Alternate Set of Lyrics for Same Orchestration

I will be writing an alternate set of lyrics for the choir part to a large orchestral work. Ultimately, it will result in 2 different editions of the score. Let’s call them Edition A and Edition B for now. However, I’d prefer to update the notes for the orchestra (which will be the same for both versions of the lyrics) in one place.

I don’t think using another voice will work for me because performers of Edition A should not see any of the lyrics in Edition B in their score. Also, the rhythms will likely be different due to the differences in the text.

Is there a best practice for approaching this? Should I just add a 2nd choir as a group in Setup and have 2 separate conductor’s score layouts that either show 1 choir or the other? Or is there another clever solution I’m missing?

For those who want more details, the Edition B lyrics will be in a different language, but it is not a translation of Edition A, so it won’t make sense to add it as a translation line underneath the original lyrics.

Thanks for any ideas.

Yes, I think that’s absolutely the best solution.

2 Likes