prelude

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

• noun An introductory performance, event, or action preceding a more important one; a preliminary or preface.
• noun 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.
• noun A similar but independent composition for the piano.
• noun The overture to an oratorio, opera, or act of an opera.
• noun A short composition of the 1400s and early 1500s written in a free style, usually for keyboard.
• intransitive verb To serve as a prelude to.
• intransitive verb To introduce with or as if with a prelude.
• intransitive verb To serve as a prelude or introduction.

from The Century Dictionary.

• To preface; prepare the way for; introduce as by a prelude; foreshadow.
• Specifically, in music, to play a prelude to; introduce by a musical prelude.
• To serve as a prelude to; precede as a musical prelude.
• To perform a prelude or introduction; give a preface to later action; especially, in music, to play a prelude, or introductory passage or movement, before beginning a principal composition.
• To serve as a prelude or introduction; especially, to constitute a musical prelude.
• noun An introductory performance; a preliminary to an action, event, or work of broader scope and higher importance; a preface; presage; foreshadowing.
• noun In music, a prefatory or introductory piece, section, or movement, either extended and more or less independent, as in many elaborate fugues, in suites and sonatas, in oratorios and operas, or brief and strictly connected with what is to follow, as in various shorter works and at the opening of church services and before hymns. The organ prelude to a church service is often called a voluntary. Compare intrada, introduction, overture, vorspiel, etc.
• noun Synonyms Preface, etc. (see introduction), preliminary.
• noun See overture

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

• noun An introductory performance, preceding and preparing for the principal matter; a preliminary part, movement, strain, etc.; especially (Mus.), a strain introducing the theme or chief subject; a movement introductory to a fugue, yet independent; -- with recent composers often synonymous with overture.
• intransitive verb To play an introduction or prelude; to give a prefatory performance; to serve as prelude.
• transitive verb To introduce with a previous performance; to play or perform a prelude to.
• transitive verb To serve as prelude to; to precede as introductory.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

• noun An introductory or preliminary performance or event; a preface.
• noun music A short piece of music that acts as an introduction to a longer piece.
• verb To introduce something, as a prelude.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

• verb play as a prelude
• noun something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows
• verb serve as a prelude or opening to
• noun music that precedes a fugue or introduces an act in an opera