Mozart Transposition Engine

Introduction

Mr. Mozart

The Mozart Transposition Engine is a custom-developed software toolchain for creating transposed, mirror image scores for use with the Kundalini Piano Mirroring Platform.


Toolchain

The toolchain consists of two primary parts:

  • Mozart-Compile: Python script which is responsible for parsing text files in GNU LilyPond format, and creating transposed, mirror image versions of them.
  • Mozart-Make: a ‘make-style’ driver program responsible for invoking Mozart-Compile and organizing the resultant output

Additional Background on GNU Lilypond

GNU LilyPond is arguably one of my overall favorite pieces of software engineering; it is a masterpiece on so many levels!!

LilyPond is a compiler which takes a textual description of a score, and produces beautifully-engraved graphical output.

For example, LilyPond creates input like this:

\version "2.18.2"

global = {
  \time 2/4
  \language english
}

right = \relative c' {
  \key d \major
  \global
  <a' d fs a>8
  <a fs' a>8
  
  <a fs' a>8
  (<a d fs>8)
  
  <a cs e g>8
  <a e' g>8
  <a e' g>8
  (<a cs e>8)
  <a d fs>8
  <fs a d>8
  <g a e'>8
  <e a cs>8
  <fs a d>8
  <a fs'>8
  <fs d'>8
  r8
  
}

left = \relative c, {
  \key d \major
  \global
  
  
  d32 
  ( d' cs d a d fs, d'
  d,e fs g
  a b-3 cs d
  )
  
  a( a' gs a
  e a cs,
  a' a, b cs d
  e fs gs a)
  
  d,(e fs g
  a b-3 cs d) 
  
  a, (b cs d
  e fs gs a)
  
  d,, (d' cs d a d fs, d')
  
  d8
  r8
}

\score {
  
  \new PianoStaff \with {
    instrumentName = "Piano"
  } <<
    
	\new Staff = "right" \with {
    } { \clef treble \right }
    
	\new Staff = "left" \with {
    } { \clef bass \left }
	
  >>
  
  \layout { }
  
}

and creates output like this:

The Mozart transposition Engine is responsible for taking the original lilypond input and producing a symmetrically-inverted output:

\version "2.18.2"

\pointAndClickOff 

global = {
  \time 2/4
  \language english
}

right = \relative c''' {
  \key af \major
  \global
  
  c32 
  ( c, df c f c af' c,
  c' bf af g
  f ef df c
  )
  
  f'(f, gf f 
  bf f df' f, 
  f' ef df c bf af gf f)
  
  c'( bf af g
  f ef df c)
  
  f'(ef df c bf af gf f)
  
  c'
  ( c, df c f c af' c,)
  
  c'8
  r8
  
}

left = \relative c, {
  \key af \major
  \global
    
  <f af c f>8
  <f af f'>8
  <f af f'>8
  (
    <f' c af>8
  )
  
  <f df bf g>8
  <f bf, g>8
  <f bf, g>8
  <f bf, df>8
  
  <f c af>8
  <af f c>8
  <g f bf,>
  <bf f df>
  <af f c>
  <f af,>
  <af c,>
}

\score {
  \new PianoStaff \with {
    instrumentName = "Piano"
  } <<
    \new Staff = "right" \with {
      midiInstrument = "acoustic grand"
    } \right
    \new Staff = "left" \with {
      midiInstrument = "acoustic grand"
    } { \clef bass \left }
  >>
  \layout { }
  \midi {
    \tempo 4=100
  }
}

Which is then ran through LilyPond again to produce the Mirror-Image output:

Next Steps