Unnamed guest here. I do apologise for that. I used to have a cookie but I lost it, and have been struggling to get it back since posting the above. Unsuccessfully so far. Doh.
As for ABC being a single melody line tool, well that's not true anymore unless that's all you need, which is why I mentioned ABCPlus. Using ABCm2ps and ABC2midi, included in a suitable (FREE) program such as ABCExplorer, it is possible to produce high quality PDF fully complex multi-staved scores and midi playback for multiple voices/instruments, clef changes, chords, tablatures, tempo and time sig. changes and whatever, with complex dynamics, lyrics beneeth the notes and extra verses in as many columns as you wish beneeth the tune.
I don't think the learnimg of it is any worse than anything else.
Chris P., (just in case)