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Re: lyrics to music
From: |
Phil Holmes |
Subject: |
Re: lyrics to music |
Date: |
Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:17:09 -0000 |
----- Original Message -----
From: Reinhold Kainhofer
To: Fr. Michael Gilmary, mma
Cc: address@hidden
Sent: Tuesday, November 20, 2012 3:41 PM
Subject: Re: lyrics to music
On 20/11/2012 16:25, Fr. Michael Gilmary, mma wrote:
Hi everybody:
Here's a general question that's bothered me for some time ... because I'm
not a musician or composer ---
when setting lyrics to music, is it ever acceptable to join eighth notes
across syllables or even across words?
I have been told by a reliable expert (hi Rembrandt!) that joining the
eighth notes across syllables/words is never done ... but I have examples
like the second one here from a very accomplished composer. Maybe he just
isn't familiar with how to prevent his program from joining them. It
certainly makes for difficult reading of the lyrics, IMHO.
In the 18th and 19th century, melismas were indicated by beams, so back then
the eights would never get beamed, unless they were a melisma (i.e. belonged
to the same syllable).
However, modern and contemporary notation will use the same beaming as for
instruments and instead indicate melismas with slurs.
So, it's basically a convention and your choice whether you want to use the
traditional way (never beam notes across syllables) or the modern notation
practice.
As a (classical) singer, I have to admit, I'm always confused by the modern
notation and sight-reading takes much more effort than with the traditional
notation. That might, however, also be due to me being used only to the
traditional notation.
Cheers,
Reinhold
===========================================================
Even that's not the whole story. My edition of Handel's Messiah (Watkins
Shaw) - music of the 18th century - has lots of beamed notes, where each
note (despite the bean) has its own syllable. I think it was common in
Baroque music, went out of fashion in the later Classical and Romantic
periods, and came back again last century.
--
Phil Holmes
- lyrics to music, Fr. Michael Gilmary, mma, 2012/11/20
- Re: lyrics to music, James Bailey, 2012/11/20
- Re: lyrics to music, Reinhold Kainhofer, 2012/11/20
- Re: lyrics to music,
Phil Holmes <=
- Re: lyrics to music, Kieren MacMillan, 2012/11/20
- Re: lyrics to music, Phil Holmes, 2012/11/20
- Re: lyrics to music, Fr. Michael Gilmary, mma, 2012/11/20
- Re: lyrics to music, Stjepan Horvat, 2012/11/21
- Re: lyrics to music, Kieren MacMillan, 2012/11/21
- Re: lyrics to music, Fr. Michael Gilmary, mma, 2012/11/21
- Re: lyrics to music, Kieren MacMillan, 2012/11/21
- Re: lyrics to music, Fr. Michael Gilmary, mma, 2012/11/21
Re: lyrics to music, Eby Mani, 2012/11/21