Serenade
Music sung or played at night beneath a window — later moved into the concert hall
Related
A serenade first meant music sung or played at night beneath someone's window, often with guitar or a small band; in the eighteenth century it also meant a multi-movement instrumental suite written for a celebration or an evening meal, as in Mozart and Haydn.
As vocal music, a serenade is a love song addressed to another person, Schubert's being the model. As instrumental music it stands close to the divertimento and suite, with light movements for outdoor or social use. After 1800 the serenade entered the concert hall, the string serenade becoming a standard form.
Two traditions share the name: the song beneath the window and the suite in the hall. Look first at the forces and the number of movements: a single short song usually belongs to the first, four or five movements to the second.
Sources
- 小夜曲的声乐与器乐两条传统，参 The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, "Serenade"；本文为原创表述
Used for fact-checking only; all prose is original.