Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!pacbell!ames!excelan!ames!purdue!gatech!artsnet!mgresham
From: mgresham@artsnet.UUCP (Mark Gresham)
Newsgroups: comp.music
Subject: Re: music typesetting & text notation..
Message-ID: <479@artsnet.UUCP>
Date: 4 Oct 89 04:35:03 GMT
References: <1403@syma.sussex.ac.uk>
Reply-To: mgresham@artsnet.UUCP (Mark Gresham)
Organization: ARTSNET  Atlanta, GA  USA
Lines: 36

In article <1403@syma.sussex.ac.uk> andrewn@syma.UUCP (Andrew D Nimmo) writes:
>
>	I'm looking for info on music typesetting packages and
>text-based music notation 'standards'.  Any info, references etc., would
>be appreciated.

The 'bible' of music notation is "Music Notation" by Gardner Read.
There is (and Read has agreed in a letter) there is no comparable
book on commercial music typesetting standards.

The best software package I've experienced is SCORE (Passport,
Half Moon Bay, CA).  It is thorough, still buggy a bit in its most
recent incarnation, and is quite complex--it is not for the casual
user.  I recommend it only if you (like I) are interested in
investing yourself into the music typesetting or publishing
business.  It is relatively user-unfriendly and is poorly
documented.  It is also *very* expensive (over $1000 now, I
understand).  If you want something easier to use for the purpose
of typesetting your own music for performance purposes only, get
something else.  If you want to compete on the commercial market
with Theodore Presser, E.C. Schirmer, Oxford, or C.F. Peters, then
you have no other alternative than SCORE and the extensive
training you'll have to give yourself to create competitive
results.  (The much touted Macadoodle programs and Sonata Fonts
don't even come close.  Period.)


Cheers,

--Mark

========================================
Mark Gresham  ARTSNET  Norcross, GA, USA
E-mail:       ...gatech!artsnet!mgresham
or:          artsnet!mgresham@gatech.edu
========================================