REPEAT, in music, a character indicating the repetition of the part or strain to which it applies. It consists of two perpendicular lines through the staff, with dots before them and between the lines of the staff— —41 placed at the close of the strain to be repeated. When a series of notes has to be repeated from the beginning of the piece, this sign is inserted at the place where we have to return to the beginning. But when the repetition is not from the beginning of the piece, a reversed repeat must be placed at the point where the repetition begins, the passage to be repeated being inclosed by the two signs. When the iollowing strain is also to be repeated, we the dots placed on both sides of the repeating signWhen a passage of .
some length is to be repeated, with an alteration at the end, a curved line with the Agure 1, lma, or prima rata (ha . first time) is placed over the part which is to be altered, the
sign of the repeat follows, and then the altered termination with 2, 2da, or seconda 'vac (Ital. second time) placed over it.
Intel 2da • laRt; I j D.S.
The words da capo, abbreviated D. C. (Ital. from the beginning), indicate that a piece is to be repeated from the beginning. But if that repetition is only to extend to a par ticular point, at which the movement or piece finally closes, that point is indicated by the word fine (Ital. end), or the letter F. If, however, the repetition is to begin, not from the commencement of the piece, but from another point, the sign is placed over the point, and the words dal seyno, abbreviated D. S. (Ital. from the sign), are used to indicate the point after which the repetition is to begin.