Dal segno
In music notation, dal segno, often abbreviated as D.S., is used as a navigation marker. Defined as "from the sign" in Italian, D.S. appears in sheet music and instructs a musician to repeat a passage starting from the sign shown at right, sometimes called the segno in English.
Variants
The two main common variants are:- D.S. al coda instructs the musician to go back to the sign, and when Al coda or To coda is reached jump to the coda symbol.
- D.S. al fine instructs the musician to go back to the sign, and end the piece at the measure marked fine.
Al segno indicates that the player should go to the sign: Da capo al segno, "From the beginning to the sign."
In operas of the 18th century, a dal segno aria was a common alternative to a da capo aria, which began with an opening ritornello, and which was then omitted in the repeat.