Re: Should \partial accept music instead of duration?

[Lukas-Fabian Moser]

> But as you say "most applications".  Partial or incomplete measures 
> are not always anacruses.  Hymns nearly always cut the final measure 
> short so it logically joins with the partial measure at the start of 
> the tune.  You might also find incomplete measures in volta sections 
> when the starting repeat mark is mid-measure.

Yes, of course you're right, but as far as I can see, I do not need to 
use \partial for these applications:

\relative {
  \repeat volta 2 {
    \partial 4
    c'4
    e e f f
    g4 e8 f g4
  }
  a8 f
  g4 f8 e d4 e
  c2. \bar "|."
}

> To me, upbeat (opposite the term downbeat) describes 
> articulation/emphasis more than it does timing.  \anacrusis or \pickup 
> are better options though still too strongly linked to the beginning 
> of a piece.

That's a point where my English music terminology skills a lacking: In 
German, we say "Auftakt" which most often happens at the beginning of a 
piece (a partial measure etc.), but may also refer to actual music in 
mid-piece: In

\relative {
  \partial 8
  g8
  c4 c c r8 d
  e4 e e
}

the piece starts with an "Auftakt", but there's also a (musical) 
"Auftakt" to bar 2. (Common in orchestra rehearsals: "Let's start in bar 
X 'mit Auftakt'".)

I do not know what the precise meanings of the English terms 
upbeat/pickup/anacrusis actually are.

Lukas