The opening words of a text in Latin. Beatus vir (Blessed is the man) is the incipit of the first Psalm.
The first word of the cantus, which establishes the pitch structure of the entire lection. Unless specified by a particular setting, incipits may begin on any appropriate tone of the chromatic scale in any octave.
the first few words (often the first line or the intonation) of a work; the incipit commonly functions like a modern-day title to identify the work in question.
a heading indicating the beginning of a section of text
From the Latin word meaning "to begin," this word refers to the words added at the beginning of a Scripture reading in the Lectionary. These introductions provide a smooth entrance to a reading and context for the listeners.
The first few notes or measures with which a piece of music begins. Incipits are often given in thematic catalogs in order to positively identify a piece of music. In the case of works with multiple movements (such as symphonies and sonatas), the incipit of each movement is usually given.
The incipit of a text, such as a poem, song, or book, is its first few words or opening line. Before the development of titles, texts were often referred to by their incipits. Incipit comes from the Latin for "it begins".