What does overture mean?
Word: Overture
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Overture means a piece of music played at the start of an opera, a ballet or a play. It can also mean a first friendly move towards someone.
Synonyms: prelude, introduction
Antonyms: finale
Word origin: Comes from the French word ouverture.
How do you spell overture?
Syllables: o - ver - ture
Tricky part: The sound at the end tempts students into writing cher or chure, as they would hear it, instead of the letters it really has.
Watch out for: overchure, overcher
Memory tip: Every opera is a musical adventure. Adventure and this word finish with the same four letters, however soft they sound.
Overture in a sentence
Example 1: The lights went down, the hall fell quiet and the overture began.
Example 2: A short overture came before the curtain rose on the annual play.
Example 3: Her warm smile was an overture of friendship to the new girl in class.
Fun Fact
Not every overture leads into a stage show: Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture of 1830 was written as a concert piece in its own right, after a visit to Scotland.
Practise the CREST Way
Word Tally
Give 2 marks for each correctly spelt word. How many marks does this list earn?
ovarture, cadenza, sonatta, rhapsody, crescendo
a) 4
b) 8
c) 6
d) 2
Show answer
c) 6. Three are right, giving 6 marks: overture has er after the v, and sonata has one t.
Back to the Roots
Choose the correct option:
Ouverture, the French word behind overture, means ___.
a) a melody
b) a crowd
c) an opening
d) a stage
Show answer
c) an opening. French ouvrir means to open, which suits music that opens a performance.
Jumble Tumble
Choose the correct sequence of the jumbled letters to form a meaningful word:
vuetrroe 12345678
a) 18354267
b) 21374568
c) 71354268
d) 71364528
Show answer
c) 71354268. This order of digits turns the jumble into overture.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. overture 2. encore 3. duet a. a piece for two performers b. what the audience hears before the story on stage begins c. an extra item performed because the audience calls for more
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a
b) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
c) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
d) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
Show answer
a) 1-b, 2-c, 3-a. A duet needs two people, an encore comes after the applause, and an overture comes before the action.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Who would normally perform an overture?
a) an orchestra in the pit
b) a lone actor on stage
c) a dancer in the wings
d) a prompter backstage
Show answer
a) an orchestra in the pit
2. At first the class ignored Rohan's overtures. What had Rohan done?
a) moved to a seat at the back
b) tried to get to know them better
c) asked to copy their homework
d) complained to their class teacher
Show answer
b) tried to get to know them better
