Additions to the Helmholtz-Ellis Just Intonation accidentals range

[dspreadbury]

We will need to add a new “Extended Helmholtz-Ellis accidentals (just intonation) supplement” range to house these new symbols, as only four remain in the existing range (U+E2FC through U+E2FF).

I’m not sure we can remove U+E2FA and U+E2FB even if they have been deprecated, as there will be people out there who are still using them. So we can mark them as deprecated, and perhaps add a note to say why (though you will have to provide me with that information, as I don’t know enough about your system to be able to parse out why these are now deprecated).

So if I understand correctly, you want to change the description of U+E2F9 somehow (how, exactly?), and then add five further “reinterpret accidental tildes”.

U+E2F9 – edit name (perhaps to “Enharmonically reinterpret accidental tilde raising 1”?)
U+E2FA – mark deprecated
U+E3FB – mark deprecated
U+EXXX – Enharmonically reinterpret accidental tilde raising 2
U+EXXX – Enharmonically reinterpret accidental tilde raising 3
U+EXXX – Enharmonically reinterpret accidental tilde lowering 1
U+EXXX – Enharmonically reinterpret accidental tilde lowering 2
U+EXXX – Enharmonically reinterpret accidental tilde lowering 3
U+EXXX – 2 strokes top left to bottom right (lower by 2 x 1/5 or 1/6 Syntonic comma?)
U+EXXX – 2 strokes bottom left to top right (raise by 2 x 1/5 or 1/6 Syntonic comma?)
U+EXXX – 3 strokes top left to bottom right (lower by 3 x 1/5 or 1/6 Syntonic comma?)
U+EXXX – 3 strokes bottom left to top right (raise by 3 x 1/5 or 1/6 Syntonic comma?)
U+EXXX – Arbitrary JI harmonic relationship (overtonal)
U+EXXX – Arbitrary JI harmonic relationship (undertonal)

I asked Marc whether the intention is to include all of those accidentals, or only the combining comma below and above or dot below and above? So is it a further 20 glyphs, or is it just two (or possibly four, for combining dot/comma above/below)? He replied:

Regarding the Vicentino Symbols:

“The Italian composer and music theorist Nicola Vicentino devised two signs for his extended ¼-comma meantone / 31-edo system and an adaptive Just Intonation variant tuning, both published in 1555. The following symbols adapt and extended his symbols as modifications of all the standard sharps, naturals, and flats.”

Regarding the combined glyphs: I personally find it easier to have combined glyphs which are optimised to avoid the collision of the dot and comma with staff lines, by positioning these nicely. However, maybe your suggestion of a comma and dot with optimal design for combination with the standard signs is an elegant and flexible solution allowing for more different styles of comma. It would be good if the two glyphs can be “overtyped” in the “BravuraText” variant of the font.

Files provided by Marc:
SMuFL 2023 HEJI additions.docx
SMuFL 2023 HEJI additions.pdf