Question about scores (and Sibelius)

[Diletante]

Good afternoon.

I know little about music theory (I learned some on-line, out of curiosity), but that doesn't stop me from trying to read scores. It's just so interesting!

Anyway, I stumbled upon this excerpt on a Wikipedia page. My questions are:

a) Why are those three notes on the beginning of every bar smaller than the rest? What is this device called?

b) How do you input those 'little notes' in Sibelius 5?

Thanks for your help. 

[karlhenning]

They're called grace-notes.

It's an easy tap on the number-pad.

[Diletante]

Thank you, Karl.

[Mark G. Simon]

Tanuki, have you heard Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony (from which the excerpt you show is taken)? Quite a piece, isn't it?

[Diletante]

Tanuki, have you heard Messiaen's Turangalila Symphony (from which the excerpt you show is taken)? Quite a piece, isn't it?

Yes! 

I knew absolutely nothing about Messiaen, but I followed a link to a youtube video of a performance of the fifth movement of the Turangalîla Symphony in this forum, and I knew I had to hear the whole work. So I got it and listened to the whole thing, and loved it!

Anything else by Messiaen you can recommend?

[Mark G. Simon]

Anything else by Messiaen you can recommend?

Quartet for the End of Time is something you can't overlook.

Vingt Regards de l'enfant Jesus, a piano marathon.

Poemes pour Mi in the version for voice with orchestra is incredibly lush, beautiful writing.

[Diletante]

Okay, thanks, I'll check them out when I get the chance.