A description of how to encode ligature brackets in **kern spines.

Ligatures are are sequences of notes attached to each other in mensural music. When notating the music in modern notation, typically a bracket will be placed over the separated notes to indicate that the group of notes were originally notated in a ligature.

Use *lig to start a ligature bracket, and *Xlig to end a ligature bracket in **kern data:

Coloration brackets

Coloration brackets can be displayed by using *col and *Xcol to mark the beginning and ending of the coloration in an original mensuration notation of the score. Below is a mensural notation excerpt of Ockeghem’s Missa Ecce ancilla domini, tenor part:

Ockghem coloration example
Ockeghem: Missa Ecce ancilla domini, Kyrie, Tenor part opening.

The black notes are colored, so marked with open brackets in the modern notation equivalent below.