Intrada

What it means

The intrada, from the Italian “entrata” for “entrance,” is a festive opening piece widespread especially in the 16th and 17th centuries. It announces an entrance, a ceremony, or the start of a larger work and is often of a fanfare-like, solemn character.

Musical use

Intradas were played at courts for receptions, festivals, and processions, often by trumpet and trombone ensembles. In printed collections of the 16th and 17th centuries, for instance by Michael Praetorius, numerous intradas appear as opening movements of dance suites. The term was later occasionally used for opening movements of other works too.

The intrada should be distinguished from the fanfare, which is shorter and more signal-like, and from the overture, which in the Baroque and later became an independent, often multi-part opening movement for opera and orchestral works. The intrada is historically earlier and usually more simply built.

Performance practice

Play an intrada with a clear, solemn attack and distinct articulation, as befits an opening piece. In an ensemble, aim for a shared, precise entry so the representative character of the piece comes across.