Re: slurs and bars in vocal music

[Kieren MacMillan]

Hi,

> Sorry, no chance - "this is common practice since Bach,
> and I as a seasoned choir leader" yadda yadda...

Wow... a closed-minded, backwards-thinking choral director. There's a  
first time for everything, I guess!  ;)

> He's very much convinced that his "standard" is much easier to read

All evidence — written and anectodal — that I have encountered, as  
well as my own experience (as composer, conductor, singer, and  
performer), strongly disputes that old wives' tale.

For the record, does he also want you to use the old Novello  
"backwards eighth-note rest" for quarter rests?
I mean, that was also the "common practice since Bach" — but people  
[wisely] decided that a *real* quarter rest is less confusing to read.

> in my choir and folk singer experience it isn't, but anyway...

Yes, the choir director wouldn't actually want to ask the *singer*  
what's easier, right?  ;)
Most of the time, I find these "resistant to change" ideologies are  
personally-held and not based in reality or other's opinions/ 
experiences.

> so there's no general setup?

Not that I know of... but someone could write up a Scheme hack, no  
doubt.

> If I switched off slurs using
> \override Slur #'stencil = ##f
> how do I enable it again without warnings?

\revert Slur #'stencil

??

Hope this helps!
Kieren.