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Unmetered music

In music such as cadenzas, it may be desirable to disable automatic measure demarcation and all that it entails: numbering bars, resetting accidentals, etc. Music between \cadenzaOn and \cadenzaOff does not count toward the length of a measure.

\relative c'' {
  % Show all bar numbers
  \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = #all-visible
  c4 d e d
  \cadenzaOn
  c4 cis d8[ d d] f4 g4.
  \cadenzaOff
  d4 e d c
}

To divide an unmetered passage into irregular measures, temporarily re-enable timing and use \partial to create a tiny measure. The \bar command alone does not start a new measure.

cadenzaMeasure = {
  \cadenzaOff
  \partial 1024 s1024
  \cadenzaOn
}

\relative c'' {
  % Show all bar numbers
  \override Score.BarNumber.break-visibility = #all-visible
  c4 d e d
  \cadenzaOn
  c4 cis \bar "!" d8[ d d] \cadenzaMeasure f4 g4.
  \cadenzaMeasure
  \cadenzaOff
  d4 e d c
}

Automatic beaming is disabled by \cadenzaOn. Therefore, all beaming in cadenzas must be entered manually. See Manual beams.

\relative {
  \repeat unfold 8 { c''8 }
  \cadenzaOn
  cis8 c c c c
  \bar"|"
  c8 c c
  \cadenzaOff
  \repeat unfold 8 { c8 }
}

These predefined commands affect all staves in the score, even when placed in just one Voice context. To change this, move the Timing_translator from the Score context to the Staff context. See Polymetric notation.

Within a cadenza section, automatic breaks are disabled: since there is no metric, it is not possible to determine automatically where they would be appropriate. Therefore, in a long cadenza passage, you must insert possible break points at appropriate places using the \allowBreak command or other solutions in Line breaking.

\relative {
  c'4 f g c, d f g c
  \cadenzaOn
  c4 cis8
  \allowBreak
  d[ cis c cis]
  \allowBreak
  d[ f g a]
  \allowBreak
  ais[ g f g]
  \allowBreak
  d4 f8
  \allowBreak
  d[ cis] c4
  \allowBreak
  a8[ c] g4
}

Predefined commands

\cadenzaOn, \cadenzaOff.

See also

Music Glossary: cadenza.

Notation Reference: Visibility of objects, Polymetric notation, Manual beams, Accidentals.

Snippets: Rhythms.