Measure spanner

Revision as of 18:56, 16 November 2025 by Jean Abou Samra (talk | contribs) (Replace version="2.24.0" with version="2.24" now that the LilyWiki extension supports auto-selecting the latest release in a stable series)

Measure spanners are an alternate way to print annotated brackets. As opposed to horizontal brackets, they extend between two bar lines rather than two notes. The text is displayed in the center of the bracket.

\version "2.24"

\paper { tagline = ##f }

\layout {
  \context {
    \Staff
    \consists Measure_spanner_engraver
  }
}

<<
  \new Staff \relative c'' {
    \key d \minor
    R1*2
    \tweak text "Answer"
    \startMeasureSpanner
    \tuplet 3/2 8 {
      a16[ b c] d[ c b]  c[ d e] f[ e d]
    }
    e8 a gis g
    fis f e d~ d c b e
    \stopMeasureSpanner
  }
  \new Staff \relative c' {
    \key d \minor
    \tweak text "Subject"
    \tweak direction #DOWN
    \startMeasureSpanner
    \tuplet 3/2 8 {
      d16[ e f] g[ f e] f[ g a] bes[ a g]
    }
    a8 d cis c
    b bes a g~ g f e a
    \stopMeasureSpanner
    \tweak text "Counter-subject"
    \tweak direction #DOWN
    \startMeasureSpanner
    f8 e a r r16 b, c d e fis g e
    a gis a b c fis, b a gis e a4 g8
    \stopMeasureSpanner
  }
>>