Definition of French overture
: an overture of the 17th and 18th centuries in two repeated sections of which the first is homophonic and stately with dotted rhythms and the second is mostly faster and imitative
The French overture form … was traditionally the music accompanying the entrance of the French king into the opera.— Gordon Jones, Bach's Choral Music, 2009
— called also ouverture
Learn More About French overture
Statistics for French overture
Look-up Popularity
Cite this Entry
“French overture.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/French%20overture. Accessed 28 Jun. 2022.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Test Your Vocabulary
Name That Food
-
- Name these cookies!
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
A daily challenge for crossword fanatics.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
-
Commonly Confused Words Quiz
Take a (break/brake) and (pore/pour) over this (c...
Take the quiz
-
Words Named After People
Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
Take the quiz
-
Spell It
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
Take the quiz
-
Spelling Bee Quiz
Can you outdo past winners of the National Spelli...
Take the quiz
Share French overture
Time Traveler for French overture
The first known use of French overture was in 1846
See more words from the same year