Form & Structure
Overture
Pronounced OH-ver-chur
An overture is an orchestral piece that opens an opera, ballet, musical or play. A concert overture is an independent one-movement orchestral piece written for the concert hall.
An overture is the orchestra's curtain-raiser. Before an opera, ballet, oratorio or musical begins, it settles the audience, sets the mood and often previews the tunes to come.
Two Baroque models
- French overture: developed at the court of Louis XIV, especially by Lully. A slow, stately opening full of sharply dotted rhythms, followed by a faster section in imitative style, sometimes rounded off by a return of the slow music. Handel's Messiah opens with an overture of this type, and Bach began his orchestral suites with them.
- Italian overture (or sinfonia): three short sections, fast–slow–fast. Played as a concert piece, it became one of the ancestors of the symphony.
Opera overtures
In the Classical and Romantic eras, many opera overtures took the shape of a single fast movement, often in a compact sonata form, sometimes with a slow introduction. Some quote melodies from the opera; others simply capture its spirit. Mozart's overtures to The Marriage of Figaro and The Magic Flute and Rossini's overture to William Tell are concert favorites in their own right.
Later in the 19th century, some composers, such as Wagner, preferred a shorter prelude that leads straight into the first scene.
Medley overtures
Operettas and Broadway musicals often open with a medley overture: a string of the show's best-known songs, joined by short transitions. It works as a trailer for what the audience is about to hear.
The concert overture
In the 19th century, composers began writing overtures for the concert hall alone, with no opera attached: one-movement orchestral pieces, often with a descriptive title. Mendelssohn's The Hebrides ("Fingal's Cave"), Brahms's Academic Festival Overture and Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture are famous examples. Concert overtures are close relatives of the symphonic poem and of program music.
Listening tip
An overture is usually the first thing you hear in a concert program. Listen for themes you might meet again later in the evening, and for the way the piece builds to a confident ending that clears the stage for what comes next.
Common questions
What is the purpose of an overture?
To open a larger stage work, setting the mood and often previewing its melodies. A concert overture is a stand-alone orchestral piece that keeps the name.
What is the difference between a French and an Italian overture?
A French overture starts slow and stately with dotted rhythms, then becomes fast and imitative. An Italian overture (sinfonia) has three sections: fast, slow, fast.
