Frequently Asked Questions

How do I copy and paste neumes with their lyrics?

Select the neumes and copy them. Select the element where the copied passage should begin, then choose Edit > Paste with Lyrics.

Ordinary Paste copies the music without its lyrics. Paste with Lyrics copies both. The active entry mode determines how the passage is placed: Auto begins replacing the following elements, Insert adds the passage after the selection, and Single begins replacing at the selected element.

See Cut, copy, and paste for more about selection and entry modes.

How do I override a martyria when the next hymn begins on a different note?

Select the martyria and open View > Properties. Turn off the martyria's Auto setting, then choose the Note and Scale that should introduce the next hymn.

For example, a hymn may end on Pa while the next hymn begins on Di. An automatic martyria describes the music that precedes it, so a manual martyria is needed to show Di instead.

If the note and scale are correct but the displayed martyria sign needs a different form, use Martyria Sign Override instead.

See Insert a martyria for the full martyria workflow.

How do I add a neume next to a martyria to establish the next starting pitch?

Select the martyria and enable Align Right in its bottom toolbar. A Neume  control appears in the same toolbar. Open that control and choose the quantitative neume that supplies the interval needed to reach the starting pitch of the following phrase.

The quantitative neume appears directly to the right of the martyria and changes the pitch from which the following music is calculated. It belongs to the martyria; choosing a neume in the Neume Selector would create a separate score element instead.

This is useful, for example, when writing the prosomoion Ὢ τοῦ παραδόξου θαύματος and the neume beside the martyria establishes the pitch of the phrase that follows.

See Insert a martyria for more about right-aligned martyriæ.

How do I show a diatonic fthora in the initial martyria?

Open the Initial Martyria dialog by double-clicking the initial martyria, right-clicking it and choosing Change Initial Martyria, or selecting it and using Change Initial Martyria in the bottom toolbar.

Enable Show Diatonic Fthoræ at the bottom of the dialog. Select the desired mode and initial-martyria template, then choose Update. Templates that provide an optional diatonic fthora will show it in their preview and in the score.

See Choose the initial martyria for the basic initial-martyria workflow.

Why doesn't Neanes include the extended notation associated with Simon Karas?

Adding another notation system would require significant development effort. The extended notation associated with Simon Karas would substantially expand the scope of Neanes and includes conventions that are not uniformly adopted. For now, the project is focused on improving its engraving and editing capabilities for the well-established modern notation. There is currently no timeline for supporting extended notation.

What fonts can I use instead of EZ Omega or Athonite?

If you have older Byzantine chant documents, you may be familiar with EZ Omega and Athonite. Several freely available fonts provide similar styles and are good choices for new documents.

For EZ Omega, consider:

• URW Classico on Windows or Linux. Classico was designed by Hermann Zapf as a revision of his Optima typeface and is the closest freely available alternative to EZ Omega.
• Optima on macOS. Optima is included with macOS and is the typeface on which CG Omega and EZ Omega are based.
• Linux Biolinum was designed as a free alternative to Optima and supports a wide range of languages, including polytonic Greek.
• Libertinus Sans is a newer fork of Linux Biolinum with bug fixes and other improvements, although its design differs somewhat more from EZ Omega.

NOTE

EZ Omega is an older font and does not include true bold or italic styles. Neanes can simulate bold and italic when needed, but the alternatives above include styles specifically designed for bold and italic text.

For Athonite, consider Agion Oros X, a freely available typeface in a similar traditional Athonite style.

These are only suggestions. Neanes can use any font installed on your computer, so you are free to choose whatever typeface best suits your publication.