Cue

As Printed on a Score

Printed in small notes in a player’s part, labelled with the instrument whose line it shows (Cue: Fl., or the instrument name above), so the player can find the entry; cue notes are not played unless the part says so.

Also spelled: cue notes

How Composers Use It

Cues help players count long rests and enter securely. Put them a few bars before an entry, choose a line that is easy to hear, and label the instrument. Cue notes can also stand in for a missing instrument, in which case the part must say so. Print them smaller than the player’s own notes, in a separate voice, so they are not played by mistake.

Example

Holst, The Planets, “Saturn, the Bringer of Old Age”, clarinet 1, m. 117: “In the absence of Bass Flute 1st Clar. will play the small notes.”