We don't think about it much in a day-to-day basis, but when it comes time to make arrangements for our students, suddenly we need particulars about music notation.

One option is to find a piece of music that has a lot of different things in it and use it for a model: clef changes, key changes, octave displacements, first and second endings, da capos and dal segnos, and so on.

Another option is to consult a music notation book. One I used a lot:
THE ART OF MUSIC COPYING by Clinton Roemer (Roerick Music Company, 4046 Davana Road, Sherman Oaks, CA 91423; 818-783-2406). An excellent book, prepared for the would-be professional copyist, but a fine reference for the rest of us. Much detail. This book got me through my dissertation.

There is another book (a fat, hardbound book) on notation, but I can't remember the author or title. If anyone knows this, please e-mail me so I can update this file! (I think it's THE ART OF MUSIC ENGRAVING AND PROCESSING by Ted Ross.) Thanks!

copyright 1999, Martha Beth Lewis, Ph.D.
Contact me for reprint permission.