Music Typography

Music notation

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Yes, I can edit writing about music.  I can also typeset and edit written music itself. PDF scores of some of my early compositions, created using Finale music typesetting software, are linked to below.

I’ve been close to great music all my life. My academic training was all in music composition: a bachelor’s degree from University of Illinois, followed by three semesters in the masters program as a full fellowship student, after which I left to pursue my career in composition and performance.

I’m an expert in music notation. For twenty years I made most of my living preparing music for publication using the technology that was common at the time, namely music typewriters and graphic arts tools, for which I developed innovative techniques that enabled me to set extremely complex contemporary music.

In earlier days, this process was called music engraving, because of the technique that it replaced. But true engraving involves laboriously scratching a reverse image onto metal plates. Music typewriters came, were around for a long time, then went the way of the dodo bird once music notation software arrived. Most people today don’t even know what engraving is, and few have seen a music typewriter.

Therefore, I now use the term music typography to refer to the process of preparing music for printed publication. It is the musical equivalent of typesetting text as done by a compositor.

My last big project was a collection of 225 songs for a hymnbook category songbook. Ultimately over 47 million copies of that book were printed, with lyrics translated into many languages. (I typeset the English.) This songbook was used at religious meetings around the world for twenty-five years.

Today printed music is prepared for publication entirely by computer. I do this using the Finale software package.

I would be happy to typeset your music projects in printable form. I can work from music in written form, MIDI files, or recordings.

Contact me with details regarding your project if you are interested in this service.

Enhanced by ZemantaDownloadable Score Examples in PDF

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