Al fine
“To the end” – an instruction for closing.
What it means
Al fine means “to the end” and belongs to the instructions by which repetitions are steered. The phrase stands in connection with da capo or dal segno and says how far to play after the jump back: up to the place where the word fine stands.
In full the instructions read da capo al fine — “from the beginning to the end”, abbreviated D.C. al fine — and dal segno al fine — “from the sign to the end”, abbreviated D.S. al fine. In both cases the piece ends not at the last notated bar but at the place marked fine.
Synonymous is sin’ al fine, “to the end”. Al fine is to be distinguished from al coda, which calls for jumping, at a marked place, to a closing section of its own, the coda.
In the notation
The instruction D.C. al fine or D.S. al fine stands at the end of the section after which the jump back is made, usually above or below the last bar line. The word fine stands above the place where the piece ends, frequently above a double bar in the middle of the notation. A repeat sign in the section jumped back to is as a rule ignored on the second pass.
Musical use
The instruction saves paper in forms in which an opening section returns after a middle section. It is typical of ternary forms such as the Baroque da capo aria, of minuets with trio, and of many dances and songs. The form thus follows from the notation: opening section, middle section, repetition of the opening section up to fine.
Performance practice
Before the first pass, find the place with fine and mark it clearly. When preparing the parts it helps to mark the jump-back and the end point in colour, so that in the ensemble no one plays past the fine. See that the close at the fine place sounds like a close, even when it stands in the middle of the page. And with da capo arias check whether ornaments are expected on the second pass.