1An intervening period of time; an interval.

1. 1.1 A pause between the acts of a play.
   Example sentencesExamples

   • Dancers have only one and a half minutes in the interlude to change clothes.
   • In the interludes between the 12 scenes, the Andorrans take the witness stand to disclaim any responsibility for Andri's death, rather in the manner of Adolf Eichmann during his trial.
   • At one point in Act I they all stand on the tilted stage, in a straight line, during one of the interludes.

2A thing occurring or done during an interval.

1. 2.1 Something performed during a theatre interval.
   an orchestral interlude

   Example sentencesExamples

   • That interludes were sometimes performed by villagers we know from ‘Pyramus and Thisbe’ in A Midsummer Night's Dream.
   • In between the shows, the comic interludes were performed to keep the audience in good spirits with twinkle-footed clowns.
   • She made her debut dancing with Anton Dolin's company in London in 1929, performing balletic interludes in revues at the Coliseum.
   • The evening might best be described as a surreal musical revue with spoken-word interludes and snatches of drama.
   • Tonight there will be a Tanwood School of Performing Arts 60th anniversary show, with an interlude performance from the Moloney School of Irish Dancing, at the Arts Centre in Devizes Road.
   • It's a smorgasbord, complete with physical sketch comedy, musical interludes, and dance performance.
   • During the orchestral interludes, the curtain remains up and characters mime to the music.
   • The plot in this play is difficult to follow, but the minimal dialogue, emphasis on visuals and musical interlude performed on stage by the actors makes it offbeat enough to enjoy.
   • The work was divided between dance interludes and theatrical dialogue.
   • Apart from the Malaysian dance performance, by way of an interlude, Madurai too put its best foot forward with a brief fire dance by a local performer.
   • They included sixteen endearing young students from the ballet school whose gracious performance of the Polish interlude was delightful.
   • Even the staging is poor: the Pyramus and Thisbe interlude is inexplicably set on a high balcony, remote from the audience.
   • In the 1900s, Cons began staging Shakespearian scenes during concert interludes.
2. 2.2 A piece of music played between other pieces or between the verses of a hymn.
   short instrumental interludes between songs

   Example sentencesExamples

   • It's a curious mix - fifteen tracks of short interludes, instrumentals and the occasional full song - far removed from the bluesy, rough-edged sound favoured by their previous outfit.
   • Most of the firmly harmonized chorales were impressive (though some were thin or too slow), as were those with colourful instrumental interludes.
   • It must be admitted, however, that one of the most memorable parts of the cantata is the Scherzo interlude, ‘The Flight into Egypt’, for piano alone.
   • In Catholic countries, the symphony was much used for instrumental interludes in the Mass or in place of the Proper items, at cathedrals, large churches, princely chapels, and monasteries.
   • The audio-track covers the history of Burlington House with interludes of music dating from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
   • He does a wonderful job of not stacking the desolate-sounding tunes and in separating the album's six proper tunes with clever musical interludes that bridge the gaps excellently.
   • It is mainly dialogue driven with musical interludes, and the music is virtually the only time the rear channels are utilized.
   • And I liked the music interludes especially too.
   • The instrumental interludes are brilliantly conceived - bright, dissonant, and seemingly mock-serious.
   • These might be orchestral interludes or the religious hymns, but they form more contemplative passages, balancing the dialogue.
   • The ensemble too is impeccably restrained and mutually responsive - witness the two purely instrumental interludes offered on the disc.
   • A rocking midsection and an oddball circus music interlude don't contribute much to the song, but they don't detract much from it, either.
   • The short Elegy in D minor is nothing but a peaceful interlude but the Piano Quartet in A minor is another important work that deserves better recognition.
   • The odd-numbered tracks are short interludes using music boxes and prepared toy pianos to situate his longer improvised works for prepared piano.
   • Disc One throws together dramatic choral interludes, pieces of syncopated 60s rock, and more traditional works that gesture back toward bossa nova.
   • The Sunrise String Quartet to our right plays musical interludes for accompaniment and transition.
   • Boasting 15 tracks, four of which act as short instrumental interludes between songs, the album booklet includes landscapes and urban scenes entwined with vocalist Bruce Conlon's sappy poetry.
   • The musical interlude that followed was a lovely performance by Vogt and Meyer playing Schumann (Three fantasy pieces for piano and clarinet).
   • The mournful saxophone appears again in an interlude before the short second movement.
   • He recasts the well-known instrumental interlude from his opera Sir John in Love for voices.
3. 2.3 A temporary amusement or diversion that contrasts with what goes before or after.
   the romantic interlude palled rapidly once he was back in town

   Example sentencesExamples

   • There are no romantic interludes to relieve the stress.
   • Off course, as my illness progressed, my romantic attachments and interludes became less and less frequent, as most ladies tend not to be attracted to drunken, raving lunatics for some strange reason!
   • We all vacation, travel, have romantic interludes in the prairies and wood-lands.
   • Okay, I made that part up, but in all seriousness some people were happy with the romantic interlude while others not so much.
   • A drop of oil on a pillowcase will tantalise the senses for a romantic interlude, or help to lull you off to sleep.
   • The Swiss have for long tempted Indian film-makers to use the Alps and other picturesque locales as the backdrop for romantic interludes in Bollywood films.
   • I resisted as much as I could, but when she held out the possibility of food and drink, and hinted that there might be some opportunities for romantic interludes, my resistance started to flag.
   • Cops are either not there in these places or they are pretty ignorant of these romantic interludes.
   • I couldn't - physically couldn't - sit here and take Matt gushing over his romantic interludes with Jessica.
   • My only criticism is that there are not enough romantic interludes between Casanova and Francesca.
   • But romantic interludes with Max are always a good thing.
   • What does he say to his wife after a romantic interlude?
   • The full-bore spookiness of these interludes provides a startling contrast to the main action, which traverses familiar road-movie territory.
   • Enjoy this relaxing interlude before life's next batch of dramatic happenings
   • After all, why would a career-minded woman ever want to become entangled in a romantic interlude that might end up with her becoming a stay-at-home mom?
   • And what I've just realized is that these romantic interludes are actually pretty interesting.
   • Though the mystery halts in places, there are a series of italicized interludes that tell the serialized story of a stranger who visits the solstice party to give Alice a notebook from a hitchhiker.
   • Cruz is devoted to gritty realism as many of the romantic interludes are explicitly graphic.
   • It seems that no-one in Rhea County is descended from monkeys, though it's less clear as to whether romantic interludes with mules and cows might not have contributed to the current population.
   • I haven't forgotten that this is usually a feather-light interlude of domestic diversions and pop-cult blather - but these are interesting times, and it's my web page.