Segno?

[Bill Brettschneider]

I have been working on some pieces from Corbetta, Royale guitar, and Im wondering about his use of the "segno" symbol. If, for example, in a binary piece, in the B section, you find a segno at bar 6 (of the b section), beat 2, and also bar 7(of the b section), beat 2, doest that mean that you play the b section, bars 1-8, repeat as usual, then on the repeat play until bar 7, beat 2, leap back to bar 6, and play till the end?

[Monica Hall]

It would be helpful if you actually identified the piece as the say you interpret the sign may vary.   Also it he is not always very consistent.

[Bill Brettschneider]

I had intended to translate it into standard notation and post my transcription and the original, and ask for correction. Time for away from me. I will do it soon, hopefully this afternoon.

[Bill Brettschneider]

I am having trouble with attaching an image. it was from the Guitar Royale, p 67/68,(original page numbers) the allemande. It looks to me like you would play the entire B section once, then repeat, but on the second time through, you would play beat one of the penultimate measure, then jump to beat 2 of the tenth measure of the b section, and then continue to the end. Does that sound plausible?

[Peter Sinnaeve]

The example on page 68 is just a (form of a) petite reprise, imho. Corbetta appears to do that this way in quite a few other pieces, so it would look intentional to me, but also (more conventionally?) from the very last chord to four measures earlier.

[Monica Hall]

I think you should  repeat the whole of the second section until you get to the second sign in b. 29; play the first crotchet then go back to the second beat in 27 and repeat that short section then on to the end of the piece.  As an alternative you could leave out the repeat of the whole section and just repeat the bit between b.27-29 before proceeding to the final cadence.  

This is what Corbetta says in the Italian preface... 

Questo segno S.

This sign S.  indicates repetition of the end of the piece and it may be placed before or after the cadence where, after the second part has been repeated, it will be necessary to stop at the said sign, in order to repeat [the section]  from the other [sign] above, and then to repeat the cadence of the piece for the purpose of re-commencing it from the da capo; 

e trouando il medesimo segno

and finding the same sign after the cadence, break off at this sign, resuming from  the same sign [above] in order to repeat the same [passage];  and that done you will stop at the last cadence in  order to begin the da capo.

 Corbetta  is describing different types of repetition which are quite complex.  Here he is referring to what is known as the petite reprise.  The last phrase of a piece is repeated – as a kind of echo.  A sign should appear at the point in the music where the repetition begins; at the cadence the sign may appear before or after the final chord or cadential figure. In the first instance the phrase is repeated before the final chord is played; in the second instance it is taken from the end.  

You can find an English translation of both prefaces to 1671 with examples on my web page.

[Bill Brettschneider]

Thank you very much.