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From the beginning — return to the start and play again until the "fine" marking. Abbreviated D.C.
Printed at the end of a section, usually as D.C., D.C. al Fine or with the section named — Menuetto da capo, Scherzo da capo. It sends the player back to the beginning, then on to Fine or, in D.C. al Coda, to the coda sign. In minuets and scherzos the repeats inside the returning section are customarily omitted unless the score says otherwise.
Abbreviations: D.C., D. C.
Da capo creates ternary form by directing the performers back to the beginning after a contrasting section. In Baroque arias, the da capo return was ornamented by the singer. When writing a da capo, ensure the return makes musical sense — the contrast should make the return feel satisfying, not redundant.
Mozart, Piano Sonata No. 4 in E-flat major, K. 282, second movement, m. 72: “Menuetto I da capo” closes Menuetto II, sending the player back to the first minuet.
Da capo is one of 1760 terms in the Gradus musical dictionary: the words, abbreviations and instrument names that appear in printed scores, plus the vocabulary composers use to talk about them.
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