Contrapunctus
James McNeill Whistler, Nocturne: Blue and Gold β€” Old Battersea Bridge

The Concert HallThe Return Lab

Score & performance

The Return Lab

Passages beside their repeats and returns, in one recording.

Each study pairs a passage with its repeat or return (a literal repeat, a new ending, a return in another key), plays both from the same recording and sets their bars side by side.

About the timings Bar times are aligned automatically and await checking by ear.

3 listening studies

Studies

  1. 01Beethoventonal return

    Beethoven: the changed return

    The second theme returns in C major; in the exposition it was in Eβ™­ major.

    A 0:00–⁠1:42B 4:55–⁠6:42
    124 and 126 bars compared
  2. 02Beethovenliteral repeat

    Beethoven: the exposition repeat

    The same recording plays the exposition and its written repeat.

    A 0:00–⁠1:42B 1:42–⁠3:23
    124 and 124 bars compared
  3. 03Satievaried return

    Satie: the ending

    Satie changes the last eight bars of the tune when it returns.

    A 0:02–⁠1:30B 1:30–⁠3:03
    39 and 39 bars compared
Method

Score and performance

The score

The changed notes, keys and instruments are listed under Written changes. In a literal repeat, the score stays the same.

The performance

The charts give the time each bar takes and how its volume changes. Pauses and added notes count towards a bar’s length.