Nachspiel
Postlude, a closing piece.
What it means
A Nachspiel is a closing instrumental piece. In worship it designates the organ music after the blessing, while the congregation leaves the church. In song and aria, Nachspiel means the part of the accompaniment that continues after the last sung note and closes the piece. The Latin equivalent is postludium; it stands as the counterpart to the praeludium, the prelude.
Musical use
In the art song, the postlude is often more than a conclusion: it comments on what has been said, continues the thought, or leaves it open. Some songs gain their real meaning only in these last bars, in which the singing voice falls silent and the piano speaks alone. In worship the postlude has a different, practical function: it accompanies the recessional and is to be chosen accordingly in length and character; festive pieces after high feasts, restrained ones after funeral services. As a genre in its own right the postlude is not fixed — any suitable piece can take this place.
Other names
Postlude is the English and French designation (Latin postludium). It is used especially for the organ postlude in worship.
Performance practice
In the song, the postlude belongs to the shaping of the whole: do not play it as an appendix but keep the tension beyond the last sung note and plan the ending deliberately. Singer and accompanist should agree how long the held pose is maintained before attention releases. In worship, choose length and character according to the occasion and coordinate with those leading the service; a too-long piece fizzles out once the church has long emptied. Watch for a registration that carries without overwhelming.
Bear in mind that the postlude in the song concludes the interpretation and often says the most important thing: do not treat it as an appendix but keep the tension beyond the last sung note and plan the ending deliberately. Agree with the singer when the shared pose is released. Register so that the piece carries without overwhelming, and reckon with the fact that noise in the room covers quiet passages.