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End, close. On scores it appears in phrases such as bis zum Schluss (until the end) and Zum Schluss (to close, heading a final section); in German analysis it forms compounds such as Schlussgruppe (closing group) and Schlusskadenz (final cadence).
Seldom alone: it prints inside phrases — “bis zum Schluss” (until the end), “Leise, bis zum Schluss”, “Zum Schluß” heading a closing section — so its scope runs to the end of the piece. The spelling Schluß is usual in older editions. In analyses rather than scores it forms compounds: Schlussgruppe, Schlusskadenz.
Also spelled: Schluß
In German music analysis, Schluss and its compounds describe the closing sections of formal structures. Schlussgruppe is the closing theme group in sonata form; Schlusskadenz is the final cadence. Understanding these terms helps when reading German-language analyses of major works.
Mahler, Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen, “Die zwei blauen Augen”, voice, m. 41: “Leise, bis zum Schluss” — softly, until the end — one instruction covering every remaining bar.
Schluss 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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