Al fine
Al fine is Italian and means “to the end”. Most often it appears in “Da capo al fine” (D.C. al Fine): you jump back to the beginning and play up to the place where the word “Fine” is written. The phrase also occurs without a jump back, as an indication of how long something applies.
- Meaning
- “to the end” (of a piece of music)
- Most common phrase
- “Da capo al fine” (D.C. al Fine): from the beginning to the closing mark
- Second phrase
- “Dal segno al fine” (D.S. al Fine): from the sign to the closing mark
- The place is called
- Fine
“To the end”
“Al fine” means “to the end of a piece of music”; “da capo al fine” means: repeat from the beginning to the closing mark. As a musical instruction “al fine” means that the first part of a piece is repeated up to the place where the word “fine” is written, either from the beginning (da capo) or from a special sign (dal segno). With “D.C. al Fine” you play to the end or to the word “Fine”, if it is there.
D.C. al Fine: part A, part B, back to the beginning
An example of our own, not the melody of a piece. The “Fine” is above the final note of part A, the C in bar 4 (event 7). At the end of part B, in bar 8, is “D.C. al Fine”. You play bars 1–8, jump back to bar 1 and stop after bar 4 at the “Fine”. The play button plays the line only once from bar 1 to 8; it does not make the jump back.
Three places in the sheet music archive
Two sheets use “al fine” as a jump back, a third only as an indication of duration. The table sets them side by side.
| Place in the archive | What is written there | Effect | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gitarrenschule Nr. 17 (Carulli), bar 32 | “D.C. al Fine” | jump back to the beginning | ending at “Fine.” in bar 16 |
| La Gracieuse (Burgmüller), bar 16 | “D.C. al Fine.” | jump back to the beginning | ending at “Fine.” in bar 8 |
| In der Halle des Bergkönigs (Grieg), page 3, bar 58 | “sempre stretto sin al fine” | no jump back; the marking applies from bar 58 on | to the end of the piece |
Al fine in the archive
-
Gitarrenschule, Stück Nr. 17 Ferdinando Carulli (1770–1841), from the “Guitar-Skole” · guitar · 1 page
Below the last bar (bar 32), before the repeat sign at the end of the bar, is “D.C. al Fine”. The target is in bar 16: there the word “Fine.” follows the final chord. 3/8 time, “Tempo di Valse”, four sharps.
-
La Gracieuse Friedrich Burgmüller (1806–1874), op. 100 No. 8, from “25 leichte Etüden” · piano · 1 page
Below the left hand in bar 16 is “D.C. al Fine.” in italics, and in the right hand in the same bar “dim. e poco rit.”. The target “Fine.” is in bar 8. 3/4 time, “Moderato”, one ♭.
Al fine without a jump back
-
In der Halle des Bergkönigs Edvard Grieg (1843–1907), op. 46 No. 4, from the Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 (according to the sheet) · piano · 4 pages
On page 3, in bar 58, “sempre stretto sin al fine” is printed in italics between the staves. The piece contains neither “D.C.” nor “Fine” nor a segno; the marking therefore applies to the end of the piece. 4/4 time (C), two sharps.
With and without a jump back
The difference lies in whether a jump back goes with it. In Carulli and Burgmüller “D.C.” comes before “al fine”, so you jump back. In Grieg “D.C.” and “Fine” are missing; there “al fine” only says that the marking applies to the end of the piece. The word “sempre” means “always”.
Common mistakes
- Playing the whole piece a second time: “al fine” means “to the end”, and that is the place with the word “Fine”, not the end of the print.
- Reading every “al fine” as a jump back: Without “D.C.” or “D.S.” there is no jump.
- Stopping at the “Fine” on the first pass: The word applies only after the jump back; before that you play on past it.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
FineDa capoDal segnoCodaSegnoRepeat signSempre
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
← Back to the glossary