I think part of the issue is that treble clef is used with the properties of the treble8. There's no distinction made between the two and the tenor voice is essentially treated as a transposing instrument (sounding an octave lower). That practice is used numerous times for solo tenor voices in art songs and even in opera scores.
On Wed, Sep 14, 2011 at 11:27 AM, David W. Fenton <lists.fin...@dfenton.com> wrote: > On 14 Sep 2011 at 9:40, Patrick Sheehan wrote: > >> WHY is this treble "8" clef used in >> printed music today when it used to be printed in bass clef most of >> the time. > > Your secondary premise is COMPLETELY FALSE. That is, printing tenor > vocal parts in bass clef is a minority practice. > > The fact is that tradition was to print the tenor part in TENOR CLEF, > to reduce leger lines. But as that clef fell out of favor, the > treble8 clef was invented. It is a modern invention, but it's almost > universal in modern published editions. > > Using either bass clef or treble clef would result in an unacceptable > number of ledger lines, seems to me, and that's why something > different is needed. > >> And, does this bother anyone else, and do you agree that it >> should be abolished? > > I think that printing a tenor part in bass clef or treble clef is the > practice that should be abolished -- it's much less readable than the > alternatives (tenor clef or treble8). > > -- > David W. Fenton http://dfenton.com > David Fenton Associates http://dfenton.com/DFA/ > > _______________________________________________ > Finale mailing list > Finale@shsu.edu > http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale > _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list Finale@shsu.edu http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
