Comment #25 on issue 2505 by [email protected]: Patch: Doc: NR clarified \footnote command as a TextScript
http://code.google.com/p/lilypond/issues/detail?id=2505
Would having a new command help where we can 'encapsulate' the ugly syntax in a discrete command.
I struggle with understanding the technical difference between scripts and grobs and the like but general people understand the difference between a note (inc. its stem/bar/flag/accidental) and a non-note (breath mark, clef, bar line etc) and a piece of text (header).
That doesn't really help but it might be easier to come up with a command syntax than try to make the code work in all cases or is this just like the 'lipstick on a pig' that Keith referred to?
