Source: notes file
Date: 2005-02-24
File name: apex/S22441b
Keywords: STAGE
<SP> tags had been placed around stage directions both when there is no speaker and also when directions have nothing to do with the current/last speaker.
PFS: to clarify, <STAGE> directions may be placed either between speeches or within speeches. The former is best when the stage direction occurs in the middle of a speech, or (at the beginning or end of a speech), when the the direction relates to the speech, e.g.
<SP>
<SPEAKER>John</SPEAKER>
<STAGE>Aside.</STAGE>
<P>They'll never hear this whisper</P>
</STAGE>
But if the stage directions fall genuinely between speeches, there is no need to wrap them in <SP> tags. E.g.,
...</SP>
<STAGE>As the crowd disperses, a noise is heard off-stage.</STAGE>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>John</SPEAKER>
<L>That noise was so loud,</L>
<L>It dispersed the crowd.</L>
</SP>
is fine. There's no need to use an extra <SP> element:
...</SP>
<SP><STAGE>As the crowd disperses, a noise is heard off-stage.</STAGE></SP>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>John</SPEAKER>
<L>That noise was so loud,</L>
<L>It dispersed the crowd.</L>
</SP>,/p>
Source: notes file
Date: 20 Aug 2002
File name: S19532
Keywords: STAGE, speech
Have made the last speech a DIV2 as it has a heading. The first speech also has a heading, but didn't want to make every speech a DIV so the heading "The Presenters speech" appears and then an SP follows with the words of the speech.
PFS: Small heading-like notes within a drama can sometimes be tagged legitimately as <STAGE>; or, in this case, perhaps even as <SPEAKER>.
Source: notes file
Date: 12 Mar 2003
File name: Ws564
Keywords: drama
APEX had some problems with the following tags:
<TABLE> - was sometimes used when <LIST> was more appropriate.
<L> - was used for a single line of speech, even though not in verse.
I globally changed all <L>s to <P>s.
<STAGE> - was put within <SP> tags [pfs: even when no speech was present?]
Since what was put in <STAGE> was more part of the narrative than a stage
direction, I changed most <STAGE>s to <P> (and moved them outside the <SP> tags).
<Q> - because <Q> can't be used within <SP> tags there was a problem
with the clerk of the court reading from statutes (his speech had marginal quotes).
APEX put <Q>s within each paragraph, and "Clerk reads" within <SPEAKER>,
which was ok, but as "CLerk reads" is a description rather than a person
I decided not to use <SP> tags at all. I did <P>Clerk reads</P>
<Q><P>Statute from 1st March</P> <P>blah</P></Q>
Hope this is ok!
PFS: If this were a play, I'd be inclined to more rigorous use of the drama tags. But it isn't--it's an account of a trial, that dips repeatedly into drama-like direct reporting of speeches. In a case like this, I think it's perfectly legitimate to follow suit and use the drama tags only when they're appropriate, and revert to plain <P> and <Q> when you feel that drama tags (STAGE SP etc.) would be strained. Sounds ok to me. The lack of Q within SP is a problem in TEI itself, not just in the EEBO dtd. AS mentioned befre, we may well consider adding Q to the content model of SP, maybe soon.
Source: notes file
Date: 17 Jun 2004
File name: Wm1986
Keywords: drama, song
Two of the songs in this play presented tagging difficulties, especially the song on image 17. This song has distinct line-groups numbered 1 through 5, in which there are multiple speakers ("Omn." and "Ans." -- the latter, I suspect, is an abbreviation of "Answer," which is more of a stage direction). And, to add to the confusion, there's no clear indication of who the primary singer(s) of the song is (or are). Because the file wouldn't validate with overlapping SP and LG tags, I ended up treating the entire thing as a <Q><TEXT><BODY><DIV1 TYPE="song">, and instead of <SPEAKER> tags for the points at which a new singer is indicated, I treated these as stage directions instead. This isn't an ideal solution, but it seemed like the best possible approximation. I treated the refrain by "Omn." in the song on images 18-19 similarly, but the structure (two recognizable singers) was less complex. Again, not ideal, but at least an approximation. (Over to you, Paul!)
PFS: this is a fairly common problem, and always leads to either shortchanging the verse or shortchanging the drama. All things being equal, we tend to prefer to shortchange the verse--break up stanzas and even individual lines between different speakers. In this case (img 17), however, with no clear attribution of speakers, I thought best to leave it as you left it, as a single unit (LG) within a SP, with the possible speaker indicators left as STAGE directions.
I did change it from a Q TEXT BODY DIV1 TYPE="song" to a simpler LG TYPE="song" And I removed it from the speech of the previous speaker, who did not seem to be the singer, and place it in a SP tag of its own.
I also put back the literal stanza numbers as <HEAD>1.</HEAD> etc., since these had been removed to N attributes of the LG tag. (they should be in both places.)
I made some slight modifications to the song in 18-19 too: put it in Q TEXT BODY in order to provide a DIV for the <HEAD>Song</HEAD> to be head of;, then divided into speeches containing LGs.
Source: notes file
Date: 2 Dec or 12 Feb 2003
File name: Ws2713
Keywords: STAGE, OPENER
Changed BYLINEs to OPENERs.
PFS: these were for notes about who recited the piece ("spoken by ..."). They're not BYLINEs, which serve to attribute authoriship; they *might* be taken as STAGE directions; but OPENER will do.
Source: notes file
Date: 22 Aug 2003
File name: Wp3058
Keywords: STAGE, BYLINE
Added BYLINE tags around "spoken by" information in prologue and epilogue.
PFS: since 'spoken by' lines attribute performance, rather than authorship, I've always been dubious about tagging them as BYLINE (though I know that responsibility for performance is analagous to responsibility for authorship and that there are things to be said in favor of both ).
I usually use <STAGE>, especially if the statement seems related to a particular performance. Since we need a decision on this point, mine is: (1) use <HEAD> as an acceptable fallback, especially if the 'spoken by...' portion is not typographically distinct from the rest of the <HEAD>; and (2) if there is reason (e.g., separate line or other visual distinction) to tag the line separately, prefer <STAGE> to <BYLINE>.
Source: notes file
Date: 26 Mar 2004
File name: S25115-3
Keywords: STAGE
This text is two sermons. Mid-way through each one it says "Here the Prayer was made". There is a decorated letter starting the next bit of the sermon. However, it seems to me to be more a comment on what went on in the service than a structural division of the sermon. I wasn't sure how to tag it - something like <stage> would have been nice, but in the end went for <P><HI> (HI because of the slightly larger typeface).
PFS: STAGE can in fact appear almost anywhere; and it does not seem wholly inappropriate to me in any description of performance, whether it be drama or ritual. So maybe STAGE is the way to go after all.
Source: notes file
Date: 1 Nov 2004
File name: S13957
Keywords: STAGE, music
In the hunting song at the end of this musical text there are words to the song mixed up with descriptions of what's going on in the imaginary hunt, with different fonts for each. PDCC didn't capture any of the descriptions so I added them in <HI>, even though it makes the text a little harder to read, eg:
<GAP DESC="MUSIC">is on foot, on foote
<HI>The Hounds hunt still</HI>
Harke, harke, harke Beuty Dainty prates .ii.
<GAP DESC="MUSIC">Beuty Dainty prates
<HI>the Hounds hunt</HI> the crie is full
<HI>the hounds hunt</HI> .ii. harke how they holde the crie
<HI>the hounds hunt</HI> .ii. .ii. <GAP DESC="MUSIC">
<HI>the huntsman rates</HI> but soft the Huntsman rates the hunts|man
<GAP DESC="MUSIC">rates <HI>the hunt fals</HI> Clowder hunts
Counter and so doth Mountet .ii. .ii.
PFS: I wonder if we could get away with <STAGE> for these descriptive bits of dramatic instruction?
Source: notes file
Date: 30 Sep 2004
File name: S17429
Keywords: STAGE, SPEAKER
Altered structure of troublesome "Enter Chorus"'s, which are both stage-directions and speech-prefixes, by splitting them [pfs: not altogether happily--but it follows the examples given in the TEI documentation...] thus:
<STAGE>Enter</STAGE>
<SP><SPEAKER>Chorus.</SPEAKER>
<L>Cut is the branch that might haue growne ful straight,</L>
PFS: I found this following bit troubling; are the maledictions really stage directions, for example? Surely they are chanted as part of the curse. It's not clear to me whether the chanted lines of the curse should be treated as verse, either; I'm slightly inclined to say not, though if they were, it would make it easier to separate the curse as a LG TYPE="curse" as we do with LG TYPE="song". I'm also not sure whether the curse chanted by all the friars should be part of the same speech as the line by a single friar, but I'm pretty sure that CHORUS's lines and the friars' curse should not be in the same speech.
<STAGE>Enter all the Friers to sing the Dirge.</STAGE>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Frier.</SPEAKER>
<P>Come brethren, lets about our businesse with good
deuotion.</P>
<STAGE>Sing this.</STAGE>
<L>Cursed be hee that stole away his holinesse meate
from the table.</L>
<STAGE>maledicat dominus.</STAGE>
<L>Cursed be hee that strooke his holinesse a blowe on the face.</L>
<STAGE>maledicat dominus.</STAGE>
<L>Cursed be he that tooke Frier <HI>Sandelo</HI> a blow on the pate.</L>
<STAGE>male, &c.</STAGE>
<L>Cursed be he that disturbeth our holy Dirge.</L>
<STAGE>male, &c.</STAGE>
<L>Cursed be he that tooke away his holinesse wine.</L>
<STAGE>maledicat dominus.</STAGE>
<STAGE>Et omnes sanct<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1"> Amen.</STAGE>
<STAGE>Beate the Friers, and fling fier-workes among
them, and so Exeunt.</STAGE>
<STAGE>Enter Chorus.</STAGE>
<L>UUhen Faustus had with pleasure tane the view</L>
<L>Of rarest things, and royal courts of kings,</L>
<L>Hée stayde his course, and so returned home,</L>
<L>Where such as beare his absence, but with grie<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1">e,</L>
<L>I meane his friends and nearest companions,</L>
<L>Did gratulate his safetie with kinde words,</L>
<L>And in their conference of what befell,</L>
<L>Touching his iourney through the world and ayre,</L>
<L>They put forth questions of Astrologie,</L>
<L><PB REF="15">
UUhich <HI>Faustus</HI> answerd with such learned skill,</L>
<L>As they admirde and <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> at his wit.</L>
<L>Now is his fame spread forth in euery land,</L>
<L>Amongst the rest the Emperour is <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word">,</L>
<L><HI>Carolus</HI> the fift, at who<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1">e pallace now</L>
<L>Faustus is feasted m<GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1">ngst his noble men.</L>
<L>UUhat there he did in triall of his art,</L>
<L>I leaue vntold, your eyes shall see performd.</L>
<STAGE>Exit.</STAGE>
</SP>
I ended up doing this:
<STAGE>Enter all the Friers to sing the Dirge.</STAGE>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Frier.</SPEAKER>
<P>Come brethren, lets about our businesse with good
deuotion.</P>
</SP>
<SP>
<STAGE>Sing this.</STAGE>
<P>Cursed be hee that stole away his holinesse meate
from the table.
<LB><HI>maledicat dominus.</HI>
<LB>Cursed be hee that strooke his holinesse a blowe on the face.
<LB><HI>maledicat dominus.</HI>
<LB>Cursed be he that tooke Frier <HI>Sandelo</HI> a blow on the pate.
<LB><HI>male, &c.</HI>
<LB>Cursed be he that disturbeth our holy Dirge.
<LB><HI>male, &c.</HI>
<LB>Cursed be he that tooke away his holinesse wine.
<LB><HI>maledicat dominus.</HI>
<LB><HI>Et omnes sancti. Amen.</HI>
</SP>
<STAGE>Beate the Friers, and fling fier-workes among
them, and so Exeunt.</STAGE>
<STAGE>Enter</STAGE>
<SP>
<SPEAKER>Chorus.</SPEAKER>
<L>UUhen Faustus had with pleasure tane the view</L>
<L>Of rarest things, and royal courts of kings,</L>
<L>Hée stayde his course, and so returned home,</L>
<L>Where such as beare his absence, but with griefe,</L>
<L>I meane his friends and nearest companions,</L>
<L>Did gratulate his safetie with kinde words,</L>
<L>And in their conference of what befell,</L>
<L>Touching his iourney through the world and ayre,</L>
<L>They put forth questions of Astrologie,</L>
<L><PB REF="15">
UUhich <HI>Faustus</HI> answerd with such learned skill,</L>
<L>As they admirde and <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word"> at his wit.</L>
<L>Now is his fame spread forth in euery land,</L>
<L>Amongst the rest the Emperour is <GAP DESC="illegible" EXTENT="1 word">,</L>
<L><HI>Carolus</HI> the fift, at whose pallace now</L>
<L>Faustus is feasted mongst his noble men.</L>
<L>UUhat there he did in triall of his art,</L>
<L>I leaue vntold, your eyes shall see performd.</L>
<STAGE>Exit.</STAGE>
</SP>
Source: notes file
Date: 23 May 2003
File name: Ww732
Keywords: Q, drama
This is a dialogue where one of the speakers reads out a play he has found. As you can't have <Q> or <SP> within another <SP> I have put the quoted bits in <Q> tags, breaking them occasionally for interjections. eg.
<SP><SPEAKER>a</SPEAKER>
I read...</SP>
<Q>
<SP><SPEAKER>Beer</SPEAKER><L>Beer is better than claret.</L></SP>
<SP><SPEAKER>Claret</SPEAKER><L>No, claret is best.</L></SP>
</Q>
<SP><P>What a great play!</P></SP>
<Q>
<SP>.... etc
PFS: why not simply start a new P and embed the Q in that? E.g.:
<SP><SPEAKER>a</SPEAKER>
<P>I read...</P>
<P><Q>
<SP><SPEAKER>Beer</SPEAKER><L>Beer is better than claret.</L></SP>
<SP><SPEAKER>Claret</SPEAKER><L>No, claret is best.</L></SP>
</Q></P>
<P>What a great play!</P>
<P><Q>
<SP>.... etc</SP></Q></P></SP>