Musical Symbol Left Repeat Sign

It marks where a passage to be repeated begins. Follow the notes from 𝄆 until the matching end-repeat sign; then return here and play that span again. If the score has no opening mark, an end-repeat usually sends the player back to the beginning of the piece or movement.

The history of the repeat sign is practical: repeat marks save writing or engraving the same measures twice. In 1529, Agricola’s Musica Instrumentalis, a music book, shows bar lines—the vertical dividers in a score—used to align parts. This is an early example of bar lines in a score, not a date for this exact sign.

Does 𝄆 send the player back?

No: 𝄆 marks the opening; the closing sign sends you back. First- and second-ending brackets can change which route the performer takes after the return.

A plain double barline, 𝄁, divides or structures a score; it does not direct a repeat by itself. Repeat barlines combine a divider with dots to show the return. Other score directions can send the performer to a different point in the piece.