French overture
The form is first encountered in Jean-Baptiste Lully's ballet overtures from the 1650s. Later examples can be found as the opening movement of each of Johann Sebastian Bach's orchestral suites, Partita in D major, BWV 828, C minor Cello Suite, BWV 1011, and as an opening to many operas and oratorios by George Frideric Handel (including "Messiah" and "Giulio Cesare"). The 16th of Bach's "Goldberg Variations" is a miniature French overture.