Titles
Titles and headers
Adding the current date to a score
With a little Scheme code, the current date can easily be added to a
score.
% first, define a variable to hold the formatted date:
date = #(strftime "%d-%m-%Y" (localtime (current-time)))
% use it in the title block:
\header {
  title = "Including the date!"
  subtitle = \date
}
\score {
  \relative c'' {
    c4 c c c
  }
}
% and use it in a \markup block:
\markup {
  \date
}
 
  
 
Aligning and centering instrument names
The horizontal alignment of instrument names is tweaked by changing the
Staff.InstrumentName #'self-alignment-X property. The
\layout variables indent and short-indent define
the space in which the instrument names are aligned before the first
and the following systems, respectively.
\paper {
  left-margin = 3\cm
}
\score {
  \new StaffGroup <<
    \new Staff {
      \override Staff.InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #LEFT
      \set Staff.instrumentName = \markup \left-column {
        "Left aligned"
        "instrument name"
      }
      \set Staff.shortInstrumentName = #"Left"
      c''1
      \break
      c''1
    }
    \new Staff {
      \override Staff.InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #CENTER
      \set Staff.instrumentName = \markup \center-column {
        Centered
        "instrument name"
      }
      \set Staff.shortInstrumentName = #"Centered"
      g'1
      g'1
    }
    \new Staff {
      \override Staff.InstrumentName.self-alignment-X = #RIGHT
      \set Staff.instrumentName = \markup \right-column {
        "Right aligned"
        "instrument name"
      }
      \set Staff.shortInstrumentName = #"Right"
      e'1
      e'1
    }
  >>
  \layout {
    ragged-right = ##t
    indent = 4\cm
    short-indent = 2\cm
  }
}
 
  
 
Demonstrating all headers
All header fields with special meanings.
\header {
  copyright = "copyright"
  title = "title"
  subtitle = "subtitle"
  composer = "composer"
  arranger = "arranger"
  instrument = "instrument"
  metre = "metre"
  opus = "opus"
  piece = "piece"
  poet = "poet"
  texidoc = "All header fields with special meanings."
  copyright = "public domain"
  enteredby = "jcn"
  source = "urtext"
}
\layout {
  ragged-right = ##f
}
\score {
  \relative c'' { c1 | c | c | c }
}
\score {
   \relative c'' { c1 | c | c | c }
   \header {
     title = "localtitle"
     subtitle = "localsubtitle"
     composer = "localcomposer"
     arranger = "localarranger"
     instrument = "localinstrument"
     metre = "localmetre"
     opus = "localopus"
     piece = "localpiece"
     poet = "localpoet"
     copyright = "localcopyright"
   }
}
 
  
 
Outputting the version number
By putting the output of
    lilypond-version into a lyric, it is possible to print the
    version number of LilyPond in a score, or in a document generated
    with lilypond-book.  Another possibility is to append the
    version number to the doc-string, in this manner:
\score {
  \new Lyrics {
    \override Score.RehearsalMark.self-alignment-X = #LEFT
    \mark #(string-append "Processed with LilyPond version " (lilypond-version))
    s2
  }
}