From Latin "temperare" [to moderate] ?; From François Juste Marie Raynouard, »Lexique roman ou Dictionnaire de la langue des troubadours: comparée avec les autres langues de l’Europe latine«, tome V: Q-Z (Paris, 1844), p.317, № 6; A mediaeval prelude with practical and aesthetical functions: loosening up the reeds, check the tuning of chanter and drones, ask the attention of the dancers (if present), and drawing the audience into its mood.