French overture

His musical form, known as the French overture, opens with a slow section in dotted rhythms, followed by a quick section in fugal, or imitative, style; it often concluded with a slow passage that sometimes was expanded into a full third section - either a repetition of the initial slow section or a dance form such as a ...

french OE-ver-chur A style of composition usually used as an introduction to a ballet, opera, or suite. It is divided into sections, the first being stately and regal, using dotted rhythms, the second section is lively and usually fugal, and if there is a third section, it is usually in imitation of the first section.

The French Overture follows the basic form of the Baroque dance suite that Bach observed in the French Suites. Added is the austere and somber opening Ouverture, characteristic of the French style, formal and grand.

The overtures served to establish the musical themes that would evolve throughout the opera, and as operetta and eventually musical comedy evolved, most musical theatre overtures became medleys of the key musical numbers that the audience will hear during the course of the show.

an introductory proposal or offer overture in American English 1. an introductory proposal or offer; indication of willingness to negotiate. 2. a. a musical introduction to an opera or other large musical work.

[ oh-ver-cher, -choor ] show ipa. See synonyms for overture on Thesaurus.com. noun. an opening or initiating move toward negotiations, a new relationship, an agreement, etc.; a formal or informal proposal or offer: overtures of peace; a shy man who rarely made overtures of friendship.

The French word for “to open” is ouvrir. From that comes the word “overture,” aptly named, because an overture does indeed start things off – for an opera, a play, a suite of dances played by an orchestra or piano. Most of us think of it as the music heard before the curtain goes up on an opera performance.

The designation Ouvertüre (Overture) can be somewhat misleading, since this work consists not just of an opening movement but also of a full-fledged partita with 11 movements: Ouvertüre, Courante, Gavotte I & II, Passepied I & II, Sarabande, Bourrée I & II, Gigue and Echo.

The Italian Concerto brims with joyous thematic invention and allusions to solo and orchestral contrasts, while the French Overture (often called a Partita) is a lively dance suite.

noun. an opening or initiating move toward negotiations, a new relationship, an agreement, etc.; a formal or informal proposal or offer: overtures of peace; a shy man who rarely made overtures of friendship. Music. an orchestral composition forming the prelude or introduction to an opera, oratorio, etc.

Briefly, the symphony is an orchestral work in 3 or 4 movements, while the overture is one in a single movement. They have quite different origins. The overtures began from approximately 1600 as the instrumental opening of an opera or oratorio, its character in keeping with the drama to follow.

An overture is a self-contained unit with a beginning and an end. A prelude segues seemlessly into the beginning of the opera proper.