overture

¹over·ture

noun \ˈō-və(r)-ˌchu̇r, -chər, -ˌtyu̇r, -ˌtu̇r\

: a piece of music played at the start of an opera, a musical play, etc.

: something that is offered or suggested with the hope that it will start a relationship, lead to an agreement, etc.

: the first part of an event : the beginning of something

Full Definition of OVERTURE

1

a :  an initiative toward agreement or action :  proposal

b :  something introductory :  prelude

2

a :  the orchestral introduction to a musical dramatic work

b :  an orchestral concert piece written especially as a single movement in sonata form

Examples of OVERTURE

1. The government has made a significant peace overture by opening the door to negotiation.
2. <the parade down Main Street served as the overture for a weekend of fun and festivities>

Origin of OVERTURE

Middle English, literally, opening, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *opertura, alteration of Latin apertura — more at aperture

First Known Use: 15th century

Related to OVERTURE

Synonyms

curtain-raiser, prelude, preamble, preliminary, prologue (also prolog), warm-up

Related Words

countdown, run-up [chiefly British]; lead-in; kickoff, start

Other Music Terms

cacophony, chorister, concerto, counterpoint, madrigal, obbligato, presto, presto, refrain, riff, segue

Rhymes with OVERTURE

amateur, aperture, armature, blackamoor, carrefour, carte du jour, coinsure, commissure, confiture, connoisseur, coverture, curvature, cynosure, embouchure, epicure, filature, forfeiture, garniture, geniture, green-manure, haute couture, immature, insecure, ligature, manicure, paramour, pedicure, plat du jour, portraiture, prelature, premature, quadrature, reassure, Reaumur, reinsure, saboteur, sepulture, sequitur, signature, simon-pure, sinecure, soup du jour, tablature, temperature, to be sure, troubadour, white amur, Yom Kippur

²overture

transitive verb

overturedovertur·ing

Definition of OVERTURE

1

:  to put forward as an overture

2

:  to make or present an overture to

First Known Use of OVERTURE

circa 1650

overture

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Musical introduction to a larger, often dramatic, work. Originating with Claudio Monteverdi's Orfeo (1607), overtures served as openings for operas. The large-scale two- or three-part “French overture” invented by Jean-Baptiste Lully (1658) for his operas and ballets was widely imitated for a century. The sinfonia, the standard Italian overture form in the late 17th and 18th centuries, was a principal precursor of the three-part sonata form and thus provided the model for the earliest symphonies, which consisted of three movements. In the 19th century, overtures independent of any larger work usually illustrated a literary or historical theme (see symphonic poem). Overtures to operettas and musicals have traditionally been medleys of their themes.