A serenade (from the Italian serenata, from Latin serenus “calm”, influenced by sera “evening”) has two meanings. Originally it is an evening love song that a lover sang beneath the window of his beloved, usually to the accompaniment of a guitar or mandolin (the famous serenade of Don Giovanni in Mozart's opera).
The second meaning is a multi-movement instrumental work for a small ensemble or orchestra, intended for performance in the open air, at festivities and celebrations. Such serenades (kindred to the divertimento and cassation) were written by Mozart (the famous “Eine kleine Nachtmusik”), Haydn, and later the Romantics. This is music of a light, refined, festive mood. Common to both meanings is the atmosphere of a warm evening, of tenderness and the joy of life. The serenade is one of the most charming and most hospitable genres of music.
