Constantly changing numbers of staves throughout the piece
I've checked other posts on this topic, but they don't quite do what I need. Here's the problem:
I'm writing a piece for 8-part unaccompanied choir. Sometimes the choir sings in conventional SATB format, sometimes on three staves (SA/T/B), sometimes TTBB on two staves, sometimes TTBB on four staves, sometimes six staves (SAATBB or SSATBB) and sometimes the full eight.
Is there a way of adjusting the numbers and titles of the staves mid-piece? I know about the hidden staves thing, but that doesn't allow for the TTBB on two staves or four, nor for the S and the A singing the same line sometimes.
An analogy would be an orchestral score, in which the clarinets (say), although usually on the same staves, might have parts independent enough to require separate staves at certain points.
Thanks
Comments
As far as I can tell without seeing a specific example, hiding the empty staves should work fine. If you sometimes want TTBB on two staves (TT for one, BB for the other, I guess) and sometimes on four (T, T, B, and B), then have six staves in your score: TT, BB, T, T, B, and B. Use the first two when you want to see just two, use the last four when you want to see that. Turn on hide empty staves and you have exactly what you want, if I understand correctly.
If you still having trouble getting that to work, feel free to attach your example so we can advise further.
In reply to As far as I can tell without by Marc Sabatella
Oh, I see. Thanks very much - I hadn't thought of that option. So, given that the permutations I need are (with slashes separating staves) S/A/T/B, SA/T/B, TT/BB, T/T/B/B, S/A/A/T/B/B and S/S/A/A/T/T/B/B, I simply write whatever I need on the appropriate staves of a 27-stave score, hiding the empty staves when I'm done and labeling each stave appropriately? OK, I'll give that a go.
In reply to Oh, I see. Thanks very much - by akersten@dmu.ac.uk
Not 27 - just 11. You need a total of two S staves, a total of two A, two T, and two B, plus one each SA, TT, and BB. If you could live with the TT staff just being labelled T and the BB being labelled B, you only need 9. Which is to say, only 1-3 more than the most you will use at one time.
I'm sorry, I can't give an answer, but I would like to make an appeal. I've sung Rutter's Gloria, in which this is done in spades (Oxford saving paper), and the result is horrendous. One line there's four staves (S-A-T-B), and I'm singing upper bass, so the upper note on the bottom staff; next line only two staves (SA-TB), so I'm singing the bottom note (page 13); then TB together on a bass clef; next line there's a treble clef and a bass clef, but it's Altos and Tenors (page 16). The score is unusable in practice until you have been through with a black pencil and marked the part to sing. At least don't change more than every other page or so, please!
In reply to I'm sorry, I can't give an by Imaginatorium
I know - as a choral conductor, that drives me as batty as it does the members of my choir. In the case of the Rutter (which we've done twice), as you point out, I think we've all fallen foul of the publisher's desire to save paper and thus money, that being the overriding consideration for them. I feel especially sorry for the tenors, who have to cope with the bass and treble clefs. In my case, the piece will probably be unperformable anyway, so practical considerations won't arise - I'm doing it more for my own pleasure - but the point is taken. Given the arrangement of staves on any particular page, I'll try to strike the right balance between leaving screeds of empty staves visible and an unconscionable amount of jumping around. Don't hold your breath, though!
;-)