What is a prelude in music?
Stephen Johnson gets to grips with classical music's technical terms BBC Music Magazine Published: June 9, 2016 at 6:29 pm A musical prelude is an introduction to a larger piece of music. In some instances, it can stand alone as an independent piece, but most often it is heard as a preface, which may introduce musical themes that are then developed later on in the work. Here, surely, is a musical term that’s simple enough to define. The word ‘Prelude’ comes directly from the Latin ‘praeludere’ – ‘to play before’. And that, for several centuries, was the Prelude’s function. It was partly practical necessity. Lutenists , wanting to test their tuning and the acoustics of the room, would improvise a little warm-up piece before getting down to business. Fitted out with the title ‘ Praeludium ’ this soon became a solid part of the ritual of music making. Church organists would also improvise preludes: 1) to create a suitable devotional atmosphere before the service; and 2) to ...