overture

英['əʊvətj(ʊ)ə] 美['ovətʃʊr]

1. orchestral music played at the beginning of an opera or oratorio

2. something that serves as a preceding event or introduces what follows;

"training is a necessary preliminary to employment"

"drinks were the overture to dinner"

3. a tentative suggestion designed to elicit the reactions of others;

"she rejected his advances"