Incipit

An incipit (/ˈɪnsɪpɪt/ IN-sip-it) (Latin for "it begins") is the first few words of a piece of text, employed as an identifying label in lieu of a title. Examples of this are the Akkadian Enūma Eliš (meaning "When on High") or the Latin Agnus Dei (meaning "Lamb of God"). The practice of referring to texts by their initial words can be found in various parts of the world and remains commonplace today. In a musical composition, an incipit is an initial sequence of notes, having the same purpose. Its counterpart taken from the ending of the text or musical composition is the explicit.