What is the name of the section markers denoted by a number in a box above the score?

Question

(I'm not in the music world but need to know the answer for esoteric reasons.) The image above contains excerpts from one of Stravinsky's pieces. I assume in score writing is it commonplace to notate the different sections of the piece in order to break the piece up. What is the name of these numbered boxes? Are the annotated "number in boxes section markers" a standard symbol in sheet music with a name, or were they only something Stravinsky used with the symbol varying?

Related: https://music.stackexchange.com/questions/40241/a-b-c-d-e-f-g-and-h-in-boxes-in-piano-sheet-music-how-do-i-play-it — Richard, Sep 03 '18 at 14:42

score 16 · Accepted Answer · answered Sep 03 '18 at 12:51

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The Sibelius app (and presumably the wider world) calls them Rehearsal Marks. If the boxed values are numbers the conductor will say "play from figure 5". If they are letters the conductor will say "play from letter B". I've never heard them referred to as sections (but my experience only covers band, orchestral, small ensembles and choirs) so other music may use the term "section".

answered Sep 03 '18 at 12:51

Brian THOMAS

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During a concert my Junior High School band got completely lost, and the director stopped us and yelled "Go to L". We knew what he meant, but some folks in the audience were shocked. – Pete Becker Sep 03 '18 at 14:00

Tim · Answer 2 · 2018-09-03T12:25:52.407

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Bar numbers - if they are sequenced to each bar. The other marks are section marks, usually letters. Often called 'rehearsal marks'. It's so much easier in rehearsal to 'go from a bar before section C', or 'play from the anacrucis in bar 16'. Could be that Igor chose section numbers in preference to letters.

edited Sep 03 '18 at 12:25

answered Sep 03 '18 at 12:16

Tim

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To add to this: these indicators may or may not be placed at 'transition' points in the music, depending on how the publisher felt at the time. – Carl Witthoft Sep 03 '18 at 12:18
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@Carl Witthoft - In whimsical manner... – Tim Sep 03 '18 at 12:20
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@CarlWitthoft: One of my personal bugbears is when a publisher places rehearsal marks every five bars in music with four-bar phrases. – Michael Seifert Sep 03 '18 at 14:48
@MichaelSeifert we could call that "Reverse 'Take Five' " :-) – Carl Witthoft Sep 04 '18 at 12:32

score 1 · Answer 3 · edited Sep 03 '18 at 19:08

My brother was a composer, and he usually used this marks to differentiate between themes in a piece.

For example, he marked the introduction with an Intro mark; then, when the main theme began, he usually put an A mark; then, when he wrote a second theme, he put a B mark, and so on. The marks had nothing to do with the bar number.

I've heard those marks referred as "theme marks" or "rehearsal marks". They become useful when rehearsing (e.g. "Let's play theme B), or when explaining that a single piece is "divided" in two or more "themes".

What is the name of the section markers denoted by a number in a box above the score?

3 Answers3

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