An overture is a piece for orchestra that opens an opera, a ballet, or a play. It is played before the curtain rises. It sets the mood, and it often gives a taste of the tunes to come. Some overtures were written to stand alone in a concert.
The word comes from the French for “opening.”
What an overture does
- It says the show is starting. The lights go down, the conductor walks in, and the orchestra plays.
- It sets the mood. A comedy gets a quick, bright overture. A tragedy gets a dark one.
- It previews the tunes. Many overtures are built from the best tunes of the show.
An overture lasts from four to fifteen minutes or so.
Two kinds
The overture to a stage work. It belongs to an opera, a ballet, an operetta, or a musical. Orchestras often play these overtures at concerts, without the show.
The concert overture. It is a piece on its own, with no show to follow. It often paints a place or tells a story. Mendelssohn wrote “The Hebrides” after a trip to the islands of Scotland. Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture tells of a battle.
Ten overtures to hear
William Tell Overture, by Rossini. Four parts: dawn, a storm, a calm, and a gallop. See the guide.
The Marriage of Figaro Overture, by Mozart. Four minutes of whispering and bustle.
The Magic Flute Overture, by Mozart. Three grand chords, and then a quick, busy tune that the instruments pass around. See the guide to the opera.
The Barber of Seville Overture, by Rossini. Rossini had used this overture for two earlier operas. It became famous with this one.
Carmen Overture, by Bizet. A bullfight parade, and then the Toreador’s tune.
Orpheus in the Underworld Overture, by Offenbach. It ends with the can-can.
Light Cavalry Overture, by Suppé. A trumpet call and a galloping tune.
A Midsummer Night’s Dream Overture, by Mendelssohn. He wrote it at 17. Four soft chords open the door to a fairy wood.
1812 Overture, by Tchaikovsky. A hymn, a battle, bells, and cannons. See the guide.
Candide Overture, by Bernstein. Fast, bright, and full of jokes.
A short history
In the 1600s and 1700s, two patterns grew up.
- The French overture begins slow and grand, and then turns quick. Handel’s Messiah opens with one.
- The Italian overture goes fast, slow, fast. Composers began to write pieces in this pattern for concerts, and the symphony grew from it.
In the 1800s, composers started to build the overture from the tunes of the opera. Later, some operas dropped the overture for a short prelude, or for nothing at all.
Musicals have overtures too. The orchestra plays a medley of the songs before the first scene.
Read what is a symphony? and opera for kids.
Overture, prelude, or suite?
| Word | What it is |
|---|---|
| Overture | A piece that opens a stage work, or a concert piece of the same kind |
| Prelude | A short opening piece. In an opera, it runs straight into the first scene. |
| Suite | A set of short pieces. A ballet suite gathers the best numbers of a ballet. |
Read what is a suite in music?
At the theater
- The overture is played with the curtain down and the lights low.
- It is part of the show. Sit and listen, the same as for the rest.
- People often clap when it ends, and then the curtain rises.
Read taking kids to The Nutcracker ballet. The Nutcracker has a short, light overture with no cellos or double basses.
Things to do together
Guess the show. Play an overture your child has not heard. Ask whether the show will be funny, scary, or sad.
Count the tunes. Play the Carmen overture. Count how many different tunes you hear.
Four pictures. Play the William Tell Overture. Your child draws one picture for each of the four parts.
Write a title. Play “The Hebrides.” Ask what place the music brings to mind, and then tell your child the real title.
Make your own. Pick three songs your family knows. Hum a bit of each, one after another. That is how an overture to a musical works.
Print and play
Use a listening journal page for each overture. Make a card with the listening bingo maker. Read Rossini for kids and Mendelssohn for kids.
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This article is part of Music theory for parents: what your child is learning and how to help.
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Use it with your kids
Print a listening page, a practice chart, or a composer fact sheet. Or try a tool, such as the composer timeline or the piece picker.