In musical notation, this term signifies a direction to return to the beginning of the piece and then proceed until a designated symbol, at which point the performer is instructed to jump forward to a section marked with another symbol to conclude the composition. For instance, a score might instruct a musician to play from the start until encountering a specific sign, and then to skip directly to a segment labeled with a corresponding indicator to complete the performance.
The instruction offers composers a method for creating varied musical forms without requiring extensive rewriting of sections. It allows for efficient notation of structures like ternary form or rondos. Historically, its use became prevalent as printed music became more widespread, providing a compact way to represent musical ideas and variations. The symbol indicates the point of divergence, streamlining scores and saving space.
