Da Capo and Fine · Repeat signs · Music theory
Da Capo (D.C.) means “from the beginning”. “D.C. al Fine” tells you to go back to the start and play up to the word Fine, where the piece ends. By custom,…
Da Capo and Fine
Da Capo (D.C.) means “from the beginning”. “D.C. al Fine” tells you to go back to the start and play up to the word Fine, where the piece ends. By custom, repeats are not taken on the way back unless indicated otherwise.
Forms built this way
These signs are not just paper savers: they reflect the form of the music. A minuet and trio is played minuet, trio and minuet again, written with a D.C. al Fine; the return is done without repeating the sections. The same goes for the Baroque da capo aria, with its A–B–A form, in which the singer ornamented the return.