Come sopra

As Printed on a Score

Printed over a passage that is to be played the same way as an earlier one — the same tempo, pedalling, articulation or ornament — saving the engraver from repeating every mark. It applies to the passage it heads, and the reader must find the earlier model.

How Composers Use It

Come sopra is an economy device: use it when a passage returns and should be treated exactly as before, so you need not copy every articulation and pedal mark. It works only if the model is easy to identify, usually the same material a page or two earlier. If the return should differ in any way, write the changes out rather than relying on the shorthand.

Example

Chopin, Nocturne No. 20 in C-sharp minor (Op. posth.), m. 47: “come sopra”, printed with “Tempo I” and “dolce” after an “Adagio” marked morendo two bars before.

Related Terms