I think I’ve come up with a pro tempore solution for ‘condensing’ parts: i.e. showing two parts in the score as one unison line for a bit.
I have a score with about 60 Flows, some of which are scored with 2 Violins, and some of which are scored with “Tutti Violins” on one line. I want the parts for both Violins to reflect that: i.e. Violin N part shows Vln N line in the divided Flows and the Tutti staff in the unison Flows.
I have created a third Violin Player, “Tutti Violins”. Each Part then contains Violin N and Tutti Violins. As a Flow contains only one Player at a time, there would be no double-staves. The score correctly labels Tutti Violins in the unison flows, and Violin N in the divided flows.
Again, this might be filed under: Obvious once you’ve though about it.
Divisi would require giving first and second violins one combined part. Here two separate violin parts are needed, that occasionally play in unison.
I’ve used a similar trick for displaying a singer’s recitatives (but not the arias) in the continuo part of a cantata. For each vocal soloist, I defined two players, one for the recit flows only, another for the rest.
Divisi would show both staves in the same part, wouldn’t it? (They also share a MIDI channel.) This technique allows me to do things like having Oboes and Violins in combined staves for some Flows and separate staves for others in the Score, and still make the parts work.
Yes, I have one ‘recit’ Player, too, so that the Basso part can have the vocal line in recits, but not in arias.
