Coda
The closing stretch of a piece, and the sign that sends the player there
Related
A coda is the closing section of a piece, from the Italian for "tail". In sonata form it follows the recapitulation and confirms the close in the tonic; in a song it often extends the final chorus. It is not merely a closing chord but a substantial stretch, from a few bars to a structure of its own.
On the page, coda also names a sign (𝄌). When D.S. al coda or D.C. al coda sends the player back, the score says "To Coda"; there the player jumps to the coda sign. Keep the two signs apart: the Segno starts the return, the coda sign receives the jump.
A common mistake is to think the coda is just the last bar. It is a closing architecture, and the work decides its length and weight.
Sources
- 尾声在曲式与返始路线中的用法，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Coda"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.