Music Term
What is a reprise?
Definition
A reprise is the return of a previously heard musical theme, melody, or section -- often in a different context, key, or emotional register -- near the end of a piece.
Reprise in music -- explained
The word comes from French, meaning 'taken back'. In classical music, the reprise was the formal return of the opening theme in sonata form (the recapitulation). In musical theatre and film scores, the reprise is a narrative device: a theme heard early returns later, transformed by context to carry new emotional weight. In pop music, album closers sometimes reprise the opening track's motif to create a circular architecture. The reprise differs from simple repetition in that the return is typically varied -- harmonically re-harmonised, tempo-shifted, orchestrated differently, or placed in a dramatically new narrative moment. The reprise depends on the listener's memory of the original occurrence; its power is entirely contextual. When executed well, it creates a feeling of emotional completion or devastating irony (hearing a love theme after a breakup scene, for instance).
Notable examples of a reprise
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) -- The Beatles
Returns the album's opening theme just before the closing A Day in the Life, sealing the concept album's frame.
Two Ghosts -- Harry Styles
The album version reprises the vocal motif at a slower tempo, letting the lyrical devastation land in full.
Purple Rain -- Prince
The extended guitar outro reprises the chorus theme, building to a climactic catharsis that makes the 8-minute runtime feel short.
Related music terms
Frequently asked questions
- What is a reprise in music?
- A reprise is the return of a previously heard musical theme, melody, or section -- often in a different context, key, or emotional register -- near the end of a piece.
- What is an example of a reprise?
- A well-known example is Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) by The Beatles: Returns the album's opening theme just before the closing A Day in the Life, sealing the concept album's frame.
- How is a reprise used in music?
- The word comes from French, meaning 'taken back'. In classical music, the reprise was the formal return of the opening theme in sonata form (the recapitulation).
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