Typesetting Sheet Music

[printsmurf]

In 1501, Ottaviano Petrucci published Harmonice Musices Odhecaton. This was the first book of sheet music printed using movable type.

Using a system that printed staves, text and notes in three successive steps. The results were clean and elegant, but the process was too long and difficult – precisely aligning the three required great skill – for large-scale reproduction.


Ottaviano Petrucci, Harmonice Musices Odhecaton, 1501.

Around 1520 in England, John Rastell developed a single-impression method for printing music. With his method, the staff lines, words and notes were all part of a single piece of type, making it much easier to produce.

However, this method produced messier results, as the staff lines were often inexactly aligned and looked wavy on the page.

The single-impression method eventually triumphed over Petrucci's and became the dominant mode of printing until copper-plate engraving took over in the 17th century.

[printsmurf]

This is an extremely interesting website with detailed information and images of metal type used for printing music.

https://musicprintinghistory.org/

[printsmurf]

Excerpt from 'Music Book Printing'    F.H. Gilson Company, Boston, Mass. 1915

[anatolewilson]

I really like this printing, so detailed.

[Ehm.gee]

Thank you for sharing!  I've always wondered about this!