L. Dobszay and J. Bali
User‘s Guide to GUIDO, the music font for plainchant
NB. For reading the examples below first install the Guido font as described in chapter II.
NB. Slight differences in keyboard arrangement can make trouble in writing the additional signs. Please, use the Alt+... codes as indicated in the TABLE enclosed and define them as new shortcut keys. While combining the font with different softwares the linking of some elements might be incorrect in a given siye, which, however disappear in print.

I.  Historical, musical and technical principles
1.
Ever since the time of the Gregorian renewal in the 19th century experts have been looking for the best way to bridge the gap between medieval music notation and modern music writing based on quite other premises. At first it seemed as if transcription of Gregorian melodies was needed only for church choirs (not specializing exclusively in Chant), singers and congregation. When, however, the interest in Gregorian music also started to grow from the ”secular” side, readers of music histories, anthologies, and after a while even scholars felt the need of the help of transcriptions.
In the late 19th and early 20th century printers chose one of two possibilities: either they reproduced square (quadratic) notation, regarded as more or less official by the 16th century; or they transcribed the notes in modern five-line staff notation, using quarter- and eighth-notes, with  beams or ties to indicate the grouping of notes originally joined in a neuma. Of course, printing in square notation did not necessarily involve transcription, except when it was used for a melody from a tradition originally notated in a different system, based on quite other principles (e.g. in German, Bohemian sources). People blessed with a feeling for historical links and notational propriety had an aversion to seeing a melody now presented to them neither respecting its original appearance nor in a ”modern”, and therefore neutral notation. In such a case the edition reverted to an antique notation, which was, however, alien to the original notational context of the chant. Yet still more severe headaches were caused by the fact that square notation is far removed from the daily experience of the average reader of music in our day. It is not so much the four lines and the C or F clefs which are the biggest problems. The pes with its vertically aligned notes is more alien than these to our modern habits of music reading; the musician of today guesses that some kind of glissando is implied by the form of the porrectus, and thinks that when the rhombic notes are mixed up among the quadratic forms some kind of rhythmic difference must be intended.
In the case of music transcribed into modern quarter- and eighth-notes it was at least clear that old forms were not being reproduced but that a transcription was being offered. But exactly this apparent advantage becomes dangerous when the reader is deluded into thinking that, or at least wondering if, the notational forms imply modern rhythmic values.
There are admittedly cases where a version of an old notation has been recreated, stylized and made suitable for printing, still respecting the original forms. Thus printed transcriptions have been produced which imitate Bohemian, German, or Beneventan forms; similarly, in the Graduale Triplex early neumes have been appended by modern hands above and below the quadratic notes of the Graduale Romanum. These kinds of experiment undoubtedly have the advantage of going back to the original system, and they also eliminate the occasional errors of the old codices, making clear what has become blurred or worn, almost unreadable or uncertain in some way. The combination of a clean modern edition with an imitation of the original notation can indeed be very useful in many cases, especially if one wants to demonstrate the subtle nuances of the original notation to a modern reader inexperienced in decoding facsimiles. On the other hand, the distance between the notation and the attitude of the modern reader is perhaps greater than it was in the case of square notation.
2.
What is, in fact,  the basic problem of Gregorian transcription? It is neither the number of lines nor the clefs; both have changed during the past and can be changed again without any essential harm. As we know, the majority of early neumatic writings aimed to represent not the series of individual notes (not least because they were unable to express the exact heights of notes), but the connection of melodic figures to syllables of text. The notation displays these figures; each sign is a unit that expresses the whole melodic figure, comprising as many as three or four notes. This method is not the consequence of some technical incapacity, but illuminates the very essence of the music. In other words  –  clarifying the situation for today's musical practice as well  –   the Gregorian melody will be sung well when the singer understands and performs as a unit the figure connected to one syllable; or, in case of longer melodic section on one syllable, when he or she comprehends the melisma as a series not of notes but of figures (groups of notes). A modern transcription is good when it is capable of inspiring such a perception in the reader. Quadratic notation (but not only quadratic notation) is good for that, provided that our singer is not so untalented as to read the melody mechanically note by note. It is an odd situation: the very quality of square notation, which by its objective immanent nature urges the singer towards a ”neumatic reading”, erects obstacles because of subjective difficulties. Because of his lack of skill (or better speaking, because of he has advanced skills in other directions) the singer has to dissect the neumes to individual notes.
When the neumes were placed on staves some ”grips” for the note had to be formed, in order to hang them on the lines. In neumatic notation without lines it was not necessary to indicate exactly any one part of the sign which could be said to encapsulate the note implied by the visual stroke. This became essential, however, when the melodies were written on staves. Therefore individual noteheads had to be worked into the shape of the neume, in way, however, which did suppress the cohesion of the neume. Different kinds of notation solved this problem in different ways. Roughly speaking two main groups can be found: the first emphasized the noteheads and marked the cohesion by connecting lines (such notations include square notation and Czech music writing). Others preserved more of the handwritten, cursive forms of neumes, setting off single notes by breaks, or with some added element. But basically kinds of notation delineated the music in melodic figures; and it is only this characteristic which can stimulate good performances, preserving this essential feature of Gregorian chant.
I therefore regard as rather unfortunate the type of transcription which has become widespread in recent decades and is now almost universal. The melodies are put on paper as a sequence of individual notes (squares in earlier times, stemless black noteheads today) and the cohesion of the neumes is represented by slurs (or in some cases by drawing the notes of a neume nearer to each other). The spread of this method is probably furthered by two things. One of them is of a musical nature. If the notator himself does not basically hear the melody as a series of melodic figures, he or she will not strive to express this structure. If the tune is perceived simply as a long row of notes, the transcription will reflect that perception, and inspire such a perception in the singer as well. The other thing is that the engraving of music has been largely replaced by writing in computer; this primitive notation can be produced more easily and cheaply, without the cooperation of an expert in music printing. Many scholars, in fact, typewrite their chains of notes themselves into their books and papers.
3.
Does it have to be so? Can there not be found another solution, a notation easy to write and read, but at the same time nearer to the spirit of this music? The question has both a conceptual and a technical dimension.
Let us return for a moment to the difficulties inherent in the historical notations. Modern music writing represents pitches by locating them on vertical coordinates, and shows progress in time by going forward on a horizontal coordinate. When we see two or more notes placed on the same horizontal coordinate, this means a symphony of intervals or chords. Medieval notations, by contrast  –  as a consequence of their writing note-groups in one sign  –  may represent progression in time on the vertical coordinate. Simply speaking, it might be that some notes written above each other, should be sing after each other, ascending from below, or in other systems descending from the top. The relationship between progression in time and modulating up or down can be represented by the following scheme:  
On the other hand, in the Middle Ages the following schemes were also in use, according to the type of notation:              or:
Another difference, related to the one above, is that in medieval notation, as a consequence of the principle ”one sign = one note-complex”, the visual shape of the sign brought out the cohesion of the figure. The melodic motion was represented not only by noteheads but also by strokes, stems, straight, curved, and slanting lines, all tending towards a cohesive figure. The beam of modern eighth notes is no more than a command to link the individual notes to each other. It organizes the group according to its metrical units. In the transcriptions with only stemless heads there is no visual element (except the distance between the points) to unify the groups, i.e. to give a well-contoured and individual visual appearance to the different figures known by such terms as pes, clivis, torculus, etc. 
There is, however, one single medieval system of notation, which interprets the horizontal and vertical axes in the same sense as modern music writing (progress in time – representation of pich), but still preserves the organic linking of note groups and individualizes the single figures by visual means. Messine notation aims for this system in principle, then after the change to the techniques of Gothic writing formed noteheads within the signs. So it created a code system which is easy for present-day readers to follow, also including cursive elements to keep the groups and figures together. The Messine-Gothic notation can be adapted rather easily to modern needs; the system is based on very clear principles, in such a way that the Gregorian character of the notation does not disappear either. Only the clivis requires a tiny modification for the sake of uniformity of the system.
Starting from an analysis of Messine-Gothic notation, chant scholars at Budapest (first of all Janka Szendrei, our leading expert in chant paleography) elaborated and tested a modern adaptation of the system. In what follows this ”Budapest” transcription method will be introduced.
4.
What should this modernized Messine-Gothic notation look like as an ideal way of transcription? The main points are as follow:
4.1. Single notes are placed according to progress in time on the horizontal axis, and according to pitch on the vertical axis.
4.2. Single notes can be represented by any shape, by squares or, if one prefers, by modern rounded heads.
4.3. Notes belonging to one neume should be written as near to each other as legibility permits.
4.4. At the apex of the note-complex, and thus supporting it visually, there is a stem going down on the left side of the highest note of the neume. Such a stem is therefore given to the second note of the pes, the first note of the clivis, the middle note of the torculus, the first and third notes of the porrectus, the third note of the scandicus, and the first note of the climacus. The highest note is always seen in relation to its environment. In a longer neume where the direction changes, the stem is repeated every time a relatively higher note is reached. A previous, relatively lower note is always attached to the left side of the stem. The highest note itself is on the right side of the top of the stem.
4.5. In the clivis and other descending figures the groups can be linked by a thin vertical (or slightly slanted) stroke connecting the lower notes to the higher one. This ”connecting stroke” leads from the right side of the higher note the the left side of the lower one. The connecting stroke can be omitted in steps of a second, but should be adopted when the melody moves through a third or larger interval.
4.6. The internal articulation of longer melismas can be expressed by one of two means. The longer groups may be marked in several parts by stems (e.g. in case of four ascending notes a stroke may be added to the second and fourth note; or the third and fourth note, showing a different articulation following the original score). In other cases a little space can be left between the shorter sections (approximately in the size of one notehead), according to the neumatic articulation.
4.7. The transcription can be made more differentiated at will, according to the original or the intended aim of transcription. Some notes can be duplicated. When a descending motion starts from a double notehead, the stem can be added to the second note.
4.8. The set of signs is completed with the comma sign, for which there are two uses. On the one hand, the small caesuras of the phrases can be represented; on the other hand this ”plica” can be attached to a note, for separating it slightly within the group, as was done in the Middle Ages. (E.g. a frequent articulation of an ascending scale of five notes is the 1+3+1; the first note gets a plica, the fourth a stem, the fifth again a plica or a stem.
4.9. Other forms can be integrated in the set of signs, e. g. the reduced sized noteheads to mark liquescence. We may add this meaning also to the note with plica. 
4.10. Just as there is freedom in defining the form of the notehead (rhomb, square, round), so also the number of staff lines and the clefs are neutral with regard to the essence of the notation.

The most important rules of the modernized Messine-Gothic writing are those in points 4 and 5 above. These procedures can be adapted per analogiam in each situation. Consequently, this script is uniform and simple, but can be made more differentiated and nuanced according to the nature of the original or the function of the transcription.
5.
Stemless noteheads are an attractive alternative because of their easy adaptation to the computer. Fortunately, our colleague János Bali recently created an extraordinarily simple computerized system, without any need of a special program or time for learning. It can be installed onto any computer, and can be learned in ten minutes. After a very short period of practice (one or two hours) one can produce music at a good speed. Depending on the function of the writing (and the disposition of the writer) it can be put on paper either in a simple form (similarly to the old cursive notation) or in a more elaborate, aesthetically satisfying form.

The ”Guido” computerized Gregorian notation is simply a font-set to be installed on your computer. It works not as a program, but just like a letter-font. For the following see also the Table (of signs) file enclosed.

You will need to install the GUIDO and the TABLE files on your computer. Then install the GUIDO font to the ”fonts” section of the control panel. For installation see the third chapter of this instruction (”User Guide to GUIDO”). 
6.
6.1. The writing is not put on a ready-made staff; the notes themselves bring with them the necessary section of staff.
6.2. The prolongation of the staff (empty space) is by the hyphen-key. (NB. Space between notes is not produced by the ”Space”- key in the music, only in the text-lines). 
Etudes: After installing the font, open a new file, select font ”GUIDO” (suggested size: 20 point for music, 10 point for text; or: 24 / 12). Use the hyphen-key to produce a long, empty staff.
6.3. The basic unit is the punctum placed on the number-keys of keyboard. Easy to remember: When using violin- or G-clef, even numbers produce notes on a line, odd numbers produce notes in a space. 
Etudes: write a scale first going through all the numbers; then the same alternating with one or more spaces between the notes. (NB. The space between the notes is produced not by the space-key but by the hyphen-key.)
6.4. On the keyboard, all addition or modification of a given note are found below the same, in some cases through using the ctrl, alt, or shift keys.
		The numbers combined with shift = plica.
		The row of keys below the number-keys = note with stem (“virga“).
		The row below the number-keys combined with shift = thin connecting stroke going a second down started from the given note
		The next row below = strokes connecting thirds
		The same combined with shift = strokes connecting fifths.
Etudes: Write note B and then repeat it combined with shift to add a plica to it. Write all keys on the row beginning with ”q” (scale with stemmed notes); do the same alternating with spaces (= empty staff-sections). Write first an A punctum; then an A-B and A-c’ pes (stem on the second note = the key “5“ and “u“, just below c’ number-keys “7“). Write A-G, A-F, A-E clivis neumes with connecting lines. Write a porrectus (first and third note with stems). 
6.5. The location of  further signs (clefs, sharp and flat, phrase-signs) can be seen in the TABLE file.
6.6. The text can be entered by opening a new line below the music and changing to the desired letter font and size. The lines of music and text are entered independently of each other (the syllables do not attach to the notes!); they can be coordinated according to will. (It is practical to define one line for music and another for text, in the favoured format, and store them as a format style.)
6.7. The size of music and text can be changed according to experience and intention.
  
An example:
	     1    2     3     4     5    6      7      8      9          10        11         12       13       14        15       
m/4//4t//tT4//t4//tg3//tG2//5yY5//4uU6//7uU6Y5T4//7&/yY5T4//4$56u8*//456u//4t6u//4t6uU6//4t/6u6/.
Figure:														Combination of keys:
1 punctum													4
2 pes														4 t		
3 clivis (second; with connecting stroke)					t T 4
4 clivis (without connecting stroke)						t 4
5 clivis (third)												5 g 3
6 clivis (fourth)												5 G 3
7 torculus													5 z Z 5
8 torculus													4 u U 6
9 scale with double start									7 u U 6 Y 5
10 the same, separated by plica							7 = - z Y 5 T 4
11 ascending scale (1+3+1 articulation)					4 shift+4 5 6 u 8 shift+8
12 ascending scale (without articulation)					4 5 6 u
13 the same articulated into two pes						4 t 6 u
14 pes+torculus (articulated by space)						4 t 6 u U 6
15 the same with space, without connecting stroke		4 t - 6 u 6

II. Technical informations to GUIDO
  
GUIDO is a TrueType font. With it Gregorian tunes can be written on any user’s environment (Win 3.1, Win 95, Win 98, NT, etc.) and in any word-processing program (Word, Write, Notepad, Wordperfect, etc.), or text-block of any other program able to handle text (Access, Excel, Coreldraw, Finale, etc.). 
The font is distributed free. The working principle is an adaptation of 16th-century score-printing (Attaignant) to the modern electronic environment (© Bali János); the individual noteheads and other elements of notation carry a small part of the staff, according to their width. 
The font has been made in two versions, one for the Hungarian and the other for English keyboards. The coding is different in the two versions (the place of y and z, etc.) and so they are not interchangable. The music written with one set may contain some failures when displayed through the other one. The font ”Guido 3” is an earlier version, used by some documents accessible on the web. Anyone wishing to read such documents has to install Guido 3; but it does not support the new transcriptions described here.
1. Installation
The Guido font is installed like any other letter font: Control Panel — Fonts — Installation of new font. (Guidohu_.ttf to the Hungarian, and Guidoen_.ttf for the English keyboards.) It is recommended to download the font onto the computer instead of installing it directly from the web. In case of Win 3.1 the installed font is accessible only after restart. In later versions of Window it is sufficient to restart the Word program.
The keyboard layout can be found in the TABLE file. Not all text processors are able to open these files, but in fact to use Guido you do not need to open them. Simply ask a Word-user to print it out.
2. The main elements of the font set 
  – punctum: oval, black notehead. The width is so calculated that in scale passages or note repetitions the noteheads will touch each other;
– virga: the same notehead with stem down from its left;
– minor-size punctum
– quilisma: vertically sliced oval notehead;
– tenor- (tuba-) note: notehead enframed with small vertical strokes; 
– additional sign to write liquescence: typed after a punctum or virga it adds a little tail to the note;
– connecting lines for writing in ligature the intervals of a second, third, fourth, and fifth; the line should be inserted between the two notes to be linked, according to the height of the higher one;
– prolongation dot;
– clefs;
– signs of alteration;
– empty staff in three lengths;
– justifier: a longer empty staff-section streching toward left; for its use see below;
– sign for phrasing;
– episema: typed after a punctum or virga, it adds a short horizontal stroke above the note;
– brackets.
	The frequently used characters are produced by typing one key or Shift + one key; the others by the use of Alt + 0... codes. 
The directly accessible characters are so placed on the keybord that the signs on the same heights are located diagonally below each other. The keys 0-2-4-6-8 (and the keys below them) correspond to the five lines of the staff. It helps orientation if these keys are marked somehow on the side facing the user.
3. Advices
  In order to make displaying on screen and printing more safe, the size of the Guido characters is hardly larger than that of ordinary letters. For good legibility, however, we need a larger size of notes. My advice is to write music lines with font size approximately double that of the text font, e.g. text written with Times 12pt, melody written in Guido 24pt is the best. NB: decide the sizes in advance: late changes cause a lot of bother with rearrangement.
Before starting to notate it is useful (a) to switch off all comfort devices of the word-processor program (e.g. automatic changes, capitals, etc.), to avoid confusion; and (b) to set the printer to be used (a different printer may change the distribution). If printer has been changed, preview your pages.
If the lines are to be justified (on the right) do this: set a tab indented to right with the measure a little smaller than the measure of margin. When you get near the end (about 1 cm) type Tab, justifier (Guido: * or Alt + 042), and then finish the line with the required barlines, etc.
Before starting work it is useful to produce the start of one pair of lines (music and text) setting the right measures, clefs, Tabs. Then select it, copy repeatedly, and then start to fill the lines. 
The music and text can be coordinated by inserting spaces in text and empty sections of staff. I advise writing music and text more or less simultaneously.