Overture \O"ver*ture\, [OF. overture, F. ouverture, fr. OF.
ovrir, F. ouvrir. See Overt.]
1. An opening or aperture; a recess; a recess; a chamber.
[Obs.]
--Spenser. ``The cave's inmost overture.''
--Chapman.
2. Disclosure; discovery; revelation. [Obs.]
It was he That made the overture of thy treasons to
us. --Shak.
3. A proposal; an offer; a proposition formally submitted for
consideration, acceptance, or rejection. ``The great
overture of the gospel.'' --Barrow.
4. (Mus.) A composition, for a full orchestra, designed as an
introduction to an oratorio, opera, or ballet, or as an
independent piece; -- called in the latter case a concert
overture.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
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