The Overture The Overture in music was Overture originally the instrumental Noun (MUSIC) introduction to a ballet, During the early Romantic era, opera or oratorio in the composers such as Beethoven 1. a piece of music that is an 17th Century. and Mendelssohn composed introduction to a longer piece, overtures which were especially an opera: independent, self-existing the overture to "The Magic Flute" France, Italy, instrumental, programmatic Germany & the works that came before genres 2. an introduction to something UK were all such as the symphonic poem. more substantial involved in how the Overture developed over time Elements from the opera are 17th Century foreshadowed in the overture, following the reform ideology The idea of an instrumental opening to opera that the music and every other existed during the 17th century. More element on stage serves to enhance the plot. important, however, was the prologue, which was sung dialogue between characters which introduced the themes of the opera. As a musical form, the French overture first 18th appears in the court ballet and operatic overtures of Jean-Baptiste Lully. Century In Italy, a distinct form called "overture" Prior to the 18th century, the symphony arose in the 1680s, and became established and the overture were almost particularly through the operas of interchangeable, with overtures being Alessandro Scarlatti, and spread throughout extracted from operas to be stand-alone Europe. instrumental works, and symphonies were Early 19th played before operas as overtures With the reform of opera seria, the Century overture began to distinguish itself from In 19th-century opera the overture, the symphony, and composers began to Vorspiel, Einleitung, Introduction, or link the content of overtures to their whatever else it may be called, is operas. generally nothing more definite than that portion of the music which takes place before the curtain rises. Concert Overture Late 19th Although by the end of the eighteenth century century opera overtures were already In the 1850s the concert overture began beginning to be performed as separate to be supplanted by the symphonic poem, items in the concert hall, the "concert a form devised by Franz Liszt in several overture", intended specifically as an works that began as dramatic overtures. individual concert piece without reference The distinction between the two genres to stage performance and generally based was the freedom to mould the musical on some literary theme, began to appear form according to external programmatic early in the Romantic era. requirements.