vorspiel

[ fawr-shpeel, fohr- ]

noun

1. an introductory movement to a musical work, especially a prelude or overture.

Word History and Origins

Origin of vorspiel¹

< German, equivalent to vor- pre-, fore ¹ + Spiel game, play

Example Sentences

Rachmaninoff’s “The Isle of the Dead” comes off as a colossal masterpiece; Schoenberg’s “Gurrelieder” is given expansive treatment, a Klimt glittering blindingly; Schreker’s “Vorspiel zu einem Drama” has never sounded so glorious.

From New York Times

Similar to the oceanic crescendo that runs through Wagner’s Vorspiel to “Das Rheingold,” this bass is felt before it’s heard, the downbeat swooning to fill a space, tuned to its own harmonic center.

From The New Yorker

From the opening phrase of the Vorspiel Forbes became a Wagnerian.

From Project Gutenberg

The vorspiel to the piker's threnody.

From Project Gutenberg

He chose a baton from the rack and began a careful, orthodox Vorspiel.

From Time Magazine Archive