This is really interesting. I’m going to try and ask two questions here albeit I do believe they are very much related to reading music.
In this first example, (end of Stravinsky’s Symphony in C) we see Breath Marks ’
for the wind section. Only, these breath marks appear right at the end of the section. We know that they are used to help ‘shape’ a phrase as the orchestra will then go onto beat as one so to speak but why would adding them right at the end of a passage like they are below be of any use, without anything left to play? The wind section is obviously going to breathe then, no?
Secondly, in Elgar’s Symphony No. 1, again right at the end, we see an R————-] which on further explanation means Ritardando
to ‘slow down gradually’, but these notes only play for a short time, there’s nothing there on the violin viola section to slow down? Most odd I think?
EDIT
As pointed out below, the Ritardando mark also appears at the top of Elgar Symphony No.1. Good to know that the Strings also require this mark if it is used.