http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.comp.gnu.lilypond.devel/59535>):

    One more case: \compoundMeter #’(n d).  The current implementation
    prints this as a fraction (n/d), but I plan to change it to honor the
    style unless somebody objects.

There is no "+" involved in that topic at all.  You quote this and my
reply to it in
<URL:http://permalink.gmane.org/gmane.comp.gnu.lilypond.devel/59538>
before adding a complex treatise not at all related to that particular
problem.

It takes considerable work going through those mathematical
elaborations, and if one finds at the end that it is not even relevant
to the question, that's mostly a wasted effort, likely affecting the
willingness of the reader to read through further similar postings.

The end result then is that everybody's effort, including your own, is
wasted.  Making sure that a reply applies to the question before
investing a lot of work saves everyone disappointment.

-- 
David Kastrup