Release notes for Mozart 16

Mozart 16 version 16.1.2

February 2024

• Thanks to Oonagh Griffith for finding a problem with entering a change of time signature when bars are numbered. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2401-BAR]
• In the course of discussion in the support group, I wanted to assert that Ctrl+Tab moved the caret forward to the next note, omitting rests, and Shift+Ctrl+Tab did the same thing to the left. A look at the source code shows that this is definitely suppposed to happen, so imagine my chagrin when I found it actually worked the other way around. This version restores the proper behaviour! [MZ16-2401-TAB]
• Thanks to Richard Mills for providing an example where arpeggiation did not play back. This led to the discovery of a couple of minor discrepancies in the code, which are now fixed. [MZ16-2402-ARP]

Mozart 16 version 16.1.1

October 2023

• Thanks to Guillaume Pilote for exposing a severe problem in any transposition operation involving a piece containing 'slash notes' (slashes for repeated notes). This is hereby fixed. [MZ16-2310-SLASH]

Mozart 16 version 16.1.0

October 2023

• Thanks to Oonagh Griffith for finding the cause of Mozart playing back fairly quietly when the 'Direct Synth' option is chosen. This is due to the default 'gain' of the synthesiser being chosen by its manufacturer (FluidSynth) to be fairly small (0.2 on a scale from 0 to 10). Mozart now has a default of 0.4 and allows you to reset the gain manually separately for each piece. [MZ16-2310-GAIN]

Mozart 16 version 16.0.6

August 2023

• Thanks to Lindsay Lorden for finding an inappropriate error message from the Layout Editor when editing the depth over/under the current stave, just after editing the title depth. The problem was tht the Editor had "forgotten" which was the current stave. When it has forgotten it now goes back to the one which was current when you entered the dialogue box. [MZ16-2306-EDLAYOUT]
• Thanks to Oonagh Griffith for noticing that all instrument voices were being set to the default for the instrument when adding a conductor to a score. This unwanted side effect has now been fixed. [MZ16-2306-REVOICE]
• Thanks to Thomas Baugh for finding an example where play-back with accel/rall crashed. It turns out that this was due to the tempo change being very small over a long period. It is now fixed. [MZ16-2306-ACCEL]
• A step in the calculation of the position of the final line break has been made 'safer'. (A potential bug was found which hasn't reared its ugly head but which well might. It has now been forestalled.) [MZ16-2307-BARWIDTH]
• Thanks to Joseph de Charentenay for noting that strt-of-line bar numbers did not align correctly whe there was a time signature change at the start of the line. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2307-BARNUM]
• Thanks to Susan Garrod for finding that when importing old files (probably from Mozart 13 and earlier) some "passive" chord symbols were lost, and for providing a very clear example .mz file to illustrate the problem. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2307-ATTACH]

Mozart 16 version 16.0.5

May 2023

• Thanks to Richard Mills for pointing out that deleting the bottom note of a cluster does not leave the highlight (as one would expect) on the lowest remaining note. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2303-CARET]
• Creating a new score with the 'New' button option which allows choice of instrumentation not covered by a template: if the specified score has only a single stave, then it should not have a bracket at the start of each system, but Mozart's default was to put one in. This is now corrected and a bracket is only introduced as the default option in a score with two or more staves. [MZ16-2303-BRKT]
• The Expand command on the Layout tab, to expand a single system conntaining one or more hidden staves, was not expanding the page on screen with a grey area, in order to preserve its contents. (Although the 'Expand all' command was doing so correctly.) This is now fixed. [MZ16-2303-EXPAND]
• Thanks to Tia Leschke and Richard Mills for finding that MusicXML import was creating spurious courtesy accidentals. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2303-XML]
• Thanks also to Richard for suggesting that dots on repeat bar-lines don't always need to be shown on chord symbol lines. This is now implemented. [MZ16-2303-CHORDRPT]
• Thanks to Mitch Park for finding that ties between chord symbols were not always respected on play-back. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2304-CHORDTIE]
• Clef changes associated with a change of instrument (eg clarinet to cello) were not being drawn correctly. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2304-INSTCLEF]
• Spacing of key changes associated with instrument changes has been improved. [MZ16-2304-INSTSPACE]
• Thanks to Thomas Baugh for finding that the program exited ungracefully when a DS was encountered when here was no Segno to go to. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2305-DS]
• Pasting lyric lines under chord staves was failing sometimes. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2305-PASTE_LYRIC]

Mozart 16 version 16.0.4

March 2023

• Thanks to Lindsay Lorden for finding a 1st-time bar which wasn't being drawn correctly in very particular circumstances. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2212-1STTIME]
• Thanks to Gordon Robson for providing a MusicXML file in which hairpins did not import well. Hairpin import has now been improved. [MZ16-2212-XML]
• Pasting from a normal stave to a chord stave caused unpleasantness. It is now blocked, and produces an error message. [MZ16-2212-STAVES]
• Two bugs, whose effect cancelled out, have been corrected. Segno and other redirections were defaulting to too low a position on the stave, but were erroneously being drawn in the right place. Theye are now placed and drawn correctly, and errors in older files corrected when they are read in. . [MZ16-2301-REDIRECTION]
• The main window, when no music is open, now shows the major version number at the top right. This largely to help those of us who often have a number of different versions open at once.
• Changing instruments in mid tune could attach text ("To ...") to the end-of-part marker instead of to the bar at the instrument chage. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2302-DELCLEF]
• Thanks to Jeroen Neve for highlighting inconsistencies in the choice between 4/4 and C. This has now been fixed (and prettier, more powerful time signature selection dialogue boxes introduced.) [MZ16-2302-TIME]
• Thanks to Tony Caporn for providing an example where playback failed owing to multiple Coda sections, in different sections between music breaks - which should be legal in Mozart 16! This has now been fixed. [MZ16-2303-PLAYBACK]

Mozart 16 version 16.0.3

December 2022

• MusicXML import has continued to be problematic on some machines. Indications are that this build will definitely nail it!
• Thanks to Lindsay Lorden for pointing out that Mozart's behaviour when entering a pause/fermata (ie making them visible in all strands) is not usually wanted. This is now updated so they're marked as visible (on print-out) in only the first strand on each stave. [MZ16-2211-PAUSE]
• Thanks to Oonagh Griffith for finding that score-editing operations were erroneously altering the MIDI voicing. This is now fixed for operations where we have been able to reproduce a problem. [MZ16-2211-VOICES]
• Thanks to Tony Caporn for noticing that, despite appearances, a new rehearsal mark could not be introduced from the bar-line properties dialogue box. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2212-RHSLMK]

Mozart 16 version 16.0.2

November 2022

• Thanks to Lindsay Lorden for uncovering problems replacing a note by a slash-note. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2210-LNKMAP]
• Thanks to Oonagh Griffith for noticing that the evaluation copy of Mozart was checking for updates. These are only available for the Full Edition, so the evaluation copy will not check in future. [MZ16-2210-UPDATES]
• Thanks to Nigel Parsons for discovering a block-deletion which failed. The cause has now been fixed. [MZ16-2210-DEL]
• Problems importing MusicXML have persisted (on a number of machines). Mozart 16.0.2 includes a rebuilt MusicXML import/export module with a view to fixing this. Tests under Windows 7 have been successful.
• Thanks to John Dablin for reporting problems with print preview. If you have a text box defined to go on a page after the end of the music, then , since version11, Mozart has tried to accommodate you and create extra pages with no music. However, John's report has shown how dangerous this can be, and how easy it is to create small text boxes on multiple pages, store them, unseen, in score templates, and create havoc. Text boxes on pages after the last music page are therefore now ignored when printing. [MZ16-2210-EXCESSPAGES]
• Thanks to Keith Williamson for asking whether it might be better, when you attempt to enter a Rall when there's no conductor part, if Mozart offered to create one (as it does for tempo changes). This is now implemented. [MZ16-2210-RALL]
• Thanks to John Pietsch for finding that the integral help on offsetting items was not really adequate. It is now improved.
• It turned out that on a 4K screen, the widths of the Vol and Pan columns on the voicing table were not quite enough to allow you to type a 3-digit value. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2210-TABLE]
• Bob Hannum has exressed a preference for blank lyric lines under systems reserving their space in the print-out, as was the behaviour in previous versions of Mozart. That option is now offered in Mozart 16.
• Entering a pause (fermata) or caesura offered to create a conductor stave if there isn't one, and would not succeed if you don't. You now have the option of entering these without creating a conductor stave, although in that case there will be nbo efect on play-back. [MZ16-2210-PAUSE][MZ16-2210-CAESURA]

Mozart 16 version 16.0.1

October 2022

• Thanks to Cedric Brownlaw for pointing out that a warning on saving a new format over an older one was wrongly worded. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2209-FORMAT]
• Thanks to Keith Williamson for comments on extracting musicians' parts. Thus far this has led to two improvments: if the score is at concert pitch and all parts are extracted, it now only asks once if you want them at written pitch! [MZ16-2209-WRITTEN]; if you extract parts with no layout specified, there is now a warning (which can be switched off) [MZ16-2209-LAYOUT].
• Thanks to Lindsay Lorden, Tony Caporn, Claude Tallet, and Michael Iscenko for discovering problems trying to arpeggiate some chords across a grand staff. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2209-ARPEGGIO]
• Thanks to both Lindsay and Keith for finding infelicitous drawing of tuplet digits. This is now much improved. [MZ16-2209-TUPLET]
• Thanks again to Lindsay and to Max Timmermans for highlighting problems setting the copyright field. The cause was unclear but it seems to be fixed now.
• Thanks to Greg Dunn, Richard Mills, and Barry Brooks for reporting problems importing MusicXML. Whilst we've been unable to duplicate the precise reported problem, the sample file Greg sent was not importing correctly: the result was improperly formatted. This latter problem, at least, is fixed. [MZ16-2209-IMPORT]
• Thanks to Jeroen Neve for finding that Undo after a sequence of staccato operations undid them all, rather than just the last. The cause was at a surprisingly low level, but is now fixed. [MZ16-2210-UNDO]
• Thanks also to Jeroen for exxposing infelicitous behaviour when pasting over a truncation object in mid piece. This is now fixed. [MZ16-2210-PASTE]
• Thanks to Michael Iscenko for his report of problems deleting a grace note. This led to a realisation of further problems (immediate or delayed) whenever deleting a grace note with an attachment (eg text or dynamics). This eventuality is now catered for. [MZ16-2210-ORPHANS]
• Thanks to Chris Beeson for reporting his frustration with lots of warnings that Mozart would hide unwanted staves and lyric lines before printing. And to Keith Williamson, Lindsay Lorden, and Oonagh Griffith for piling in and agreeing with him. The repetition of the warning for printing and related operations was a bug: it is now fixed so it only appears once for any given operation. But furthermore, it would appear preferable to many not to see it at all, and so it is now included in the set of warnings which come with a check box "Do not show this warning in futrure." [MZ16-2210-WARNCOLLAPSE]

MOZART 16

September 2022

Mozart 16 released with the following new features.

(See "New in Mozart 16" for illustrations.)

• Playback with more than 16 MIDI channels (using FluidSynth and a choice of SoundFonts);
• Save .wav and .mp3 files;
• Expression in play-back: includes cresc/dim over long notes;
• Illustrations: text boxes with pictures rather than text. (Vector graphic files .emf and .wmf can be imported.);
• Lyric lines: unnecessary space is removed;
• Music breaks are enhanced. They now better separate different 'pieces' within a .mz file making repeat structures including DS DC Coda Segno local to the current piece (=section between music breaks);
• Arpeggiation may now span all the stranfds on a given stave;
• Arpeggiation timing on playback is now user-configurable;
• Laissez Vibrer and Arpeggiation are now easier to introduce;
• The Caret may now show leger lines making its 'pitch' easier to assess.
• Text- (and picture-) boxes may now have borders on all or some sides.
• Text in the music may also be shown with a border.
• Repeat bar lines may have optional 'end notches'.
• Dynamics in a repeated section may be defined differently for playback the first and second time through.
• abc import from large abc files now allows you to filter which pieces from the file you wish to open.
• Phrase marks are now highlighted more clearly when editing. They are drawn entirely in the focus colour when the caret lands on a control point.

Other improvements:

• Layout: text boxes - the dialogue box listing text boxes is improved.
• Dynamics: default positioning of dynamics is improved.
• Swing style can be changed within a file
• Short ties and slurs are shown with improved rendering.
• abc export now includes grace notes.