French Overture
English composer
Definition
A Baroque form in two sections: a slow, majestic opening with dotted rhythms and a faster fugal section. Used by Handel as the opening movement of Suite No. 7 and as the model for his opera and oratorio overtures.
Interpretive Guidance
The dotted rhythms of a French Overture must be over-dotted in performance — the convention of the era was to play written dotted rhythms as double-dotted. The opening section should be grand and unhurried; the fugal section crisp and forward-moving. On the harpsichord, registration changes (e.g., adding the 4' stop) can mark the transition; on the piano, a change in texture and touch achieves the same effect.