At 9:28 AM -0500 3/16/06, Christopher Smith wrote:
Well, it's hard for me to argue with Ted Ross (or even you, an experienced user and engraver) but I am perfectly at ease with continuous curves on slurs. A perfectly flat line might take on the aspect of a staff line, second ending bracket, or some sort of extension line instead of the expected curve of a slur. Understand I am not usually writing for publication, though, so take my opinion with all the weight they deserve.
We seem to have yet another question of terminology and definition here, this time dependent on what instrument a person plays and on what that person is used to seeing in the music for that instrument.
Whatever Finale chooses to call it, a slur is ALWAYS an articulation instruction, a specific bowing instruction not to take a new bow for a string player and a specific tonguing instruction not to re-articulate a note for a wind player. (Keyboard players are on their own, here, since I aren't one!)
What is being called a "long slur" is, as has been mentioned, a phrase marking, not an articulation instruction. There must be, of course, articulations under that phrase marking--that is, slurs, bow changes, tonguings, and breaths--and the interpretation of those necessary but perhaps un-notated articulations is left to the player if the composer has not provided it. For string players, it is never an option NOT to have slurs marked (much more important than up- or down-bow markings) if the section is to bow in unison. For this reason, phrase markings are comparatively rare in string music and string parts, although they do sometimes appear.
Samuel Barber successfully used BOTH phrase marks and articulation marks (slurs) in the Adagio. It is a good example of someone who knew exactly what he was doing. (Or of his having someone experienced provide the slurs to make his phrase marks work in practice.)
John -- John & Susie Howell Virginia Tech Department of Music Blacksburg, Virginia, U.S.A 24061-0240 Vox (540) 231-8411 Fax (540) 231-5034 (mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]) http://www.music.vt.edu/faculty/howell/howell.html _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [email protected] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
