Music Engraving Today: The Art and Practice of Digital Notesetting (review)

It is a common misconception that computer-based music notation applications allow one to merely play the notes, press a button, and—poof!—generate professional quality scores and parts. Learning how to produce music notation of high quality on a computer is a three-step process. Step one requires learning correct notation practices (stem directions, stem length, music spacing, etc.). For this first step musicians can turn to several outstanding notation texts including Kurt Stone's Music Notation in the Twentieth Century (New York: W. W. Norton, 1980) and Gardner Read's Music Notation (New York: Taplinger Publishing, 1979). Step two involves mastering the notation software itself; only recently have any books on notation software become available, notably, Bill Purse's The Finale Primer, 2d ed. (San Francisco: Miller Freeman Books, 2000) and Thomas Rudolph and Vincent Leonard Jr.'s Finale: An Easy Guide to Music Notation (Boston: Berklee Press, 2002). In step three the musician/engraver merges strong notation and software skills developed in the first two steps with an engraver's eye for detail to produce acceptable, if not outstanding, scores. Until recently, the only book available for the would-be engraver was Ted Ross's insightful but outdated Teach Yourself the Art of Music Engraving and Processing, 3d ed. (Miami: Hanson Books, 1987). Although the details on traditional engraving are quite enlightening, Ross's book was written well before the advent of computer-based notation applications. Steven Powell's new book, Music Engraving Today: The Art and Practice of Digital Notesetting, rectifies this problem by combining insightful discussion of standard engraving practice updated to address problems and challenges introduced by notation software.

The first of three parts, "Engraving Basics," focuses on material covered in the notation books mentioned above. Chapters cover "Page Fundamentals," "Rhythm," "Pitch," "Putting Markings in their Places," and "Dealing with Divisi." While this treatment may seem to duplicate material from existing texts, Powell frequently discusses the subjects in greater detail, noting differences of opinion when authorities disagree. These chapters also include engraving details (e.g., the space between a clef and a repeat sign compared to the space between a time signature and a repeat sign) and important notation issues frequently overlooked in earlier books (e.g., the fact that most articulations should be centered over the stem and not the notehead when placed stem side). Powell enhances his discussion with detailed musical examples illustrating various musical situations on a measure-by-measure or even beat-by-beat basis. In some instances, topics could be covered in greater detail. For example, while the text covers the vertical placement of dynamics (p. 42), it unfortunately never addresses horizontal placement. The latter is a common notational error for an amateur, and is even easier to commit with a notation program than by hand.

Part 2, "Individual Genres," examines specialized typesetting practices, with chapters devoted to "Chorus," "Solo Voice," "Keyboard," "Orchestra," "Band," "Music for Books," and "Commercial Music." Each chapter begins with genre-specific layout issues and concerns (e.g., score sizes, staff reductions, lyrics in a choral score, pedaling in a keyboard score). Powell adds cohesiveness to his discussions by using a model notation project in each chapter. This approach helps the reader see, appreciate, and learn the fine points of engraving. Chapters end with useful engraving quizzes in which the reader views a representative score that to the casual eye may seem quite acceptable. Closer examination by those who have carefully studied Powell's examples soon reveals a multitude of serious mistakes. Subsequent narrative identifies and explains each mistake (e.g., an accidental colliding with note or incorrectly placed augmentation dot) followed by a fully corrected version of the quiz's manuscript.

While all of part 2 is filled with valuable information, the orchestra and band chapters fall a bit short compared to the outstanding...