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A copyist is a person who makes written copies. In ancient times, a scrivener was also called a calligraphus
Calligraphus

A calligraphus was an ancient copyist or scrivener, who transcribed correctly and in its entirety what the Notary public had taken down in notes, or minutes—duties similar to the modern work of engrossing....
 (pl. calligraphi). The term's modern use is almost entirely confined to music copyists, who are employed by the music industry to produce neat copies from a composer
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
 or arranger's manuscript.

l the 1990s, most copyists worked by hand to write out scores and individual instrumental parts neatly, using used a calligraphy
Calligraphy

Calligraphy is the art of writing . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner" ....
 pen, manuscript paper
Manuscript paper

Manuscript paper is paper preprinted with Staff ready for musical notation. Manuscript paper is also available for drum notation and Tabulature....
, and often a ruler.






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A copyist is a person who makes written copies. In ancient times, a scrivener was also called a calligraphus
Calligraphus

A calligraphus was an ancient copyist or scrivener, who transcribed correctly and in its entirety what the Notary public had taken down in notes, or minutes—duties similar to the modern work of engrossing....
 (pl. calligraphi). The term's modern use is almost entirely confined to music copyists, who are employed by the music industry to produce neat copies from a composer
Composer

A composer is a person who creates music, usually in the medium of musical notation, for interpretation and performance. The level of distinction between composers and other musicians varies, which affects issues such as copyright and the deference given to individual interpretations of a particular piece of music....
 or arranger's manuscript.

Music copyists

Until the 1990s, most copyists worked by hand to write out scores and individual instrumental parts neatly, using used a calligraphy
Calligraphy

Calligraphy is the art of writing . A contemporary definition of calligraphic practice is "the art of giving form to signs in an expressive, harmonious and skillful manner" ....
 pen, manuscript paper
Manuscript paper

Manuscript paper is paper preprinted with Staff ready for musical notation. Manuscript paper is also available for drum notation and Tabulature....
, and often a ruler. In the 1990s, copyists began using scorewriters - computer programs which are the music notation equivalent of a word processor. (Such programs include Finale
Finale (computer program)

Finale is the flagship program of a series of proprietary software scorewriters created by MakeMusic for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X. Finale was long-regarded as the industry-standard notation software during the early 1990s, though there is more recently some debate as to whether there is a true industry-standard....
 and Sibelius).

Both handwritten and computer-based copying require a significant understanding of musical notation
Musical notation

Music notation or musical notation is any system which represents aurally perceived music, through the use of written Modern musical symbols....
, music theory
Music theory

Music theory is the field of study that deals with how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It identifies patterns that govern composer techniques....
, the musical styles and conventions of different styles of music (e.g., regarding appropriate ornamentation), and strong attention to detail and past conventions.

See also

  • Scrivener
    Scrivener

    A scrivener was traditionally a person who could literacy. This usually indicated secretary and Administration duties such as dictation and keeping business, judicial, and history records for monarchs, nobility, temples, and municipality....
  • Scorewriter
    Scorewriter

    A scorewriter, or music notation program, is software used to automate the task of writing and Music engraving sheet music. A scorewriter is to music notation what a word processor is to written text....
  • Music engraving
    Music engraving

    Music engraving is the art of drawing music notation at high quality for the purpose of mechanical reproduction. The term music copying is almost equivalent, though music engraving implies a higher degree of skill and quality, usually for publication....
  • Arrangement
    Arrangement

    In music, an arrangement is either a rewriting of a piece of existing music with additional new material or a fleshing-out of a compositional sketch, such as a lead sheet....


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