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The image below is taken from Haydn's 94th symphony, as published by Breitkopf und Härtel in 1855, from IMSLP page Symphony No.94 in G major, Hob.I:94 (Haydn, Joseph).

example of repeat signs with additional double strokes

My question: What do the double strokes above and below each repeat sign mean, if anything?

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Just decoration, adding emphasis to the repeat barlines I think.

Same as the 'Wings on repeat barlines' offered by today's notation programs.

enter image description here

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  • That's the first thing I do with any orchs I have to read! Pretty colours too. Although on the OP's example, the 2nd top ones go the wrong way. – Tim Jan 31 at 15:31
  • @Tim Well, there I think they are intended to go both ways, but I agree that \\ // at the top and // \\ at the bottom of that two-way repeat sign would have been even clearer. – Marnix Klooster Jan 31 at 15:54
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    @MarnixKlooster - I sometimes have repeat signs back to back, so using colours helps making it clear. In pencil, with signs like those, it gets confusing. And it's supposed to help! – Tim Jan 31 at 16:12
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On the opening repetition they are present to find the position to jump back to easier, since the normal thicker bar marks tend to be too unobtrusive. (Probably not required if only a few bars are repeated.) On the closing repetition they may help to remind to repeat. So actually they are only useful in the single part (in the full score the long brackets should be easy to see anyway). The are always leaning towards the range of repetition, the crossed example in the trio seems weird.

I find, that if not present in the printed part something similar is added by the performer with a pencil.

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  • Highlighters are far better - different colours for different repeats - and DC/codas , DS/S of course. – Tim Jan 31 at 15:35

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