incidental music

American  

noun

1. music intended primarily to point up or accompany parts of the action of a play or to serve as transitional material between scenes.

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incidental music British  

noun

1. background music for a film, television programme, etc

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Etymology

Origin of incidental music

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

There have been many settings of “Hamlet,” from full operas, to overtures, to incidental music.

From New York Times • May 16, 2022

The evening opened with “The Consecration of the House,” an overture Beethoven wholly revised in 1822 from incidental music originally composed a decade earlier for August von Kotzebue’s play, “The Ruins of Athens.”

From Washington Post • Jan. 28, 2022

The calliope-heavy incidental music sounds like a carousel.

From Salon • Dec. 5, 2021

When pop stars weren't available, he went back to his first job - writing incidental music for films and TV shows.

From BBC • Aug. 26, 2021

Edward German's overture and incidental music for Sir George Alexander's production of Much Ado at the St James's, 1898, is German at his best.

From Shakespeare and Music by Wilson, Christopher