Intermezzo
A short piece between acts or movements — often standing alone
Related
Intermezzo has two senses: an orchestral passage between acts of an opera, used for scene changes, relief or connection; and, after the nineteenth century, a standalone piano piece, as in Brahms and Schumann — short and inward.
It differs from a prelude: a prelude comes before a formal section, an intermezzo between sections; it differs from an overture, which opens the whole work. The usual mistake is to treat intermezzo as mere "fill" — the standalone intermezzo is often the composer's most private music.
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Sources
- 间奏曲的两种用法（歌剧幕间 / 独立钢琴曲），参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Intermezzo"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.