A
fanfare (or
flourish) is a short
musical flourish that is typically played by
trumpets or other
brass instruments, often accompanied by
percussion , a "brief
improvised introduction to an instrumental performance" . By extension, the word may also designate a short, prominent passage for brass instruments in an orchestral composition. In French usage,
fanfare also may refer to a hunting signal (given either on "starting" a stag, or after the kill when the hounds are given their share of the animal), and in both France and Italy was the name given in the 19th century to a military or civilian
brass band . In French, this usage continues to the present, and distinguishes the all-brass band from bands of mixed brass and woodwind, which is called
Harmonie .