NOTATIO

I exclusively use LilyPond because it still does a lot of things that no other program does (optical scaling and rounding off the hard edges of lines) and because the input format makes it much easier to diagnose if something is off. As I get older I find myself more and more impatient with WYSIWYG ...

I think the clef makes sense only in choral scores where soprano, alto, and tenor are all written in the treble clef (as opposed to soprano, alto, and treble clefs), only because it helps the tenor staff to stand out more clearly amid a sea of treble clefs. In an orchestral context where other clefs ...

Seriously though, I guess I get why people want to emulate that style but I see that as a major flaw. I mean, I'm willing to bet that if they had the tech to NOT have the ink spread, they would have preferred that. I've always assumed that engraving plates get worn somewhat with repeated printings ...

Generally, I find:
- that most choir materials with a printed keyboard reduction are easy enough (block chords) as to not need one at all.
- that, in many cases, the parts have been literally condensed without any human input, creating something that is unplayable at worst and unidiomatic at best ...

Mendelssohn's six Organ Sonatas, Opus 65, display a great wealth of variety in articulation that must have sprouted from Mendelssohn's knowledge of Bach's works as well as the vocabulary of any Classic-era composer of merit (Haydn, Beethoven, &c.). Unfortunately, most organists are taught that ...

I've never seen humming used "soloistically", only as a very soft or accompanimental effect with a choir. It might be possible or extant in the literature, but I can't imagine it being that effective.

/u/ or /ə/ are the "safest" vowels for a vocalise, I think. /a/ can be riskier. The solo ...

I think the problem would be ameliorated if you moved the two lines of lyrics closer to each other and moved the dynamics closer to the staff. This is one reason that dynamics in choral music are often placed within the stave.

A lot of singers simply don't have the technique to sing effectively and softly, hence Verdi's despair. (But Franco Corelli could do it!)

I would not be gratuitous but simply insert the minimum you think is necessary (but no less). At that point, if the singer can't follow your directions ...

Without any "scholarly" reasoning backing it up, I also find that beaming in quarters is more satisfying to the eyes in vocal music with lyrics.

Durand does not include the transposition key in works by Debussy and Ravel except at the beginning of the score. So this use is at least sanctioned by a major French publisher.