Numbering measures will help save
time and confusion when you get to Summertrios. People have different
editions, so you need a way to quickly and unambiguously locate a starting
point as you rehearse. Otherwise you waste precious rehearsal time while
people fumble around trying to find the right place. There is no exact
standard for numbering but if you do it as recommended below, things should
work out:
General Rules
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 | Count the beginning of each
measure. Do NOT count partial measures at the beginning of a
movement. Be sure to check the number of beats in the beginning
measure to see if it is partial or an entire measure. |
 | Be careful not to count a
measure twice, for example if it is divided across a change of key or
clef. |
 | At a repeat with first and
second endings, do not count
the first ending.
Count only the last ending. |
 | Sometimes there is a change
indicated in the order things are to be played: a trio, a coda, etc.
Number these measures consecutively with the body of the work.
Do not start over at 1. Remember that we are trying to identify
measures here, not necessarily follow the flow of the music. |
 | Number each movement
separately. |
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Special Situations
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 | Numbering properly is hard
to do. The best approach is to number the score and at least one
part with it. If you come out with 344 measures in the score and
346 measure in the part, something is wrong. |
 | Frequently a repeat is
indicated in one part and written out in another. In the part
that is written out, re-use the numbers from the part that has a
repeat indicated. This is why it is wise to do numbering with
the score and the part. Otherwise you may be unaware that this
discrepancy occurred. |
 | Discrepancies between score
and parts. Number as per the score. |
 | Cuts. Sometimes an
edition will omit some measures, because although they were originally
in the score they are commonly cut. This will result in
confusion in the group if people have editions with different cuts.
The group will have to decide which edition it is working from, and
you may be to renumber your part accordingly. |
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