LilyPond lyrics affecting horizontal spacing in score

Question

While attempting to typeset a piece of baroque vocal music, I've come upon this issue where lyrics cause uneven spacing of the notes in other voices in the score. For example, the 2nd violin on the final beat of bar 2 here (notice how the final eighth note is quite further from its neighbour than the previous one?):

Admittedly, since this is a score and not a performing part, it's not that dramatic, but it's still an eye sore, and very much something I'd rather do without. Looking at the documentation, there's proportional notation (see here), but that looks like it would be much too extreme of a solution (particularly given the presence of 32nd notes, in the given example but elsewhere as well).

So the question is, what (if that is even possible) can be done here to fix this issue?

I'd copy the LilyPond code, but it's rather large, and most of it is rather routine and probably irrelevant to the issue. Here though is (the relevant bit of) the music so you don't have to copy that:

\language "deutsch"

%% Music

global = {
    \key a \minor
    \time 4/4
}

violinoIPart = {
\relative c'' { e4. d8 c4. h8 | a4. a8 h c d4~ | d8 c c8. h16 cis2 | R1 | }
}

violinoIIPart = {
\relative c'' { c4. h8 a2 | e4 a gis8 a h a | e'2 e4 e, | R1 | }
}

cantoIPart = {
\relative c'' { \autoBeamOff R1*4 | }
}

cantoIIPart = {
\relative c' {  \autoBeamOff r4 e4~ \melisma e8 fis32[ gis a gis] a4~ | a8 h32[ c d c] d4 \melismaEnd r h8 d | gis, a a8. gis16 a2 | R1 }
}
cantoIIText = \lyricmode {\set fontSize = #-0.5
Ach __ mein herz -- lie -- bes Je -- su -- lein,
}

altoPart = {
\relative c' {  \autoBeamOff R1*2 | r2 r4 a~ | a4 r2. | }
}
altoText = \lyricmode {\set fontSize = #-0.5
Ach __ mein herz -- lie -- bes Je -- su -- lein,
}

continuoPart = {
\relative c { a2 a'~ | a4 f e d | e2 a, |\break R1 }
}

I should note, I'm using a custom notation font, but from checking it myself (by resetting to the default font), that has no effect on the issue.

Answer 1

There is a snippet that tries to make LilyPond favor the spacing of notes at the cost of moving lyric words around.

https://lsr.di.unimi.it/LSR/Item?id=1154

% Snippet author: Jean Abou Samra <[email protected]>
% Original thread: https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/lilypond-user/2022-11/msg00087.html
% 
% This snippet gets rid of uglinesses in note spacing caused by lyrics.
% By default, LilyPond always puts a lyric word exactly centered under
% the note it attaches to. When there is a long lyric word, LilyPond reserves
% space between notes so that there will be no collisions in the lyrics.
% However, this can lead to uneven note spacing. This snippet completely
% removes the presence of lyrics in note spacing so that it is natural
% according to the note lengths, and uses a spacing algorithm that shifts
% lyrics automatically in order to avoid collisions.
% 
% Some technical comments follow.
% 
% The spacing problem is set up as a quadratic optimization problem. Each
% lyric word has a strength value (by default, all words have a strength
% of 1.0). The demerit associated to a lyric word is s(x-p)², where s
% is the strength, x is the X coordinate and p is the ideal X coordinate
% where the lyric word would be centered on its associated note. An
% acceptable solution is a solution where no lyric words collide. The
% weight of a solution is the sum of the demerits for each of the words.
% Solving the lyric spacing problem means finding an acceptable solution
% of minimal weight.
% 
% In practice, words should not touch each other, but maintain a minimum
% distance between each other (controlled by LyricSpace.minimum-distance
% and LyricHyphen.minimum-distance). This is reduced to the form above
% by widening one of the two words for each LyricSpace or LyricHyphen
% grob, by the amount given by the minimum-space property.
% 
% The algorithm to solve the lyric spacing problem uses dynamic programming
% and runs in linear time. We add words one by one from left to right. After
% adding each word, the problem given by the words added so far is solved.
% The base case (zero words) is trivial. To add a word, it is very intuitive,
% and not hard to prove, that the following technique works: if adding
% the word at its optimal position produces no collision, then keep it
% there; else, make this word 'push' on its left neighbor and move these
% two words simultaneously to the left until the optimal position for
% these two words together is reached; if this still produces a collision
% then add the third word and consider the three words stuck together, etc.
% Note that once two words have been stuck together, they won't need
% to be taken apart again: they will be adjacent ("stuck") in the final
% configuration.
% 
% Written in this form, this algorithm looks quadratic. While probably
% acceptable in usual scores, this might become a problem with ly:one-line-breaking.
% However, with a bit of simple algebra, you can see that optimizing for two
% words stuck together (and, by extension, any finite number of words stuck
% together) is equivalent to optimizing for one single (imaginary) combined
% word, of which the length is the sum of the two lengths, the strength is
% the sum of the strengths, and the optimal coordinate is given by a simple
% formula (see the code). Therefore, instead of simultaneously considering
% two words stuck together, you can replace them with just one fresh problem
% variable. At each word added during the algorithm, there is a constant processing
% overhead, plus an overhead linear in the number of times a word is newly
% stuck to a group, forming a new group. If you imagine that all words start
% out black, and every word becomes white as soon as its group is stuck to
% the group on the left, it is clear that the total number of "add to group"
% operations is linear in the number of words. At the end, there is a
% step to compute the offset of each word from that of its group, which
% is made linear by caching the offset of a group as soon as it is
% visited. In this way, the total number of operations is linear.
% 

% #(ly:set-option 'compile-scheme-code)

#(use-modules (ice-9 match)
              (ice-9 hash-table)
              (oop goops))

%% convenience stuff:

#(define-syntax-rule (transform! lval proc)
   (set! lval (proc lval)))

#(define ->
   (make-procedure-with-setter
    (lambda (instance . path)
      (let loop ((instance instance) (path path))
        (match path
          ((slot)
           (slot-ref instance slot))
          ((slot . rest)
           (loop (slot-ref instance slot)
                 rest)))))
    (lambda (instance . args)
      (let loop ((instance instance) (args args))
        (match args
         ((slot new)
          (slot-set! instance slot new))
         ((slot . rest)
          (loop (slot-ref instance slot)
                rest)))))))



#(define-class <lyric-variable> ()
   (ideal #:init-keyword #:ideal)
   (extent #:init-keyword #:extent)
   (strength #:init-keyword #:strength)
   (tied-to #:init-value #f)
   (tied-offset #:init-value #f)
   (final #:init-value #f))

#(define (merged-variable! group var)
   (let* ((delta (- (interval-end (-> group 'extent))
                    (interval-start (-> var 'extent))))
          (new
           (make <lyric-variable>
                 #:ideal (/ (+ (* (-> group 'strength)
                                  (-> group 'ideal))
                               (* (-> var 'strength)
                                  (- (-> var 'ideal)
                                     delta)))
                            (+ (-> group 'strength)
                               (-> var 'strength)))
                 #:extent (cons (interval-start (-> group 'extent))
                                (+ (interval-end (-> group 'extent))
                                   (interval-length (-> var 'extent))))
                 #:strength (+ (-> group 'strength)
                               (-> var 'strength)))))
     (set! (-> group 'tied-to) new)
     (set! (-> group 'tied-offset) 0)
     (set! (-> var 'tied-to) new)
     (set! (-> var 'tied-offset) delta)
     new))

#(define (propagate! variables)
   (match variables
     ((var)
      variables)
     ((var group . rest)
      (let ((have-overlap (<= (+ (-> var 'ideal)
                                 (interval-start (-> var 'extent)))
                              (+ (-> group 'ideal)
                                 (interval-end (-> group 'extent))))))
        (if have-overlap
            (let ((merged (merged-variable! group var)))
              (propagate! (cons merged rest)))
            variables)))))

#(define (finalize! variables)
   (define (finalize-one! var)
     (unless (-> var 'final)
       (set! (-> var 'final)
             (if (-> var 'tied-to)
                 (begin
                  (finalize-one! (-> var 'tied-to))
                  (+ (-> var 'tied-to 'final)
                     (-> var 'tied-offset)))
                 (-> var 'ideal)))))
   (for-each finalize-one! variables))

#(define (solve-lyric-spacing-problem! variables)
   (fold
    (lambda (var groups)
      (propagate! (cons var groups)))
    '()
    variables)
   (finalize! variables))

#(define (respace-lyrics! grob)
   (let ((elt-array (ly:grob-object grob 'elements #f)))
     (when elt-array
       (let* ((elts (ly:grob-array->list elt-array))
              (refp (ly:grob-system grob))
              (with-iface (lambda (iface)
                            (filter (lambda (g)
                                      (grob::has-interface g iface))
                                    elts)))
              (words (filter (lambda (word)
                               (interval-sane? (ly:grob-extent word word X)))
                             (with-iface 'lyric-syllable-interface)))
              ;; Includes both LyricHyphen and LyricSpace
              (constraints (with-iface 'lyric-hyphen-interface))
              (variables (map
                          (lambda (word)
                            (let* ((xalign (ly:grob-property word 'self-alignment-X))
                                   (coord (ly:grob-relative-coordinate word refp X))
                                   (orig-ext (ly:grob-extent word word X))
                                   (align-point (interval-index orig-ext xalign))
                                   (ideal (+ coord align-point))
                                   (extent (coord-translate orig-ext (- align-point)))
                                   (strength (or (assq-ref (ly:grob-property word 'details)
                                                           'strength)
                                                 1.0)))
                              (make <lyric-variable>
                                    #:ideal ideal
                                    #:extent extent
                                    #:strength strength)))
                          words))
              (word-to-variable (alist->hashq-table (map cons words variables))))
         (for-each
          (lambda (constraint)
            (let ((added (ly:grob-property constraint 'minimum-distance))
                  (left-var (hashq-ref word-to-variable (ly:spanner-bound constraint LEFT))))
              (when left-var
                (transform! (-> left-var 'extent)
                            (lambda (e) (cons (interval-start e)
                                              (+ (interval-end e) added)))))))
          constraints)
         (solve-lyric-spacing-problem! variables)
         (for-each
          (lambda (word variable)
            (let* ((xalign (ly:grob-property word 'self-alignment-X))
                   (orig-ext (ly:grob-extent word word X))
                   (align-point (interval-index orig-ext xalign)))
              (ly:grob-translate-axis!
               word
               (- (-> variable 'final)
                  (ly:grob-relative-coordinate word refp X)
                  align-point)
               X)))
          words
          variables)))))

% A StanzaNumber is side-positioned against lyric words.
% Its X-offset will be computed before line breaking, with
% default offset values, then these values will change, so
% we have to update it.
#(define (recompute-offset-with-moved-lyrics! grob)
   (let ((support (ly:grob-object grob 'side-support-elements #f)))
     (when support
       ;; Make sure each LyricText in the support goes to its
       ;; updated location.
       (for-each
        (lambda (word)
          (let ((axis-group (ly:grob-parent word Y)))
            (ly:grob-property axis-group 'after-line-breaking)))
        (ly:grob-array->list support))
       (let* ((parent (ly:grob-parent grob X))
              (coord (ly:grob-relative-coordinate grob parent X)))
         (ly:grob-translate-axis!
          grob
          (- (ly:side-position-interface::x-aligned-side grob)
             coord)
          X)))))

\layout {
  \context {
    \Lyrics
    \override LyricText.extra-spacing-width = #'(+inf.0 . -inf.0)
    \override LyricSpace.springs-and-rods = ##f
    \override LyricHyphen.springs-and-rods = ##f
    \override VerticalAxisGroup.after-line-breaking = #respace-lyrics!
    \override StanzaNumber.after-line-breaking = #recompute-offset-with-moved-lyrics!
  }
}

doReserveSpace =
\once {
  \revert LyricSpace.springs-and-rods
  \revert LyricHyphen.springs-and-rods
}






%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
%%%% EXAMPLE
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%

\language "english"

struct = {
  \numericTimeSignature
  \key bf \major
  \time 3/4
  s2.*5 \break
  s2.*5 \break
}

nb = \markup { \small \italic "n.b." }

melody = \relative {
  \clef treble
  \dynamicUp
  R2.*4 |
  d'8\mp ef f4. d8 |
 
  d4 \once \phrasingSlurDashed c2_\(^\nb |
  d8\) ef f4 bf, |
  c2. |
  d8\< ef f4. f8 |
  g8 a bf2\mf |
}

pianoRH = \relative {
  \clef treble
  d''8 ef f4 <f,c'>8 f' |
  << { g8 a bf2 } \\ { <bf, d>2. } >> |
  << { ef4 c8 d ef bf } \\ { g2 g4 } >> |
  << { d'4. ef8 c4 } \\ { <ef, gf>2. } >> |
  <c' f>4 <f, d'>2 |
 
  << { d'4 c } \\ { <ef, gf>2 } >>  ef'8 c' |
  <d, bf'>4 <bf f'>2 |
  <gf d'>4 c ef8 c' |
  <d, bf'>4 f c8 f, |
  << { d'2. } \\ { bf8 a g2 } >> |
}

pianoLH = \relative {
  \clef treble
  bf8 f' ~ f4 a, |
  g8 d' bf' a g d |
  \clef bass
  c,8 g' ef'2 |
  ef,8 bf' c2 |
  bf,8 f' bf4 d |
 
  ef,8 gf bf c ef4 |
  bf,8 f' d'4 f |
  ef,8 c' ef gf ~ gf4 |
  bf,,8 f' d'4 a |
  g8 d' bf a g d |
}

melodyWordsDefault = \lyricmode {
  \set stanza = "1."
  Would I know my Sav -- ior
  %% The higher the details.strength property, the harder the algorithm
  %% tries to place the lyric syllable close to its ideal position, at the
  %% expense of other lyric syllables nearby.  Try outcommenting this
  %% override to see the effect.
  %\once \override LyricText.details.strength = 100
  %% \doReserveSpace can be used to exceptionally reserve space between the
  %% two following lyric words (in spite of the snippet turning this off).
  %% Try outcommenting to see the effect.
  %\doReserveSpace
  Wrapped in swad -- dling
  bands,
  Ly -- ing in a man -- ger bed, Light of hea -- ven ’round His head?
}

#(set-global-staff-size 19)
\paper {
  ragged-last = ##f
  ragged-bottom = ##t
  ragged-right = ##f
  ragged-last-bottom = ##t
  tagline = ##f
}

\layout {
  \context {
    \Lyrics
    \override LyricText.font-size = #0
    \override LyricHyphen.font-size = #-0.5
    \override LyricHyphen.padding = #0.15
    \override LyricHyphen.length = #0.6  %#0.4
    \override LyricHyphen.minimum-length = #0.66
    \override LyricHyphen.minimum-distance = #1 %0.15
    \override LyricHyphen.thickness = 2.0
    \override LyricHyphen.dash-period = 8.0
    \override LyricExtender.minimum-length = #0
    \override LyricExtender.right-padding = #0.5
    \override LyricSpace.minimum-distance = #1
    \override VerticalAxisGroup.nonstaff-relatedstaff-spacing.padding = #1
  }
}

\score {
  <<
    \new Staff <<
      \struct
      \new Voice = "melody" \melody
    >>
    \new Lyrics \lyricsto melody \melodyWordsDefault
    \new PianoStaff <<
      \new Staff = "pianoRH" <<
        \struct
        \pianoRH
      >>
      \new Staff = "pianoLH" <<
        \struct
        \pianoLH
      >>
    >>
  >>
  \layout {}
}

Answer 2

You can't satisfy every aesthetic constraint simultaneously—a large readable underlay font, consistent alignment of syllables, consistent note-head spacing, and economical use of horizontal space. I don't know how to make LilyPond do a better job automatically, but here are some things you could do:

• If you want to improve the spacing at the cost of inconsistent lyric alignment, you can change the latter manually with \tweak, e.g.

  Ach __ \tweak self-alignment-X #RIGHT mein herz -- lie -- bes Je -- su -- lein,
  

  or using a macro for readability:

  rightalign = \tweak self-alignment-X #RIGHT \etc
  [...]
    Ach __ \rightalign mein herz -- lie -- bes Je -- su -- lein,
  

  You could try tweaking X-offset instead, which gives more flexibility at the expense of more trial and error to find the best number.

• If you want to widen the spacing of the beamed eighths to be more consistent (but only in that beamed group, not score-wide), you can do it manually like this:

  violinoIIPart = \relative c'' {
      c4. h8 a2 | e4 a
      \newSpacingSection \override Score.SpacingSpanner.spacing-increment = 5
      gis8 a h a
      \newSpacingSection \revert Score.SpacingSpanner.spacing-increment
      | e'2 e4 e, | R1 |
  }
  

  Again, you could hide the long incantations in macros. There may be a better way to do this. There may even be a way to make LilyPond prefer more consistent spacing of beamed notes automatically (without widening the spacing of everything uniformly), but I didn't find one in the documentation or a few web searches.

• The current development branch (2.25) has added font-stretch, which can be used to select a horizontally condensed font variant for all underlay or for individual syllables. Example usage (untested):

  narrower = \tweak font-stretch #'condensed \etc
  [...]
    Ach __ \narrower mein herz -- lie -- bes Je -- su -- lein,
  

Answer 3

Typesetting that page without manual line breaks results in this:

Two measures per line looks reasonably tight already; at every vertical moment the horizontal spacing is about as close as you would want it to be for one reasons or another.

The spacing is being set by: the 32nd notes in the Canto 2, then the 8th notes in the Violono 2, the lyrics for the Canto 2, the 32nd's in the Alto, and then the Canto 2's lyrics again.

There isn't really anywhere to squeeze any extra horizontal space from to fit it all onto one line, without causing the distortions you are seeing.

---

If you really want some more space to even things out a bit better, I guess all you can do is either change where the line breaks are (with \break), or change the staff size or the paper size.

I suppose another option would be to move the word "mein" in the lyrics over a little bit to the left. How to do this can be seen in this answer (you'll also want to use the \once command), but I probably wouldn't recommend that for this particular case.