Because moveable type was unable to duplicate many of the details of hand-written manuscripts, more elaborate methods of printing music were adopted. Engraving was the next technique used to print music. The basic process of engraving was to plan out the lines, spaces, and layout on paper where the page turns are also determined.

Next, the distance between the staves was planned. Planning depended on how high or low the notes were from the staves and on aesthetics. The staves were then etched into a flat, rectangular plate made of zinc, copper, or pewter with a five-pronged device called a rastral (1).

A steel nib was then used to write the music onto the plate in reverse (2). The spacing of the notes depended on their length. Half notes were spaced further apart while sixteenth notes were spaced closer together.

Fixed symbols such as note heads and clefs were then hammered into the metal using special music punches and a hammer (3). Care was taken so that the notes would appear in mirror image so that printing would appear from left to right. Other symbols such as beams, stems, text, and long slurs were engraved by hand (4).

As the engraver proceeded, the back of the plate was lightly hammered to reduce tension. Corrections were made by marking the back of the plate with calipers where the mistake was made in the front. The error was then hammered out, and the lines and music redrawn. Once finished, a rasp was used to remove any protruding pieces of metal and the plate was polished.

When the plate was inked, the depressions would hold the ink. The engraving plates were then imprinted onto paper using a printing press. As technology progressed, the depressions were not filled with ink. Instead, the plate was inked so that the depressions would appear white on the paper. This was in effect a negative (5) and was used to create a positive.

Today music is set with music software, but some music publishing companies such as G. Henle Verlag continued to engrave music by hand until the year 2000.

Fig. 1 - A rastral is used to etch the staves into the plate.

Fig. 2 - A pen with a steel point is used to write the music on the plate in reverse.

Fig. 3 - A special steel punch is used to hammer a note head into the plate.

Fig. 4 - A tool is used to cut a long slur.

Fig. 5 - At first, music used to be printed directly from the plate, but continuous pressure destroyed the plate. As a result, a negative was printed from the plate and used to make copies.