Fine

What it means

Fine, Italian for “end,” is a marking in the score that indicates the place where a piece ends. It is especially used when the ending does not lie at the end of the staves but after a repeat in the middle of the score.

Musical use

The fine most often appears in connection with “Da capo al fine” or “Dal segno al fine”: at the end of the score one jumps back to the beginning or to the sign and plays until the marking fine. This way the opening section needs to be notated only once. This form marks many minuet and scherzo movements and the Baroque da capo aria. A double bar with a fermata can also mark the end.

The fine should be distinguished from the coda, which denotes a closing section of its own into which one jumps with “To coda,” and from the mere end of a line or page, which does not yet mean the end of the piece.

Performance practice

When reading, watch for the word “Fine”: on the second pass you stop there even though the notes continue. Mark the jump sign and the fine in the score so you do not lose track of the repeat while playing.