David Runnion wrote:

>Don't most minuet/gigue movements have "da capo senza repitizione" written
>in? Isn't that standard performance practice?

I've seen a few that do, but they date mostly from later in the 19th
century, I think.  Most classic period works simply say Menuetto D.C.
(or da capo, or M.D.C., etc.).  It was standard not to do the repeats in
the 20th century, at least until sometime in the 2nd half of the century,
but the HIP movement has re-adopted the practice of full reps on the D.C.
It's not really a black and white issue.  There are some that cry out for
repetition both times, like the very short first half of the menuet from
Beethoven's 1st symphony (it is really a scherzo in its tempo), and other
repeats themselves that are probably not necessary; e.g.  do we really
want to take all the repeats in the Goldberg Variations? When do we place
expediency and necessity over presumed principles of structural integrity?

Other idle questions might include--is there a difference between
listening to the Goldberg set with repeats and listening to it twice,
without repeats? What are the different roles of repetition in works that
use repeat signs, and the type of repetition represented by, say, Gavin
Bryars's "Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet?" Or Steve Reich's New York
Counterpoint?

Chris Bonds