Overture

Lore & Background

The overture first appeared in the 17th century as an instrumental opening to opera, with early examples including Peri's Euridice (brief ritornello) and Monteverdi's L'Orfeo (toccata). The French overture, developed by Jean-Baptiste Lully from earlier court ballet forms, featured a slow dotted-rhythm introduction followed by a lively fugato section, and was used in works by Bach, Handel, and Purcell. The Italian overture, established by Alessandro Scarlatti in the 1680s, had a fast–slow–fast structure and spread across Europe, eventually supplanting the French form as the standard operatic overture by the mid-18th century.

Reader's Guide

The overture's significance lies in its dual role as both a functional introduction to staged works and a precursor to independent orchestral forms. In the 18th century, overtures and symphonies were nearly interchangeable, but opera reform led composers to link overtures dramatically to their operas. By the 1850s, the symphonic poem began to supplant the concert overture, though composers like Brahms and Tchaikovsky continued to write overtures. In the 20th century, the overture persisted in film music and as a parody form, as in Malcolm Arnold's A Grand, Grand Overture.

Did You Know?

• The French overture style was used in English opera, notably Henry Purcell's Dido and Æneas.
• The Italian overture's three-movement fast–slow–fast form influenced the early development of the symphony.
• Richard Wagner's Vorspiel to Lohengrin is a short self-contained movement based on the music of the Grail.
• Malcolm Arnold's A Grand, Grand Overture includes parts for four rifles and three vacuum cleaners.