1.3 Music properties

absolute-octave (integer)

The absolute octave for a octave check note.

alteration (number)

Alteration for figured bass.

alternative-dir (direction)

Indicates if an AlternativeMusic is the First (-1), Middle (0), or Last (1) of group of alternate endings.

alternative-increment (integer)

The number of times an alternative’s lettering should be incremented.

articulation-type (string)

Key for script definitions alist.

TODO: Consider making type into symbol.

articulations (list of music objects)

Articulation events specifically for this note.

associated-context (string)

Name of the Voice context associated with this \lyricsto section.

augmented (boolean)

This figure is for an augmented figured bass (with + sign).

augmented-slash (boolean)

This figure is for an augmented figured bass (back-slashed number).

automatically-numbered (boolean)

Should a footnote be automatically numbered?

autosplit-end (boolean)

Duration of event was truncated by automatic splitting in Completion_heads_engraver.

bass (boolean)

Set if this note is a bass note in a chord.

beat-structure (list)

A beatStructure to be used in autobeaming.

bracket-start (boolean)

Start a bracket here.

TODO: Use SpanEvents?

bracket-stop (boolean)

Stop a bracket here.

break-penalty (number)

Penalty for line break hint.

break-permission (symbol)

Whether to allow, forbid or force a line break.

cautionary (boolean)

If set, this alteration needs a cautionary accidental.

change-to-id (string)

Name of the context to change to.

change-to-type (symbol)

Type of the context to change to.

class (symbol)

The class name of an event class.

compress-procedure (procedure)

Compress this music expression. Arg 1: the music, arg 2: factor.

context (context)

The context to which an event is sent.

context-id (string)

Name of context.

context-type (symbol)

Type of context.

create-new (boolean)

Create a fresh context.

delta-step (number)

How much should a fall change pitch?

denominator (integer)

Denominator in a time signature.

descend-only (boolean)

If set, this \context only descends in the context tree.

digit (integer)

Digit for fingering.

diminished (boolean)

This bass figure should be slashed.

direction (direction)

Print this up or down?

drum-type (symbol)

Which percussion instrument to play this note on.

duration (duration)

Duration of this note or lyric.

element (music)

The single child of a Music_wrapper music object, or the body of a repeat.

elements (list of music objects)

A list of elements for sequential of simultaneous music, or the alternatives of repeated music.

elements-callback (procedure)


error-found (boolean)

If true, a parsing error was found in this expression.

events (list)

A list of events contained in this event.

figure (integer)

A bass figure.

footnote-text (markup)

Text to appear in a footnote.

force-accidental (boolean)

If set, a cautionary accidental should always be printed on this note.

forced-type (symbol)

Override for the part-combiner.

grob-property (symbol)

The symbol of the grob property to set.

grob-property-path (list)

A list of symbols, locating a nested grob property, e.g., (beamed-lengths details).

grob-value (any type)

The value of the grob property to set.

id (symbol)

The ID of an event.

input-tag (any type)

Arbitrary marker to relate input and output.

inversion (boolean)

If set, this chord note is inverted.

iterator-ctor (procedure)


label (markup)

Label of a mark.

last-pitch (pitch)

The last pitch after relativization.

length (moment)

The duration of this music.

length-callback (procedure)


line-break-permission (symbol)

When the music is at top-level, whether to allow, forbid or force a line break.

metronome-count (number or pair)

How many beats in a minute?

moment (moment)

The moment at which an event happens.

music-cause (music)

The music object that is the cause of an event.

name (symbol)

Name of this music object.

no-continuation (boolean)

If set, disallow continuation lines.

numerator (integer)

Numerator of a time signature.

octavation (integer)

This pitch was octavated by how many octaves? For chord inversions, this is negative.

once (boolean)

Apply this operation only during one time step?

ops (any type)

The operations to apply during the creation of a context.

origin (input location)

Where was this piece of music defined?

original-chord (music)

Original chord of a repeated chord. Used by repeated chords in \relative mode, to determine the first note octave

ottava-number (integer)

The octavation for \ottava.

page-break-permission (symbol)

When the music is at top-level, whether to allow, forbid or force a page break.

page-label (symbol)

The label of a page marker.

page-marker (boolean)

If true, and the music expression is found at top-level, a page marker object is instanciated instead of a score.

page-turn-permission (symbol)

When the music is at top-level, whether to allow, forbid or force a page turn.

parenthesize (boolean)

Enclose resulting objects in parentheses?

part-combine-status (symbol)

Change to what kind of state? Options are solo1, solo2 and unisono.

partial-duration (duration)

The length of a partial measure as a duration.

pitch (pitch)

The pitch of this note.

pitch-alist (list)

A list of pitches jointly forming the scale of a key signature.

pop-first (boolean)

Do a revert before we try to do a override on some grob property.

prob-property (symbol)

The symbol of the prob property to set.

procedure (procedure)

The function to run with \applycontext. It must take a single argument, being the context.

property-operations (list)

Do these operations for instantiating the context.

property-path (symbol)

The path of a property.

quoted-context-id (string)

The ID of the context to direct quotes to, e.g., cue.

quoted-context-type (symbol)

The name of the context to direct quotes to, e.g., Voice.

quoted-events (vector)

A vector of with moment and event-list entries.

quoted-music-clef (string)

The clef of the voice to quote.

quoted-music-name (string)

The name of the voice to quote.

quoted-transposition (pitch)

The pitch used for the quote, overriding \transposition.

quoted-voice-direction (direction)

Should the quoted voice be up-stem or down-stem?

repeat-count (integer)

Do a \repeat how often?

slash-count (integer)

The number of slashes in a single-beat repeat. If zero, signals a beat containing varying durations.

span-direction (direction)

Does this start or stop a spanner?

span-text (markup)

The displayed text for dynamic text spanners (e.g., cresc.)

span-type (symbol)

What kind of dynamic spanner should be created? Options are 'text and 'hairpin.

spanner-id (string)

Identifier to distinguish concurrent spanners.

split-list (list)

Splitting moments for part combiner.

start-callback (procedure)


string-number (integer)

The number of the string in a StringNumberEvent.

symbol (symbol)

Grob name to perform an override or revert on.

tags (list)

List of symbols that for denoting extra details, e.g., \tag #'part … could tag a piece of music as only being active in a part.

tempo-unit (duration)

The unit for the metronome count.

text (markup)

Markup expression to be printed.

to-relative-callback (procedure)

How to transform a piece of music to relative pitches.

tonic (pitch)

Base of the scale.

tremolo-type (integer)

Speed of tremolo, e.g., 16 for c4:16.

trill-pitch (pitch)

Pitch of other note of the trill.

tweaks (list)

An alist of properties to override in the backend for the grob made of this event.

type (symbol)

The type of this music object. Determines iteration in some cases.

types (list)


untransposable (boolean)

If set, this music is not transposed.

value (any type)

Assignment value for a translation property.

void (boolean)

If this property is #t, then the music expression is to be discarded by the toplevel music handler.

volta-repeats (list)

A list that is transformed into a volta repeat element list.

what (symbol)

What to change for auto-change.

FIXME: Naming.

X-offset (number)

Offset of resulting grob; only used for balloon texts.

Y-offset (number)

Offset of resulting grob; only used for balloon texts.

Internals Reference