OVERTURE • E-FREE TRANSLATION.COM • Definition of Overture

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/ˈoʊvərtʃər/ Listen

Overture

noun

Orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio.

Something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows. Synonyms: preliminary, prelude. "Drinks were the overture to dinner"

A tentative suggestion designed to elicit the reactions of others. Synonyms: advance, approach, feeler.

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Etymology of 'Overture'

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"Overture" Quotes from Famous Books

... obscure birth. The Marchesa's far reaching designs are forwarded by the ambitious monk, Schedoni, who, for his own ends, undertakes to murder Ellena. The Italian abounds in dramatic, haunting scenes. The strangely effective overture, which describes the Confessional of the Black Penitents, the midnight watch of Vivaldi and his lively, impulsive servant, Paulo, amid the ruins of Paluzzi, the melodramatic interruption of the wedding ceremony, the meeting of Ellena and Schedoni on the lonely shore, ...

— The Tale of Terror • Edith Birkhead

... first of Cantos up to this I 've not begun what we have to go through. These first twelve books are merely flourishes, Preludios, trying just a string or two Upon my lyre, or making the pegs sure; And when so, you shall have the overture. ...

— Don Juan • Lord Byron

... but enjoy the sweet song. And this youth stood forth clothed with such rare attraction that it is said Christ cast one long lingering look of affection upon him; then widening the circle of friendship, he offered the young ruler a place therein. It was an overture such as Socrates made to the boy Plato; it was a proffer such as Michael Angelo made to the poor young artist who knocked at his door. Recalling the day when he met Goethe, Schiller was accustomed to ...

— A Man's Value to Society - Studies in Self Culture and Character • Newell Dwight Hillis

... Secretary of State is of opinion that this overture should be attended to without delay, and that the proposal of treating at Madrid, though not what might have been desired, should yet be accepted, and a commission plenipotentiary made ...

— A Compilation of the Messages and Papers of the Presidents - Section 1 (of 4) of Volume 1: George Washington • James D. Richardson

... is only an intermission—this is only an overture, to what we may have to face! Now's our chance. For the love of heaven, let's get out of here. We've got hard work ahead of us, at Genoa—and we've got only till ...

— Phantom Wires - A Novel • Arthur Stringer

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