Prima Volta
The first ending, played on the first pass and closed by a repeat sign
Related
The first ending (prima volta) is the close taken on the first pass through a repeated section, marked with "1." and a bracket. At its end stands a repeat sign that sends the player back to the opening or to the matching 𝄆; on the second pass the player skips this ending and takes the second one.
It is more than a paper-saving device. In Classical sonata form the exposition's first ending often turns back to the tonic so the repeat can rejoin the opening smoothly, while the second ending stays in the new key and continues. The two endings do different harmonic work, so they cannot simply be swapped.
A common mistake is to play the first ending on both passes. The order is: first pass through ending 1, repeat, then go straight into ending 2.
Sources
- 第一结尾与反复记号的配合，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Repeat"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.