To date, we assigned variant types to 16 distinct categories:
| Accents | Hand signs |
| Articulation | Ornaments |
| Bars (absent or added) | Other indications |
| Duration | Pitch |
| Dynamics | Rests |
| Expression | Slurs and ties |
| Fermatas | Stems |
| Grace notes | Tuplet signs |
The following is a table of all 62 types of valid variants we devised for use in the Texting Scarlatti project. One example variant and its meaning is provided for each type. Note that due to the nature of our sources some variant categories (12 in total) went unused, but for reasons of completeness and potential future projects we included them here.
| Type of variant | Notation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Accents: added | 1c] +rinf |
A rinforzando is given on 1c in the witness. |
| Accents: changed | 1rinf] sfz |
If a hypothetical rinforzando were present in the control, this is replaced by a sfz in the witness. NB: this and the following three categories ended up unused in our project due to the nature of the music we examined. |
| Accents: removal (0) | 2accent] 0 |
A hypothetical accent mark is absent in the witness. |
| Accents: removal (-) | 1c] -accent |
There are multiple hypothetical accents on position 1 in the control; of these, the one on 1c is absent in the witness. |
| Articulation: added | 1c] +staccato |
There is a staccato marking on 1c which is not present in the control. |
| Articulation: changed | 1staccato] tenuto |
A hypothetical variant which was unused in our project. |
| Articulation: removal (0) | 1staccato] 0 |
The staccato on position 1 is absent in the witness. |
| Articulation: removal (-) | 1c] -staccato |
The staccato on 1c is absent in the witness. |
| Duration: pitch duration change | 1c] 4 |
1c in the control is a crotchet (quarter note) in the witness. |
| Duration: grace note duration change | 1app] 16 |
The appoggiatura in the control is a semiquaver (sixteenth note) appoggiatura in the witness. |
| Duration: ornaments duration change | 1slide] 16 |
The slide is in semiquavers in the witness. |
| Duration: rests duration change | 1r] 8 |
The rest in the control is a quaver rest in the witness. |
| Dynamics: added | 1] +piano |
A piano marking is given in witness. Note that dynamic markings can also be linked to a note. |
| Dynamics: changed | 1piano] forte |
In the hypothetical scenario where a piano in the control is replaced by a forte in the witness. This and the next two variant types were not used in our project. |
| Dynamics: removal (0) | 1piano] 0 |
The hypothetical piano marking in the control is absent in the witness. |
| Dynamics: removal (-) | 1] -fortissimo |
Of the multiple hypothetical dynamic markings on position 1 in the control, the fortissimo is absent in the witness. |
| Expression: added | 1c] +dolce |
A dolce marking is added to 1c in the witness. |
| Expression: changed | 1rit] rall |
In the hypothetical scenario where a rit in the control is replaced by a rall in the witness. This and the next two variant types were not used in our project. |
| Expression: removal (0) | 1espr] 0 |
The hypothetical espr marking in the control is absent in the witness. |
| Expression: removal (-) | 1] -espressivo |
Of the multiple hypothetical expression markings on position 1 in the control, the espressivo is absent in the witness. |
| Fermata: added | 1r] +fermata |
A fermata is added to 1r in the witness. |
| Fermata: removal (0) | 3fermatas] 0 |
All fermatas in the control are absent in the witness. |
| Fermata: removal (-) | 5d] -fermata |
Of the multiple fermatas on position 5 in the control, the one on 5d is absent in the witness. |
| Grace notes: accidental changes | 1acc] +flat |
The acciaccatura in the control has an added flat in the witness. |
| Grace notes: added | 1d] +app16 |
There is an added semiquaver appoggiatura to 1d in the witness. Note that we do not specify whether the grace note is a lower or upper grace note. |
| Grace notes: changed | 1app] acc8 |
The appoggiatura in the control as an acc8 (quaver acciaccatura) in the witness. |
| Grace notes: note changed to grace | 1c] app8 |
The c in the control has been changed to an app8 in the witness. |
| Grace notes: removal (0) | 1apps] 0 |
The appoggiaturas on position 1 are absent in the witness. |
| Grace notes: removal (-) | 1c] -app |
Of the multiple grace notes on position 1 in the control, the app for 1c is absent in the witness. |
| Hand signs: added | 1c] +M |
A hand sign M is added to 1c in the witness. |
| Hand signs: changed | 1M] L |
The hand sign 1M is translated to L in the witness. |
| Hand signs: removal (0) | 1D] 0 |
The hand sign 1D is absent in the witness. |
| Hand signs: removal (-) | 1c] -D |
In the rare event where there are multiple hand signs D on position 1 in the control, the D for 1c is absent in the witness. |
| Ornaments: accidental changes | 1slide] +natural |
A natural accidental is added to the slide in the witness. |
| Ornaments: added | 1c] +trill |
A trill is added to 1c in the witness. |
| Ornaments: changed | 1tr] trill |
The tr in the control is replaced by a trill in the witness. |
| Ornaments: removal (0) | 1tr] 0 |
The tr in the control is absent in the witness. |
| Ornaments: removal (-) | 1c] -trill |
Of the multiple trills in the control on position 1, the trill for 1c is absent in the witness. |
| Other indications added | 1] +mutandi |
The indication mutandi (change the fingers) is added on position 1 in the witness. |
| Other indications removal (0) | 1mutandi] 0 |
The mutandi indication is absent in the witness. |
| Other indications removal (-) | 1c] -mutandi |
In the hypothetical scenario where there are multiple mutandi in a given bar, the one marked closest to 1c is absent in the witness. |
| Pitch added | 1] +c'4 |
A crotchet middle C is added in the witness. |
| Pitch: accidental changes | 1csharp] +sharp |
An additional sharp is marked for 1csharp in the witness. |
| Pitch changed | 1a] b |
1a in the control is replaced by b in the witness. |
| Pitch removal (0) | 1c'] 0 |
The middle C on 1 in the control is absent in the witness. |
| Pitch removal (-) | 1] -d4 |
Of the multiple ds on 1, the crotchet d is absent in the witness. |
| Rests: added | 2] +r4 |
A crotchet rest has been added on the second position of the bar. |
| Rests: changed | 2r] 8 |
The rest on position 2 in the control is now a quaver rest in the witness. |
| Rests: removal (0) | 2r] 0 |
The rest on position 2 in the control is absent in the witness. |
| Rests: removal (-) | 3] -r4 |
There are multiple rests on position 3 in the control: one of these, specifically one of the crotchet rests, is absent in the witness. |
| Slurs and ties: added | 2c] +tie |
A tie has been added to 2c. |
| Slurs and ties: changed | 2tie] slur |
The tie on position 2 in the control is now a slur in the witness. |
| Slurs and ties: removal (0) | 2slur] 0 |
The slur on position 2 in the control is absent in the witness. |
| Slurs and ties: removal (-) | 3a] -tie |
There are multiple ties on position 3 in the control: one of these, specifically the tie for 3a, is absent in the witness. |
| Stems: added or removed | 1c] +upstem |
The c in the control has an added upstem of the same value in the witness. For a removed stem we use a minus (-). |
| Tuplet signs: added | ] +tripletsign |
A tripletsign has been added to the witness. Note that due to the ambiguity in positioning for tuplet signs we do not require a position or pitch, but approximations are often given. |
| Tuplet signs: changed | 1tripletsign] sextupletsign |
The tripletsign on position 1 in the control is now a sextupletsign in the witness. |
| Tuplet signs: removal (0) | 2sextupletsign] 0 |
The sextupletsign on position 2 in the control is absent in the witness. |
| Tuplet signs: removal (-) | 1a] -tripletsign |
In the unlikely scenario where there are multiple tripletsigns on one position, this notation is used to show one is absent in the witness. The more generic ] -tripletsign may also be used. |
| Absent bar | 0 |
The entire bar is absent in the witness |
| Extra bar | n extra bar(s) |
There are n extra bar(s) in the witness. |
| Absent page | ? |
This notation is used to signify that pages are physically absent in the witness (for example: water damage, page torn out). |
Jasper van der Klis, October 2025
