It may take the form of something as simple as a low, ominous tone suggesting an impending startling event or to enhance the depiction of a story-advancing sequence.
Some early examples of what were later called incidental music are also described as semi-operas, quasi-operas, masques, vaudevilles[citation needed] and melodramas.
Incidental music is also used extensively in comedy shows for a similar purpose: providing mild entertainment during a dull transition.
Famous comedy incidental musicians include Paul Schaffer, Max Weinberg, Patrick Burgomaster, and Jon Batiste.
Modern composers of incidental music include Pierre Boulez, Lorenzo Ferrero, Irmin Schmidt, Ilona Sekacz, John White, and Iannis Xenakis.
Theme songs are among the works of incidental music that are most commonly released independently of the performance for which they were written, and occasionally become major successes in their own right.
Short sequences of recorded music called loops are sometimes designed so that they can be repeated indefinitely and seamlessly as required to accompany visuals.