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It seems that whenever there is an album (book of sheet music) and all the pieces are from a single composer, the name is not repeated with each piece.

I wonder, is this a strict rule? Especially, are there albums from professional publishers that are single composer but still the name is printed in each piece?

I ask because I plan to eventually publish some sheet music, and I expect it to be copied (it's church music), and it seems strange that once copied, the name is no longer present in the sheet. I don't have to follow any house style so it's up to me.

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  • Are you going to self-publish or work with a publisher? If the former, you get to choose. If the latter, they will probably dictate a lot of the formatting, etc. – Todd Wilcox Jun 14 '18 at 18:48
  • @ToddWilcox Somewhere inbetween, it will be published by a small publisher who does not regularly publish sheets. – yo' Jun 14 '18 at 19:47
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There's no rule. (Who would enforce it?) There are House Styles used by publishers, which can be modified when appropriate.

If you're self-publishing, and you expect the individual songs will be individually copied, it seems sensible that YOUR House Style (for this book, at any rate) includes composer and lyricist at the top of each song.

But no-one except you cares about this. What people WILL care about is clear, accurate notation and good layout. Don't forget to get a couple of experienced musician friends to proof-read your music, and make it clear you're looking for criticism rather than praise!

It's hard to proof-read your own work. You KNOW how the music goes. It can be difficult to recognise where the notation may not QUITE represent it accurately.

Good luck with the project.

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