Fine
Fine (Italian “end”) appears in the score at the place where a piece ends after a repeat by “Da capo” or “Dal segno”. This place is often in the middle of the sheet and not at the end of the printed music.
- Meaning
- “end”; closing point after the jump back
- Word origin
- Italian fine, from Latin finis
- Placed
- at the point where the piece stops after the jump back
- Belongs to
- “D.C. al Fine” and “D.S. al Fine”
The end in the middle of the piece
Fine is the Italian word for “end”. As a marking at the end of the first part of a piece of music that is to be repeated up to this point, it is usually written above the staff at the place where the movement stops after a da capo repeat. “Fine” is either actually the end of the piece or another place so marked. Both sheets from the archive show the second case: in each the Fine comes at the end of part A.
Fine in bar 4: part A, part B, jump back
An example of our own, not the melody of a piece. Part A comprises bars 1–4 (events 1 to 12) and begins and ends on C. The “Fine” is above the last note of bar 4. Part B is bars 5–8. When reading you play bars 1–8, then jump back at “D.C. al Fine” to the beginning and stop after bar 4. The play button plays the line only once from bar 1 to 8; it does not make the jump back.
Two sheets compared
Both pieces are built to the same plan: part A, part B, jump back to the beginning, ending at “Fine”. The table sums up where the signs are.
| Sheet | Time signature, key signature | Layout | Where “Fine” appears | Jump back |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gitarrenschule Nr. 17 (Carulli) | 3/8, four sharps, “Tempo di Valse” | Part A bars 1–16, part B bars 17–32 | to the right of the final chord of bar 16, before the repeat sign | “D.C. al Fine” under bar 32 |
| La Gracieuse (Burgmüller) | 3/4, one ♭, “Moderato” | Part A bars 1–8, part B bars 9–16 | by the left hand in bar 8, before the repeat sign | “D.C. al Fine.” under bar 16 |
Fine in the archive
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Gitarrenschule, Stück Nr. 17 Ferdinando Carulli (1770–1841), from the “Guitar-Skole” · guitar · 1 page
3/8 time, “Tempo di Valse”, four sharps, chord symbols E, B, B7, A and E7. Bars 1–16 are part A (with repeat signs after bar 8 and after bar 16), bars 17–32 part B. The word “Fine.” is to the right of the final chord of bar 16, directly before the repeat sign; below the last bar is “D.C. al Fine”.
-
La Gracieuse Friedrich Burgmüller (1806–1874), op. 100 No. 8, from “25 leichte Etüden” · piano · 1 page
3/4 time, “Moderato”, one ♭. Bar 1 carries “molto legato e leggiero” and p. In bar 8 “Fine.” is printed in italics, followed by the repeat sign; bar 9 begins with mf. In bar 16 are “D.C. al Fine.” and, in the right hand, “dim. e poco rit.”, followed by a double barline.
Overlooked on the first pass
The “Fine” applies only after the jump back. On the first run-through you are not yet at the end at this place, but play on into part B. Only when “D.C. al Fine” (from the beginning to the Fine) has sent you back to the beginning do you stop at the place with the word “Fine”. In Burgmüller’s “La Gracieuse” the piece therefore ends in bar 8, although the print runs to bar 16.
Common mistakes
- Stopping at the “Fine” on the first pass: It applies only after “Da capo” or “Dal segno”.
- Taking the end of the print for the end of the piece: On both sheets from the archive the Fine lies in the middle of the sheet.
- Confusing “Fine” with “al fine”: “Fine” marks the place; “al fine” means “to the end” and appears in the instruction that leads to this place.
Continue on Maikstrings
Related terms
Al fineDa capoDal segnoCodaSegnoRepeat signFermata
Editor: Maik Krohm · reviewed on 3 October 2026
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