prelude
n.an action or event that happens before something more important. In music, it is a short piece that introduces a longer work.
n.an introductory performance, action, or event preceding and leading up to a more significant matter. In a musical context, it refers to a movement or piece that serves as an introduction to a larger composition.
“The dark clouds were a prelude to the storm.”
“The short meeting served as a necessary prelude to the intense negotiations that followed later that afternoon.”
“The composer's early piano preludes, while brief, contain the harmonic seeds that would eventually blossom into his more expansive symphonic works.”
Often paired with the preposition 'to' when describing an introductory event.
From Middle French prélude (“singing to test a musical instrument”), from Medieval Latin preludium, from Latin praelūdere.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.