Re: Bug report: measure numbering after repeat with alternativeendings

[Alexander Kobel]

Mats Bengtsson wrote:
> This is another incarnation of Issue 355, which in my opinion is a clear 
> bug.
>
> However, I'm not equally certain that the bar numbering always is done 
> the way Paul proposes
> and would have to look through my collection of scores to see what is 
> the most common typesetting
> practice.
> Does anybody have authoritative information on how the bar numbering 
> should be done with alternative
> endings?
>
>    /Mats

Well, it's certainly not authoritative, but since I admire the engraving 
practice in the Bärenreiter Urtext editions...
In several piano reductions, they use running measure numbers along the 
repeats, and depict both numbers, repeats in parentheses, like this:


                  (18)
         --------|:-------|--------|--------|--------|

6 (22)
--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|

12 (28)                                     {1.      }
--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|-------:|

33
{2.     }
--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|

39
--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|


I think it's particularly useful to denote the measure number of the 
first repeated measure, even if it's in the middle of a line.
Note that the volta bars are counted, too.

This way, each point in time is uniquely identified, which should please 
both the programmer's and the conductor's view.

Of course, things get ugly if there is a part repeated more than once; I 
haven't spotted such a thing in my Bach scores from Bärenreiter. By the 
way, if the whole piece gets repeated, they don't print bar numbers for 
each stanza.
Also, one could argue to use the same numbering scheme for D.C., D.S. or 
Coda constructions - at least for D.C. and D.S. without jumps in the 
end, they don't do that. I don't have an example with a Coda.

On the other hand, more complicated constructions with >= 3 repeats 
typically appear in more modern popular music, where AFAIK everybody 
tends to use the stanza numbers in the rehearsals.


Just my two pence...
Alexander