intermezzo.

A short musical or dramatic piece, often functioning as an interlude within or between parts of a larger performance.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• an orchestral intermezzo
• a piano intermezzo

On the page

The orchestral intermezzo changed the atmosphere before the singers returned.

She played the piano intermezzo without exaggerating its quiet contrasts.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary. Forms: Singular intermezzo; plural intermezzos or intermezzi. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings.