Repeat sign

What it means

The repeat sign instructs a section to be played once more. It consists of a double bar with two dots and works in pairs: a sign with dots to the right of the bar opens the section to be repeated, one with dots to the left of it closes it. If the opening sign is missing, the repeat applies from the beginning of the piece.

In the notation

The dots stand in the two middle spaces of the staff, so that the reading direction is unambiguous. If a close and a new beginning coincide, both groups of dots appear at a shared double bar. Endings that differ are shown by numbered brackets — first and second ending. Further instructions supplement the system: da capo calls for the repeat from the beginning, dal segno from a sign onward, and notes such as al fine or a sign for the jump to the coda fix where to end or branch off in the process. The repetition of sections is to be distinguished from abbreviations for the repetition of individual bars or figures.

Musical use

Repeated parts belong to the construction of many forms: the two-part dance form, the minuet with trio, the exposition of a sonata movement. The repeat is not merely an extension here — it gives the listener the opportunity to retain the material, and it puts the second pass in a different light, because one now knows what follows. Whether repeats are executed is a matter of performance practice and is handled differently; the decision changes the proportions of a movement considerably.

If no opening repeat sign stands at the beginning of a section, the repeat is from the beginning of the piece. In minuet and trio the rule is that the repeats are omitted at the da capo.

Performance practice

Before the first play-through, get an overview of all repeats and jumps, and write down the sequence in the margin for nested instructions. Agree within the ensemble which repeats apply, and stick to it. Do not shape the second pass identically: a slight change in dynamics or articulation makes it audible that it is a repeat.