Ubuntu Manpage: autosp - preprocessor to generate note-spacing commands for MusiXTeX scores

Provided by: texlive-binaries_2017.20170613.44572-8ubuntu0.2_amd64

NAME

       autosp - preprocessor to generate note-spacing commands for MusiXTeX scores

SYNOPSIS

       autosp [-v | --version | -h | --help]

       autosp [-d | --dotted] [-l | --log] infile[ .aspc | .tex ] [outfile[.tex]]

       This  program  makes  it  easier  to  create  MusiXTeX scores by converting (non-standard)
       commands of the form \anotes ... \en into one or more conventional  note-spacing  commands
       (\notes  \Notes  \NOtes  ...),  determined  by  the  actual  note values, with \sk spacing
       commands inserted as necessary.  The coding for an entire measure can be entered one  part
       at  a  time,  without  concern  for  note-spacing  changes  within  the  part  or  spacing
       requirements of other parts.

       For example, if applied to

           \anotes\qa J\qa K&\ca l\qa m\ca n\en

       autosp generates

           \Notes\qa J\sk\qa K\sk&\ca l\qa m\sk\ca n\en

       Typically, an \anotes command is expanded into several conventional note-spacing commands.

       If the infile argument has .tex extension, autosp will process  conventional  note-spacing
       commands  (but  not \vnotes or \znotes) similarly.  This is intended to correct spacing in
       an extracted single-instrument part, but may not produce satisfactory output when  applied
       to a conventional multi-instrument MusiXTeX score.

       If  the  infile  argument  has  neither  .aspc  nor  .tex  extension,  input is taken from
       infile.aspc if that file exists, or from infile.tex otherwise.

       For \anotes commands (and, for a .tex file, all conventional note-spacing commands),  line
       breaks and spaces may precede note segments, allowing more flexible source formatting; the
       line breaks and spaces will be elided from the output.

       For example,

         \anotes
           \ibl0K0\qb0K\nbbl0\qb0{.K}\tbbbl0\tbbl0\tql0L&
           \ibbl1m{-2}\qb1{.m}\tbbbl1\tbbl1\qb1l\tql1k\en

       is acceptable and generates

         \notesp\ibl0K0\qb0K&\ibbl1m{-2}\qb1{.m}\en
         \nnotes\sk&\tbbbl1\tbbl1\qb1l\en
         \notesp\nbbl0\qb0{.K}&\tql1k\en
         \nnotes\tbbbl0\tbbl0\tql0L&\sk\en

       If no outfile argument is provided, output goes to  infile.tex  if  the  infile  name  has
       extension .aspc, or to standard output otherwise.

       If the -l ( --log ) option is used, a log infile.alog is generated.

       If  the  -d  ( --dotted ) option is used, dotted beam notes of the form \qb{n}{.p} are not
       given extra space; it is assumed that the subsequent note will be shifted by a  \roff-like
       command  or  a  spacing  command  such  as  \qsk  or \hqsk.  Commands of the form \qlp{p},
       \qlpp{p}, ..., \qpb{n}{p} and \qppb{n}{p} are always spaced as indicated.

       If there is a single staff, consecutive whole-bar rest bars are merged  into  a  multi-bar
       rest.  Bar-centered rests can be coded using the standard \def\atnextbar notation but also
       the non-standard command \Cpause in a note segment generates a bar-centered rest.

       Spacing commands \sk and \hsk in the source are discarded, but not \qsk, \hqsk  or  \qqsk;
       moreover  non-standard  commands  \Qsk, \HQsk and \QQsk generate "global" skips; i.e., the
       effect of \qsk, \hqsk or \qqsk in every staff.

       A note segment can be completely empty, but if a note segment should start with or contain
       a  "space,"  the note-value of that space must be made explicit with a command of the form
       \ha{*}, \qa{.*}, \qa{*}, \ca{*}, etc.

       All other conventional MusiXTeX commands are output exactly as given in the input.

OPERATION

       autosp determines the spacing for ordinary notes from the note  commands  themselves;  for
       example,

       +  \qa, \qu, \ql, \qp result in \NOtes;

       +  \ca, \cu, \cl, \ds result in \Notes;

       and so on.

       The  spacing  for  beamed  notes  is  determined  by the beam multiplicity, so that \ib...
       results in \Notes, \ibb... results in \notes, etc.

       Collective coding of note  sequences  (including  accidentals  and  dots)  is  handled  by
       expanding the sequence into a sequence of individual note commands.

LIMITATIONS

autosp assumes that & and | (rather than \nextinstrument and \nextstaff) are used to
separate instruments and staffs.

Appoggiaturas and grace notes are recognized by the use of \tinynotesize; note-spacing of
1.45\elemskip is used. If this isn't suitable and can't be corrected with a small skip, a
\vnotes command with any desired spacing can be used.

autosp supports x-tuplets introduced using \xtuplet{x} and triplets introduced using any
of the following commands (regardless of any re-definition of \txt or \tuplettxt):

\triolet
\uptrio
\downtrio
\uptuplet
\downtuplet

However, MusiXTeX notation does not specify the intended duration of an x-tuplet. autosp
assumes that an x-tuplet is to be played in (x-1)/x of the apparent x-tuplet duration.
So, for example, a triplet in eighths is assumed to be played in the time of one quarter
note. If this assumption isn't valid, the x-tuplet must be coded explicitly using a
\vnotes command; see the first measure of barsant2.aspc for an example of a non-standard
x-tuplet: a 5-tuple of 64th notes with an intended duration of six 64ths. autosp cannot
deal with simultaneous x-tuplets in multiple staffs unless the x values and note durations
are identical. Global skips (\QQsk, \HQsk and \Qsk) are ineffective if a staff has an x-
tuplet; however, "local" skips (\qqsk, \hqsk, \qsk) are effective.

User-defined macros are not processed or expanded.

All staffs are assumed to have the same meter; see kinder2.aspc for an example of how to
work around this.

autosp may not be effective for music with more than one voice in a single staff. It might
be advisable to use a separate staff for each voice, to avoid \anotes when necessary, or
to omit certain voices initially and add them into the resulting TeX file.

EXAMPLES

       See files quod2.aspc, kinder2.aspc, geminiani.aspc and barsant2.aspc for  scores  suitable
       for input to autosp.

AUTHOR