On Apr 17, 2005, at 4:33 PM, David W. Fenton wrote:
On 17 Apr 2005 at 11:43, Andrew Stiller wrote:
With a concert-pitch score, the copyist will need to exercise more initiative than usual in deciding clef change issues, because quite obviously instruments with big transpositions will have parts that lie entirely differently on the staff in the part than in the score.
I don't quite understand the distinction between "engraver" and "copyist" inherent in your discussion.
In these days of Finale, isn't the engraver of the score the same as the "copyist" of the parts? Is it not the case that the engraver of both then has to act as editor and create parts that are most likely to produce the best performance with the least amount of confusion? Why shouldn't the conductor get the same consideration as the performers?
Well, you see, I agree with your point! We hammered out concert vs. transposed scores on this list a few months (years?) ago, and I still harbour the feeling that there will never be any confusion if the score matches the parts in all ways, including clefs and transpositions. But some feel that the score should be optimised in the way that the conductor will understand it best, even if some things are different. I'm holding back on a final judgement on that question...
But Andrew's point was, I think, that all decisions , even small ones relating to clefs, are supposed to rest in the hands of the composer, (with the input of the editor) who is supposed to be an authority on effective communication with the musicians through the score; whereas the copyist/engraver is supposed to mold himself to the composer's wishes. It's just that in the real world often there is no editor, so the copyist/engraver has to be editor as well.
I would actually welcome advice given from an editor or a copyist, as they have seen way more scores than I have and probably have a more critical eye with regards to notation details. On the occasions I have used a copyist, the questions he asked clarified things in my mind that I hadn't been aware of before, like exactly where I wanted hairpins to start and end, along with ending dynamics to a hairpin, and exactly where text had to be associated, and whether a more economical piece of text he came up with could replace my more wordy one. I wish I was always working in a team like that; it would make us both stronger.
I guess this list takes the place of day-to-day interaction with colleagues in my musical life. At least, as regards notation...
Christopher
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