Music engraving

Thursday 4 December 2008

The art of music engraving (typesetting)

There has always been a need for clear musical scores from which both to learn music and to perform it: from the time-consuming copying by scribes to the earliest printing methods by Attaingnant and others, through to literal engraving on a plate, and finally(?) to computer generation.

Using computer methods are considerably faster than hand copying or engraving, and using sophisticated enough tools anyone can make a reasonable job of it.

However, a similar skill-set and eye for detail is required to make the printed page reflect the nature of the music – and for that reason we use the Score™ Music Engraving System.

Singers and players, often working with limited rehearsal time, need scores that:

  • are easy to read
  • show the correct relationship of notes – one to another
  • have notes and other symbols that are distinct (avoiding the "clashing of symbols" that is all too often seen in scores)
Why we use Score

Award-winning engravers all over the world prefer Score because its output is unbeatable.

Although other software programmes like Finale™ and Sibelius™ are excellent tools for composers and arrangers, we would argue that they aren't the right tools for quality music engraving where the readability and beauty of the layout is more important than a quick solution.

Score offers infinitesimal adjustment of items and spacing to produce the results you want (rather than what the programmers think you should want – although Sibelius has vastly improved its layout with versions 4 & 5, the programme still thinks for you...).

Score's page-based design enables engravers to place items exactly where they want them in order to present as clear a copy as possible.

For details of other Score websites please go to our links page.

Music and text

Once the music has been engraved in Score it is imported as an EPS into Adobe InDesign™, where type is set and images are placed.

The resulting file is then exported as a PDF that can be sent electronically anywhere in the world for the printing of multiple copies.

If you would like to see some samples of our work, please contact us (follow this link).

We are always happy to discuss your projects and the best methods for achieving the results you need.

Musicians and Publishers who choose
The Art of Music

We have set several thousand pages of music in Score.
These include:

  • chant: In paradisum (The Art of Music, 2006)
  • Sebastian Forbes: A Touch of Contrast (1994, unpublished)
  • Philip Gaisford: music for the Eucharist and the Daily Office (Worth Abbey Music, 1995-2005)
  • John Harper: Come, Lord, come (RSCM, 1998)
  • John Harper: In the City of the Lord (2002, unpublished in this edition)
  • John Harper: Cymun y Cymry / A Welsh Eucharist (RSCM, 2003)
  • John Harper: Si quis diligit me (The Art of Music, 2006)
  • Sally Harper: music examples for Welsh Music History / Hanes Cerddoriaeth Cymru (1999)
  • Sally Harper: music examples for Music in Welsh Culture before 1650 (Ashgate, 2007)
  • Pat Lynch: Love came down at Christmas (The Art of Music, 2004)
  • Ken Naylor, arr. Warwick: Coe Fen "How shall I sing that majesty" (The Art of Music, 2006)
  • The Panel of Monastic Musicians: Hymns for Prayer and Praise, accompaniment edition
    (in preparation)
Common Worship

We have also engraved the music for a number of volumes of the Church of England's liturgy Common Worship:

  • Common Worship: Sunday Services (President's Edition) (Church House Publishing, 1999)
    – download the music section (PDF)
    – download errata list
  • Common Worship: Festivals (Church House Publishing, 2008)
  • Music for Common Worship I–III, VI, VII: Music for Sunday Services (RSCM, 2000 – 2005)

And of course, The Art of Music uses Score for our own publications

Further reading

Ted Ross's classic book The art of music engraving and processing (Hansen Books, 1970) is a complete manual, reference and text book on preparing music for reproduction and print.

Despite – or perhaps because of – being written at a time before the advent of computer music processing, it gives clear guidance and principles as to how a score should be laid out.