I’m preparing a score and set of parts for the upcoming world premiere of my piano concerto and I’ve run into a slight issue. I have read the topics about clefs and transposing, but nothing about different placement of the clef change in score vs. part.
I’m forced to put a clef change in both Horn 1 and 2 in order for the score to show the condensed horns in the bass clef (the A2 in Horn 2 is really not legible in treble clef). But that introduces an unnecessary clef change in the Horn 1 part—out of the context of the score, a change to bass clef for an A3 makes absolutely no sense. But if I eliminate the bass clef in Horn 1, the score shows both horns in treble clef, making that illegible.
The change back to treble clef presents its own issues. Particularly the placing of the change back in the score vs. in the parts.
In the score, placing the clef change in the next available page break makes the most sense so that we don’t end up with pages of blank horn staves in bass clef (which when reading through quickly in a score confuses the reader because of how unexpected that is). This options introduces a clef change in the parts that not only makes no sense because it is in the middle of bars of rest, but also it breaks up the multi-bar rests. The worst part is that the next entry does not have a clef next to it and therefore can create problems.
In the parts, placing the clef closest to the next horn entries makes the most sense, but this translates (as I said before) into pages of empty horn staff in bass clef in the score.
I wonder if any of you has any ideas for a workaround or solution to this issue. So far, all the posts I’ve read have not produced any. Thanks!
Hi Rodrigo,
Assuming your score is in Concert pitch and the horn parts are transposed (and assuming i have undestood what you are asking), just select the F clef in the horn 1 part and in the properties panel activate the “show for transposition” property (concert pitch should then be activated). Make the same with the now redudndant g clef in bar 32.
-add another player holding a horn
-edit the names of this instrument so it does not mess the numbering (and condensing) of the others
-insert a cue -from the beginning to the end of flow- of your horn 1 in the empty instrument
-Select the cue and in the properties panel activate the transposed clef property and set it to “None”, just activate the start text property so that a signpost is shown but no text of the cue.
-In engrave mode (in the lay out of the “empty” Horn), select the first note of the cue and use select more to select everything, change the scale in the properties panel to normal.
-Where needed, you can remove the rest of the empty voice with the (obvious) “remove rest” command or activating the ends voice property.
-(In the score layout) Insert a system/frame brake at the beginning of the flow and use the Manual staff visibility option to hide the empty player
You may need to override the layouy/instrument name (whatever you are using) in the new layout.
Of course another workaround would be just to add a new player copy the music for the part layout and hide it in the score, but by using a cue you can make changes just in the source and not in two different places.
Thanks for that very thorough reply, @rafaelv. I hadn’t thought of using a cue in order to automatically mirror any changes. That could be useful. Best wishes!
