Re: explicit duration within \lyricsto

[Aaron Hill]

(Re-adding mailing list for visibility...)

On 2020-11-10 12:35 am, Christ van Willegen wrote:
> Hi Aaron,
>
> Op ma 9 nov. 2020 23:39 schreef Aaron Hill:
>
> Above I show using a NullVoice so the notes do not appear though you 
> can
> > still attach lyrics to them for timing.
> >
> > NOTE: As documented in the Notation Reference, changing 
> > associatedVoice
> > must occur one syllable early to have the desired effect.
>
> Still, it would be very nice (TM) to be able to write "a lyric with
> embedded4 lyrics8 lengths" within them.
>
> Perhaps a feature request?

Technically, every lyric event has a duration whether or not you specify 
one.  If unspecified, the default duration is used similar to how you 
can specify a note event with just a pitch alone.  Something like the 
Lyric_combine_music_iterator would be unable to know when a duration is 
meant to be obeyed or not, as lyrics events with or without an explicit 
duration are indistinguishable.

Perhaps a property could be introduced that temporarily disables 
automatic alignment, similar to how melismata can be ignored:

%%%%
\lyricsto melody {
  some words that fol -- low the mel -- o -- dy
  \set ignoreVoice = ##t
  these4 syl8 -- la8 -- bles4 do not2
  \unset ignoreVoice
  back to a -- lign -- ing with the voice
}
%%%%

I don't have a build environment setup, so I cannot easily tinker with 
the C++.  But I wonder if this would work:

//// lyric-combine-music-iterator.cc
  lyrics_found_ = true;
  if (to_boolean (lyrics_context_->get_property ("ignoreVoice"))) {
    Moment m = lyric_iter_->pending_moment ();
    lyric_iter_->process (m);
    return;
  }
  if (!music_context_)
    return;
////

But I do not understand the iterator system well enough, so that could 
be utter gibberish.


-- Aaron Hill