Category 3. Text underlay
As an automatic process, correct vertical placement of multiplestanzas of text in choral music is quite difficult to achieve. Note the different approaches taken in the two settings of the following excerpt.
In Ex. #12a the syllables are centered, except under beamed eighth notes, where space constraints force left-hand alignment. The line terminations are flush right.
In Ex. #12b all syllables are vertically aligned from the left and line terminations are ragged. (In this example the key signature of the first staff is incorrectly positioned; see #12a for the proper placement.)
Ex. #12a. J. S. Bach: chorale "Ob sich's anliess, als wollt' er nicht." This illustration was produced by the Toppan ScanNote system and appeared in the Directory of Computer Assisted Research in Musicology 3 (1987), 35.
Ex. #12b. J. S. Bach: chorale "Ob sich's anliess, als wollt' er nicht." This illustration was produced by Geoff Brown with Deluxe Music Construction Set and appeared in the Directory of Computer Assisted Research in Musicology 3 (1987), 66.
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