View source for Da capo

{{short description|Musical term meaning "from the beginning"}}
{{wiktionary|da capo|d.c. al coda|D.C. al fine|fine}}
{{About|the music term|other uses}}
[[Image:Da Capo al fine example short.png|thumb|A contrived example of D.C. al Fine. {{audio|Da Capo al fine example short.mid|Play}} Use of Da Capo prevents the need to write out extra measures, often many more than in this example. The notes are played as: G A B B C, G A B C, low-C|340x340px]]

'''Da capo''' ({{IPAc-en|d|ɑː|_|ˈ|k|ɑː|p|oʊ}} {{respell|dah|_|KAH|poh}}, {{IPAc-en|USalso|d|ə|_|-}} {{respell|də|_-}}, {{IPA|it|da (k)ˈkaːpo|lang}}; often abbreviated as '''D.C.''') is an [[Italian language|Italian]] [[musical term]] that means "from the beginning"<ref>Randel, Don Michael; ed. (2003). ''The Harvard Dictionary of Music'', p. 234. Harvard. {{ISBN|9780674011632}}.</ref> (literally, "from the head"). The term is a directive to [[repetition (music)|repeat]] the previous part of music, often used to save space, and thus is an easier way of saying to repeat the music from the beginning.

In small pieces, this might be the same thing as a [[Repeat sign|repeat]]. But in larger works, D.C. might occur after one or more repeats of small [[section (music)|sections]], indicating a return to the very beginning. The resulting [[musical form|structure]] of the piece is generally in [[ternary form]]. Sometimes, the composer describes the part to be repeated, for example: ''Menuet da capo''.{{Explanation needed|date=January 2018}} In [[opera]], where an [[aria]] of this structure is called a ''[[da capo aria]]'', the repeated section is often adorned with [[grace note]]s.

The word ''Fine'' (Ital. 'end') is generally placed above the stave at the point where the movement ceases after a 'Da capo' repetition. Its place is occasionally taken by a pause (see [[fermata]])."<ref>Grove, George; Fuller-Maitland, John Alexander; Pratt, Waldo Selden; and Boyd, Charles Newell; eds. (1906). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=6eS2AAAAIAAJ&q=%22da+capo%22&pg=PA116 Grove's dictionary of music and musicians]'', p. 42. Macmillan. {{pre-ISBN}}.</ref>

==Variations==

* '''Da Capo al Fine'''{{anchor|Da Capo al Fine}} (often abbreviated as '''D.C. al Fine'''): Repeat from beginning to the end, or up to the word ''Fine'' (should that appear at the end of the passage)—the word ''Fine'' itself signifying the end.

[[Image:Da Capo al coda example short.png|thumb|A similar example showing D.C. al Coda. {{audio|Da Capo al coda example short.mid|Play}} The notes are played as: G A B B C, G A, low-C|340x340px]]

* '''Da Capo al Coda'''{{anchor|Da Capo al Coda}} (often abbreviated as '''D.C. al Coda'''): Repeat from beginning to an indicated place and then play the tail part (the "[[coda (music)|Coda]]"). It directs the musician to go back and repeat the music from the beginning ("Capo"), and to continue playing until one reaches the first [[coda (music)|coda]] symbol. Upon reaching the first coda symbol, skip to the second coda symbol and continue playing until the end. The portion of the piece from the second coda to the end is often referred to as the "coda" of the piece, or quite literally as "the tail". This may also be instructed by simply using the words ''al Coda'' after which the musician is to skip to the written word ''Coda''.
* '''Da Capo al Segno'''{{anchor|Da Capo al Segno}} (often abbreviated as '''D.C. al Segno'''): It means "From the beginning to the sign (𝄋)".<ref name="S&B">Stainer, John and Barrett, William Alexander (1898). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=K2H0AAAAMAAJ&dq=%22da+capo%22+stainer&pg=PA133 Stainer and Barrett's Dictionary of Musical Terms]'', p. 133. Novello. {{pre-ISBN}}.</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Coda (music)]]
* [[Repeat sign]]
* [[Dal segno]] (DS al coda)

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Musical notation}}

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[[Category:Musical notation]]
[[Category:Italian words and phrases]]