Table of Contents
PostScript experiment
You open the prophets and your eyes are able to see nothing but the letters. But what can the letters say?
They are the black bars of the prison where the spirit strangles itself with screaming.
Between the letters and the lines, and all around the blank margins, the spirit circulates freely;
and I circulate with it and bring you this great message: Friars, first came the wings and then the angel!”
— Nikos Kazantzakis - The Last Temptation of Christ (Translation by P.A. Bien)
Global Constants
/w 900 def /h 10 def /p 50 def
Time signature: 4/4
Because clef signs are hard to draw, on a single staff "G" is on the second line (treble).
Staff
A staff is made up of five parallel lines.
/w 900 def /h 10 def /p 50 def /staff { 5 { 0 0 moveto w 0 lineto stroke 0 h translate } repeat } def
/w 900 def /h 10 def /p 50 def /staff { 5 { 0 0 moveto w 0 lineto stroke 0 h translate } repeat } def 50 50 translate staff
Grand Staff
/gstaff { 2 { lines 0 50 translate } repeat } def 50 50 translate
/w 900 def /h 10 def /p 50 def /staff { 5 { 0 0 moveto w 0 lineto stroke 0 h translate } repeat } def
Repeated Bars
/lines { 5 { 0 0 moveto 900 0 lineto stroke 0 10 translate } repeat } def /bars { 2 { 0 0 moveto 0 40 lineto stroke 5 0 translate } repeat } def 50 50 translate 5 { gsave lines grestore gsave 4 { gsave bars grestore 225 0 translate } repeat grestore 0 100 translate } repeat
Rests
/lines { 5 { 0 0 moveto 900 0 lineto stroke 0 10 translate } repeat } def /bars { 2 { 0 0 moveto 0 40 lineto stroke 5 0 translate } repeat } def 50 50 translate 5 { gsave lines grestore gsave 4 { gsave bars grestore 225 0 translate } repeat grestore 0 100 translate } repeat
Notes
/lines { 5 { 0 0 moveto 900 0 lineto stroke 0 10 translate } repeat } def /bars { 2 { 0 0 moveto 0 40 lineto stroke 5 0 translate } repeat } def /notes { 10 20 890 { rand 10 mod 7 ge { rand 5 mod 10 mul 5 0 360 arc closepath fill } if } for } def 50 50 translate 5 { gsave lines grestore gsave 4 { gsave bars grestore 225 0 translate } repeat grestore gsave notes grestore 0 100 translate } repeat
Note Decoration
/lines { 5 { 0 0 moveto 900 0 lineto stroke 0 10 translate } repeat } def /bars { 2 { 0 0 moveto 0 40 lineto stroke 5 0 translate } repeat } def /note { 0 0 5 0 360 arc closepath fill 5 0 moveto 0 30 rlineto stroke } def /notes { 10 20 890 { rand 10 mod 7 ge { gsave rand 5 mod 10 mul translate note grestore } if } for } def 50 50 translate 5 { gsave lines grestore gsave 4 { gsave bars grestore 225 0 translate } repeat grestore gsave notes grestore 0 100 translate } repeat
Beams
/lines { 5 { 0 0 moveto 900 0 lineto stroke 0 10 translate } repeat } def /bars { 2 { 0 0 moveto 0 40 lineto stroke 5 0 translate } repeat } def /note { 0 0 5 0 360 arc closepath fill 5 0 translate 0 0 moveto 0 30 rlineto stroke } def /notes { /last -1 def 10 20 890 { /x exch def rand 10 mod 7 ge { /y rand 5 mod def gsave x y 10 mul translate gsave note grestore last y eq { 5 25 moveto -15 25 lineto -15 30 lineto 5 30 lineto closepath fill } if grestore /last y def }{ /last -1 def } ifelse } for } def 50 50 translate 5 { gsave lines grestore gsave 4 { gsave bars grestore 225 0 translate } repeat grestore gsave notes grestore 0 100 translate } repeat
Slight Digression
/lines { 5 { 0 0 moveto 100 0 lineto stroke 0 10 translate } repeat } def /bars { 2 { 0 0 moveto 0 40 lineto stroke 5 0 translate } repeat } def /note { 0 0 5 0 360 arc closepath fill 5 0 translate 0 0 moveto 0 30 rlineto stroke } def /notes { /last -1 def 12.5 25.0 100.1 { /x exch def rand 10 mod 7 ge { /y rand 5 mod def gsave x y 10 mul translate gsave note grestore last y eq { 5 25 moveto -20 25 lineto -20 30 lineto 5 30 lineto closepath fill } if grestore /last y def }{ /last -1 def } ifelse } for } def /tri { 2 dict begin /y exch def /x exch def x 0 eq y 0 eq and { true } { x 2 mod y 2 mod mul 1 eq { false } { x 2 idiv y 2 idiv tri } ifelse } ifelse end } def 50 50 translate 0.5 0.5 scale 0 1 16 { /i exch def gsave 0 1 16 { dup i tri { 2 mod 0 eq { gsave bars grestore } if gsave lines grestore gsave notes grestore } if 100 0 translate } for grestore 0 100 translate } for
