prelude

prel·ude

P0524700 (prā′lo͞od′, -lyo͞od′; prĕl′o͞od′, -yo͞od′; prē′lo͞od′, -lyo͞od′) n. 1. An introductory performance, event, or action preceding a more important one; a preliminary or preface. 2. Music a. A piece or movement that serves as an introduction to another section or composition and establishes the key, such as one that precedes a fugue, opens a suite, or precedes a church service. b. A similar but independent composition for the piano. c. The overture to an oratorio, opera, or act of an opera. d. A short composition of the 1400s and early 1500s written in a free style, usually for keyboard. v. prel·ud·ed, prel·ud·ing, prel·udes v. tr. 1. To serve as a prelude to. 2. To introduce with or as if with a prelude. v. intr. To serve as a prelude or introduction.

[Medieval Latin praelūdium, from Latin praelūdere, to play beforehand : prae-, pre- + lūdere, to play; see leid- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

prel′ud′er n. pre·lu′di·al (prĭ-lo͞o′dē-əl) adj. Usage Note: How should prelude be pronounced? In our 2015 survey, 72 percent of the Usage Panel preferred a long a (pronounced "pray") and 25 percent a short e (pronounced "prell") for the first syllable. The absence or presence of a glide—a short (y) sound—after coronal consonants such as d, t, or l is a regional variation. People who pronounce duty as (do͞o′tē) also tend to omit the glide after the l in prelude: (prā′lo͞od′). Those who pronounce duty as (dyo͞o′tē) will tend to include the glide: (prā′lyo͞od′).

prelude

(ˈprɛljuːd) n1. (Music, other) a. a piece of music that precedes a fugue, or forms the first movement of a suite, or an introduction to an act in an opera, etcb. (esp for piano) a self-contained piece of music2. something serving as an introduction or preceding event, occurrence, etcvb3. to serve as a prelude to (something)4. (tr) to introduce by a prelude[C16: (n) from Medieval Latin praelūdium, from prae before + -lūdium entertainment, from Latin lūdus play; (vb) from Late Latin praelūdere to play beforehand, rehearse, from lūdere to play] preluder n preˈludial adj prelusion n prelusive, prelusory adj preˈlusively, preˈlusorily adv

prel•ude

(ˈprɛl yud, ˈpreɪl-, ˈpreɪ lud, ˈpri-)

n., v. -ud•ed, -ud•ing. n. 1. a preliminary to an action, event, condition, or work of broader scope and higher importance. 2. any action, event, comment, etc., that precedes something else. 3. Music. a. a relatively short, independent instrumental composition, free in form and resembling an improvisation. b. a piece that is introductory to another piece, as a fugue. c. the overture to an opera. d. music opening a church service; an introductory voluntary. v.t. 4. to serve as a prelude or introduction to. 5. to introduce by a prelude. 6. to play as a prelude. v.i. 7. to serve as a prelude. 8. to give a prelude. 9. to play a prelude. [1555–65; < Medieval Latin praelūdium= Latin praelūd(ere) to compose a prelude (prae- pre- + lūdere to write for amusement, play) + -ium -ium¹]

prelude

Past participle: preluded
Gerund: preluding

Imperative
prelude
prelude

Present
I prelude
you prelude
he/she/it preludes
we prelude
you prelude
they prelude

Preterite
I preluded
you preluded
he/she/it preluded
we preluded
you preluded
they preluded

Present Continuous
I am preluding
you are preluding
he/she/it is preluding
we are preluding
you are preluding
they are preluding

Present Perfect
I have preluded
you have preluded
he/she/it has preluded
we have preluded
you have preluded
they have preluded

Past Continuous
I was preluding
you were preluding
he/she/it was preluding
we were preluding
you were preluding
they were preluding

Past Perfect
I had preluded
you had preluded
he/she/it had preluded
we had preluded
you had preluded
they had preluded

Future
I will prelude
you will prelude
he/she/it will prelude
we will prelude
you will prelude
they will prelude

Future Perfect
I will have preluded
you will have preluded
he/she/it will have preluded
we will have preluded
you will have preluded
they will have preluded

Future Continuous
I will be preluding
you will be preluding
he/she/it will be preluding
we will be preluding
you will be preluding
they will be preluding

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been preluding
you have been preluding
he/she/it has been preluding
we have been preluding
you have been preluding
they have been preluding

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been preluding
you will have been preluding
he/she/it will have been preluding
we will have been preluding
you will have been preluding
they will have been preluding

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been preluding
you had been preluding
he/she/it had been preluding
we had been preluding
you had been preluding
they had been preluding

Conditional
I would prelude
you would prelude
he/she/it would prelude
we would prelude
you would prelude
they would prelude

Past Conditional
I would have preluded
you would have preluded
he/she/it would have preluded
we would have preluded
you would have preluded
they would have preluded

Thesaurus

Noun	1.	prelude - something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows; "training is a necessary preliminary to employment"; "drinks were the overture to dinner"overture, preliminaryinception, origination, origin - an event that is a beginning; a first part or stage of subsequent events
	2.	prelude - music that precedes a fugue or introduces an act in an operamusic - an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous mannerchorale prelude - a composition for organ using a chorale as a basis for variations
Verb	1.	prelude - serve as a prelude or opening toserve, function - serve a purpose, role, or function; "The tree stump serves as a table"; "The female students served as a control group"; "This table would serve very well"; "His freedom served him well"; "The table functions as a desk"
	2.	prelude - play as a preludemusic - musical activity (singing or whistling etc.); "his music was his central interest"spiel, play - replay (as a melody); "Play it again, Sam"; "She played the third movement very beautifully"

prelude

noun1. introduction, beginning, preparation, preliminary, start, commencement, curtain-raiser The protests are now seen as the prelude to last year's uprising.2. overture, opening, introduction, introductory movement the third-act Prelude of Parsifal

prelude

nounA short section of preliminary remarks:foreword, induction, introduction, lead-in, overture, preamble, preface, prolegomenon, prologue.

Translations

序幕序曲序言

prelude

(ˈpreljuːd) noun1. an event etc that goes before, and acts as an introduction to, something. 序言，序幕 2. a piece of music played as an introduction to the main piece. 序曲

prelude

(prā`lo͞od), musical composition of no universal style, usually for the keyboard. It was originally used to precede a ceremony and later a second, often larger piece. Early preludes represent the first example of idiomatic keyboard music. During the baroque period the prelude formed the first movement of suites and fugues. The most widely known preludes, those written for the piano by Frédéric Chopin, Claude Debussy and Aleksandr Scriabin, are independent works with no introductory function.

Prelude

an instrumental musical piece, usually a solo. Originally a prelude was a short introduction to any piece and was played by a lute, a stringed-keyboard instrument, or an organ. Especially in its early form, it is characterized by an improvisational style, free development, figurate treatment of the material, and the application from beginning to end of a single manner of execution, which makes it close to the genre of the étude. Preludes have often been designated by other names, including a praeambula, intrada, recercari, and fantasia.

In the 18th century composers wrote preludes as independent pieces, chiefly for stringed-keyboard instruments. At the same time, above all in the work of J. S. Bach, the prelude was combined with the fugue, becoming a standard short cyclic form. Bach also established the large cyclic form that combines preludes and fugues and embraces all the major and minor keys, for example, the first and second volumes of the Well-Tempered Clavier. Similar forms were created later, for example, Shostakovich’s 24 Preludes and Fugues for piano. In addition, a cyclic form consisting only of preludes, also in all keys, was developed by such composers as F. Chopin, A. N. Scriabin, C. Debussy, and D. B. Kabalevskii.

prelude

a. a piece of music that precedes a fugue, or forms the first movement of a suite, or an introduction to an act in an opera, etc. b. (esp for piano) a self-contained piece of music

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a prelude to (something)

prelude to something

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Synonyms for prelude

noun introduction

Synonyms

noun overture

Synonyms

Synonyms for prelude

noun a short section of preliminary remarks

Synonyms

Synonyms for prelude

noun something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows

Synonyms

Related Words

noun music that precedes a fugue or introduces an act in an opera

Related Words

verb serve as a prelude or opening to

Related Words

verb play as a prelude

Related Words