I'm not sure it will solve your problem but, technically speaking, when text is set to music nowadays (practice was different before 1600ish):
Guideline 1: words are almost always (there's no such thing as "always" in music) broken up with dashes between syllables or between double letters, as in syl-la-ble. This is assuming one, maybe two notes per syllable.
Guideline 2: If a single syllable gets several notes, there may be several dashes between syllables, though not necessarily one dash for each note. So "Syl---la-ble" would have a short melisma (extra notes) on "Syl---" and one or two notes each for "la-" and "ble".
Guideline 3: If multiple notes occur on single syllable words or the final syllable of a word, use word extentions, i.e. underscore. "Syl---la-ble_____" would have a melisma on both "Syl---" and "ble____"
Guideline 4: Both intersyllable dashes and final syllable extentions can also indicate long, held notes, as in the common hymn ending, "A-men._____", where the final syllable is held for a long duration. Note also that the full stop on "-men." comes before the word extension. The same holds true for all punctuation marks in text settings.
An example:
You are my sun-shine, my on-ly sun-shine.
You make me hap-py__ when skies are grey.___
You'll ne-ver know, dear,__ how much I love you.__
Please don't take__ my sun-shine a-way.__
And a familiar tune from Handel's Messaiah, showing held notes:
Hal--le-lu-ia, hal--le-lu-ia,
hal-le-lu-ia, hal-le-lu-ia,
hal-le--lu-ia!__
This may not give the effect you want and I know other authors have successfully used added vowels or altered spellings. Just thought I'd throw this in the mix.
Guideline 1: words are almost always (there's no such thing as "always" in music) broken up with dashes between syllables or between double letters, as in syl-la-ble. This is assuming one, maybe two notes per syllable.
Guideline 2: If a single syllable gets several notes, there may be several dashes between syllables, though not necessarily one dash for each note. So "Syl---la-ble" would have a short melisma (extra notes) on "Syl---" and one or two notes each for "la-" and "ble".
Guideline 3: If multiple notes occur on single syllable words or the final syllable of a word, use word extentions, i.e. underscore. "Syl---la-ble_____" would have a melisma on both "Syl---" and "ble____"
Guideline 4: Both intersyllable dashes and final syllable extentions can also indicate long, held notes, as in the common hymn ending, "A-men._____", where the final syllable is held for a long duration. Note also that the full stop on "-men." comes before the word extension. The same holds true for all punctuation marks in text settings.
An example:
You are my sun-shine, my on-ly sun-shine.
You make me hap-py__ when skies are grey.___
You'll ne-ver know, dear,__ how much I love you.__
Please don't take__ my sun-shine a-way.__
And a familiar tune from Handel's Messaiah, showing held notes:
Hal--le-lu-ia, hal--le-lu-ia,
hal-le-lu-ia, hal-le-lu-ia,
hal-le--lu-ia!__
This may not give the effect you want and I know other authors have successfully used added vowels or altered spellings. Just thought I'd throw this in the mix.
