Can you describe the steps you are taking? How are you setting the filter?

Since the forum doesn’t allow posting Finale documents (?) you can post it to Dropbox or something similar, and post a link. Or, if you email the file to me, I’ll be happy to have a look. My email is encoded in my signature.

(1) Edit Filter

Select the full soprano staff with lyrics which is highlighted in blue.

Select "Edit" "Edit Filter" - deselect all options using "None" button then select "Lyrics"

Close the "Edit Filter" dialog then drag the select soprano staff to the alto staff.

According to manual and other sources they lyrics should have been copied but they are not.

(2) Clone Lyric

Select the full soprano staff with lyrics which is highlighted in blue.

Select "Lyrics Tool" button on ribbon bar menu.

Drag selected soprano staff to alto staff.

Same thing - lyrics do not get transferred to alto staff.

(3) Lyrics Window

Select "Lyrics Tool" button then "Lyrics Window" under "Lyrics" menu item.

There is a button on the "Lyrics Window" that says "Clone Lyrics," which I click on but it is unclear what I should do next.  Since the lyrics exist in "staff 1" I select them, click the "Clone Lyrics" button then go to "staff 2" and attempt to paste them there.  What happens is that all of the lyrics are converted to integers which I don't understand.

Rick,

It sounds like you're doing everything right. They all work for me, though.

Have you restarted the computer? Refreshed the Preferences?

https://makemusic.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115002541107-Resetting-Finale-s-preferences-using-a-tool-crashes-Finale-etc-

Mike,

I did not restart the computer or refresh preference.  The problem is probably very typical of the way I work and I fixed it another way.

I composed a choral piece but started it as a standard piano score since I wanted to write the vocal parts just the way that I played them on the piano.  After it was complete I decided to split the right-hand treble clef into two new staves - soprano and alto - then do the same for the bass clef - tenor and bass - and then add a new piano part below. This was actually quite difficult for me to figure out how to do but eventually I had success.

This probably sounds like a crazy thing to do - and I agree.  My solution was to start from scratch and create a SATB-Piano score and then re-create the parts.  Although I have only just started it does appear to work as it should now.

There were also other things that I was going to ask but those are no longer necessary either.  In my original score when I viewed the page layout it was terrible and I could not fix that either.  With the new SATB-Piano score it works exactly as expected.  Sorry for wasting your time, but this is the way I normally work!

… Sorry for wasting your time, but this is the way I normally work! …

You are not alone!

This reminds me of an e-mail from a colleague whose name shall remain a secret:

“I am sorry I have such a chaotic way of working - it always ends with a lot of confusion, before hopefully it all works out in the end.”

If you split an SA staff to create soprano and alto parts, is it possible the alto line was in a different layer than the soprano line? That would have interfered with lyric placement.

Look into the plugin JW Staff Polyphony. It’s great for working the way you described.   

http://www.finaletips.nu