padding lyrics in layout block

[Fr . Panteleimon]

I previously made the mistake of sending this to the bug list directly (being a 
non-member). Here is the same thing through (I hope) the proper channel:

As per user-list conversation of 4/11/06, the following snippet for the 
\layout block (which adds padding to lyrics rather than to 
notes) does not work in 2.7, although it works well in 2.6. It is a good and 
easy way to avoid general lyrics-too-tightness without overly affecting the 
spacing of the music. 

\context{ \Lyrics \override SeparationItem #'padding = #(a very small number) }

If you would be so kind as to include this capability in the next edition, I 
would be grateful and would gladly contribute a brief paragraph for the 
manual describing the usefulness of this method as an alternative to that 
described in manual section 7.3.7.1.  It works especially well for unmetred, 
tightly spaced liturgical chant.

Many thanks and congratulations for your very good and rapidly improving 
software.

Monk Panteleimon