TheFrench overture is amusical form widely used in theBaroque period. Its basic formal division is into two parts, which are usually enclosed by double bars and repeat signs. They are complementary in style (slow in dotted rhythms and fast infugal style), and the first ends with a half-cadence (i.e., on a dominant harmony) that requires an answering structure with a tonic ending. The second section often but not always ends with a brief recollection of the first, sometimes even repeating some of its melodic content.[1]
The form is first encountered inJean-Baptiste Lully's ballet overtures from the 1650s.[1] Later examples can be found as the opening movement of each ofJohann Sebastian Bach'sorchestral suites,Partita in D major, BWV 828,C minor Cello Suite, BWV 1011, and as an opening to manyoperas andoratorios byGeorge Frideric Handel (includingMessiah andGiulio Cesare). The 16th of Bach'sGoldberg Variations is a miniature French overture.
The French overture should not be confused with theItalian overture, a three-part quick-slow-quick structure.
