Editorial Guidelines–clarifications
Freedman Responses to Chater questions.
May 28 2010
General
1. I have replaced the titles with the incipits as found in the contents table. However, this brings the problem that the spelling is often at variance with the spelling found in the music. In these cases I have followed the music and noted the discrepancies below.
RF: This is tricky, since we said that we would follow the table of contents in the naming of the pieces. What is the policy for the Basse de données on the CESR web site? And in our table of contents pages for the Du Chemin system?
2. Richard has stated a preference for 2nd time text to be placed on the lower line. I’ve no objection, but it’s a lot of work, as I have done them all on the first line! What do other editions do? The trouble is, the format has to be “settled” before you do this; otherwise, each time the system division changes location, you are going to have to reformat.
I will keep them as they are for the moment and leave it to you and Vincent to decide. The only problem is that when you go on to the next system the line has to revert the upper line. This is tricky as the system change keeps changing accord as the format changes. So for the moment I have left it as it is and Vincent can change it after the final format has been established. But maybe this should be reconsidered? See my further remarks below, at II,21.
RF: This is a very small detail of layout, although I agree that it would be best for things to be consistent. I would suggest that _just_ the last syllable of the second line be moved lower, so that the singer will see it in relation to the second verse. The _remainder_ of the text in that voice part (that is, after the second ending) can revert back to the normal position for single verses. This is in any case what Du Chemin’s typesetters do.
3. It is often difficult to decide if 2 syllables separated by a gap make up one or two words. The typesetter does not use hyphens but leaves a gap between 2 syllables belonging to the same word.
Individual cases discussed below. My knowledge of old French is not sufficient for me to be completely sure. Maybe consult a dictionary of sixteenth-century French if one can be found?
RF: I think the editor will need to use some judgment here, just as Du Chemin’s singers needed to. What does the Fiala project do in such cases? I agree that reference to a dictionary of old French might help. What is our shared resource for Fiala and Freedman? The big dictionary I know is Huguet, Dictionnaire de la langue française du seizieme siecle (Champion, 1933ff). But perhaps there is something newer, like the Chicago Artfl Project, and its Dictionnaire d’autrefois.
Tags: Edit Guidelines--Texts