On 1 Jun 2004 at 17:34, d. collins wrote: > In an Italian print of the 1640s, I have a piece in 3 sections with 2 > (double) repeat signs: > > A :||: B :||: C || > > I'm wondering what exactly is to be repeated, and whether these signs > have the same meaning as their modern equivalents. The reason I ask is > that I have never seen in this music simple repeat signs with the dots > on one side only (:|| or ||:).
It's clear to me that for the A section, there should be a repeat (leaving out the starting ||: is common well into the 19th century), but not so clear about the C section. I'd make my decision based on balance -- if the 3 sections are of comparable length, I'd say the repeat of the C section is obligatory. If it's, say, 2X as long as the other sections, then I'm not sure what to do. It's very common for copyists/engravers before the middle of the 19th century to make mistakes like this, erroneously putting in a repeat sign where none is warranted, and, likewise, leaving them out where they are intended. Last of all, in performance, I would say that, even when the repeats are quite clear and reliably transmitted, one should only repeat a section if you've got something new to say about the music in it. Otherwise, it's likely to be boring. The group I play in makes decisions about whether or not to honor repeats on a case-by-case basis, sometimes based on time constraints and how good we think the music is. We start from the assumption that we'll play all the repeats, and try to be creative in making the music interesting and varied. But when that doesn't work out and it tends to end up seeming like something of a chore to sit through, we start jettisoning repeats. If I saw what you've conveyed, I'd assume the intention of the original was to repeat all 3 sections, but that doesn't necessarily mean I'd perform it repeating all of them. -- David W. Fenton http://www.bway.net/~dfenton David Fenton Associates http://www.bway.net/~dfassoc _______________________________________________ Finale mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://lists.shsu.edu/mailman/listinfo/finale
