An Easy to Configure Makefile for GNU Lilypond

This repo contains a Makefile useful for compiling a score written in Lilypond syntax into a full score and individual parts. This allows you to type at the command line make viola to have lilypond compile only the viola part. The Makefile is structured such that it can be copied between lilypond projects, changing only one line to allow it to recognize the list of parts in the new score.

What this Makefile assumes

• You have lilypond installed, and it can be run from the command line as lilypond. If not, you can edit the LILYPOND := line in the Makefile to point to the correct lilypond.

• You structure your project as follows:

  • Each instrument is in its own file, eg. cello.ly. This file defines a lilypond variable (eg. cello).
  • Each instrument has a sheet file which has -part appended to the name, eg. cello-part.ly. This file imports the main instrument file and makes reference to the variable defined within in order to create the pdf copy of the part. See cello-part.ly in the provided example.
  • A file fullscore.ly imports all of the instrument files (cello.ly, etc., not cello-part.ly, etc.) and puts them in one StaffGroup. Note that the pdf of the full score is set to score.pdf and not fullscore.pdf. It's easier to tabcomplete, in my opinion, but you can change what the output file is in the Makefile.
  • A file header.ly exists containing definitions for common notations or section marks for your score, and it is imported by all other files. It isn't strictly necessary for the Makefile to work, but I've found it useful for not having to redefine things in each instrument file. I've listed it (in HEADERS) as a dependency for all rules as all files rely on it.

Following this structure means that once you have set up your instrument files, you will only need to edit one file per instrument as you write your score, as the -part.ly and fullscore.ly files can be mostly left untouched.

This repository also includes an example usage of the Makefile, in the form of an old arrangement I made of Super Mario tunes for a string orchestra. It includes an additional file, solos.ly, which contains the notes for the violin and viola solos toward the end of the arrangement. You'll notice the part files for violin1, violin2, and viola are slightly different from the cello and bass part files in order to accommodate this.

Other Notes

• Take care when updating to new versions of lilypond with convert-ly; header.ly is the only file with a version in it. You will want to convert all your files into a temporary directory before overwriting them.
• I wrote this arrangement in high school, as a violist, and my main source material were other folks' piano and MIDI arrangements. The original impetus for retypesetting it in lilypond, when I first started several years ago, was that my student copy of Sibelius would not permit me to add the quintuplets. Adding a Makefile made sense a couple of years ago as a quick way to set up part and score generation alongside each other.

Licensing

• Mario Brothers et al are the intellectual property of Nintendo.
• All other material in this repository (namely, the Makefile and the structure of organizing files into pieces) I hereby release into the public domain.