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 originated in the 17th century as an instrumental introduction to ballets, operas, and oratorios. Early examples include the brief instrumental ritornello opening Peri’s *Euridice* and the toccata fanfare for muted trumpets that begins Monteverdi’s *L’Orfeo*. More significant at the time was the sung prologue, featuring allegorical characters who set up the story’s themes. Two distinct national styles emerged. The French overture, developed by Jean-Baptiste Lully from earlier court ballet forms, features a slow, dotted-rhythm introduction followed by a lively fugal section. This style was adopted in English opera, notably by Henry Purcell, and became common in the works of late Baroque composers such as Bach, Handel, and Telemann, often appearing as preludes to suites or in cantatas. The Italian overture, established by Alessandro Scarlatti in the 1680s, spread across Europe and supplanted the French form by the mid-18th century. It consists of three homophonic movements in a fast–slow–fast pattern, with the first movement often taking on sonatina form and the slow movement becoming more lyrical. Italian overtures were frequently detached from their operas and played as independent concert pieces, influencing the early development of the symphony. During the 18th century, overtures and symphonies were nearly interchangeable, but opera reform led composers to link overtures dramatically to their operas by foreshadowing musical elements, as seen in Grétry’s *La Magnifique*, which quotes several arias. In the early Romantic era, composers like Beethoven and Mendelssohn created the concert overture, an independent, programmatic work intended for concert performance. Mendelssohn’s *A Midsummer Night’s Dream* is generally regarded as the first such piece, followed by his *The Hebrides* and others. By the 1850s, the symphonic poem, pioneered by Franz Liszt, began to supplant the concert overture, though the form continued to appear in later orchestral works and, in the 20th century, in film music and parody.

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.