Sheet Music Versions: One Piece, Many Editions

A glance into any choir folder shows: hardly any piece exists in just one edition. There is the choral score for everyone, the piano reduction for rehearsals, a transposed edition for a special concert and perhaps an extract for a single voice part. This is exactly what sheet music versions in Chorilo are for: all editions of a piece live in a single entry, and every member switches between them with one click or tap.

Why a piece rarely has just one edition

The reasons for multiple editions are as varied as choral life itself. An arrangement exists with and without piano accompaniment – accompanied for the Christmas concert, a cappella for the performance in church. A piece is available a tone lower because the original key is uncomfortable for the choir. For new members or for focused practice, an extract showing only one's own voice part is handy. And sometimes there are simply two editions from different publishers with a different look on the page.

Duplicate entries clutter the sheet music list

Without a solution for this everyday problem, each edition ends up as its own entry in the sheet music list. One piece quickly turns into three or four lines that differ only by a word in the title. Audio examples and tags have to be maintained several times, it is unclear which entry should be linked to an event, and in concert someone is guaranteed to open the wrong edition. The larger the repertoire, the more tedious the searching becomes.

How sheet music versions work

In Chorilo, each piece remains a single entry in the sheet music list – no matter how many editions of it exist. The individual editions live inside the piece as versions, each with its own freely chosen name such as “With piano”, “A cappella” or “Soprano only”. One edition is the default version: it opens first when someone calls up the piece. There is no limit to the number of versions; the files count towards your choir's storage space like all sheet music. Every member who may open the piece can also see all its versions.

Adding a new edition

You add new editions while editing the piece. There you will find the versions area, where the existing editions sit side by side as tabs. Using the button for a new version, you give it a descriptive name, choose the matching file and upload it – the new edition immediately appears as its own tab. Via the tabs, each edition can later be renamed, have its file replaced or be deleted again. Creating and managing versions is available to everyone who may edit sheet music.

The default version: what opens first

The default version is the edition most of the choir works with – usually the choral score. It is recognisable by the star in its tab and opens first, in the browser just as in the app. You decide with a single click which edition is the default. And should the default version ever be deleted, the next edition automatically takes its place, so the piece is never left without a starting point.

Switching between editions – on the computer and in the app

When viewing a piece in the browser, a selector appears above the preview as soon as several editions exist. One click is enough to display the other edition; downloading also always delivers exactly the edition currently selected. In the app, tapping the title of the opened piece brings up the selection of editions. If there is only one version, nothing changes about the familiar experience.

Annotations belong to their edition

Anyone who marks breathing points, highlights entries or writes notes in the margins wants to find those markings exactly where they made them. That is why annotations in Chorilo always belong to the edition in which they were made. If you switch editions, you see the markings of that edition – and a newly added version starts without any markings. This way your own marks always match the printed page, even if the editions have a different number of pages. When the file of an edition is replaced, you decide whether the members' annotations are kept or deleted; before deleting an edition, Chorilo asks once more to be sure.

What applies to all editions

Audio examples, tags and links to events belong to the piece itself, not to a single edition. A practice track therefore only needs to be uploaded once and is available in every edition. Events stay simple too: the piece is linked – which edition each person opens is up to them.

Three examples from everyday choir life

A mixed choir rehearses its concert programme with piano accompaniment but performs a cappella: both editions live as versions in the same piece, the accompanied edition is the default, and before the performance everyone switches to the a cappella edition with one tap. A children's choir sings a piece a tone lower than written: the transposed edition sits next to the original, and the conductor's annotations remain separate in both editions. And for new members, the librarian additionally provides an edition showing only their own voice part with lyrics – ideal for learning at home, without needing a second entry in the sheet music list.

Sheet music versions are available in Chorilo on the web and in the app. If your choir still manages its sheet music in folders and email attachments, now is a good moment to change that: you can try Chorilo free of charge – with a digital music folder, event planning and everything that makes choir life easier.