intermezzo

intermezzo (ĭntərmĕt`sō, –mĕd`zō).

1 Any theatrical entertainment of a light nature performed between the divisions of a longer, more serious work.

2 In the 17th and 18th cent., a short independent comic scene with everyday characters was interpolated between acts of serious operas. In the 18th cent. it developed into opera buffa (see opera

Characteristics

The libretto may be serious or comic, although neither form necessarily excludes elements of the other. Opera differs from operetta in its musical complexity and usually in its subject matter.
..... ); a famous example is Pergolesi's La serva padrona.

3 In the 19th cent., a short independent piece having the character of an interlude, or a movement of such character in a larger work such as a symphony or sonata. It was a favorite form of Schumann and Brahms.

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intermezzo

1. a short piece of instrumental music composed for performance between the acts or scenes of an opera, drama, etc.

2. an instrumental piece either inserted between two longer movements in an extended composition or intended for independent performance

3. another name for interlude (sense 2)