Re: Looking for the proper term to search for... like a... prelude? maybe?

[Andrew Bernard]

Hi Kevin,

For an eight bar intro you would normally leave the vocal line staff and 
use full bar rests. This actually makes it easier for the vocalist, and 
if you were making parts you would have to do this anyway. I would not 
try to hide the intro staff in this case.

Frenched usually refers to omitting whole empty systems and is used to 
make symphonic scores more compact. Just omitting a staff for a few bars 
is not generally thought of as Frenching, technically speaking.

Andrew