Serenade (music)

See also: Serenade (homonymy)

The Sérénade (or Serenata ) is, in its most common direction, a composition or a played musical representation in the honor of somebody, as the origin of its name indicates it, in evening (opposite with the dawn serenade, played rather in morning). In general, three categories of serenades are present in the history of the music:

In the oldest form, which survives still today, the serenade is a composition played in order to allure a person, under her windows. Such compositions are found as of the Moyen-âge until the Renaissance. It is often in this direction that the word " is included/understood; sérénade". Later, of the serenades are present in works referring to old times, in particular in the Aria S of the operas (for example in Don Giovanni of Mozart).
In the repertory baroque, where it is generally called Serenata (which is the translation in Italian of " sérénade"), the serenade was a piece played in outside, at the evening, with the voice accompanied by instruments. They was generally lengthily worked short works but, between the Cantate and the opera. The serenade, since she was played in outside, allowed the use of strange instruments in interior, like the trumpet, the horn, the drums.
the type more represented serenade appears during the traditional and romantic era, where it refers to the divertimento. Work is lighter here than for other works putting in scene great units (for example a symphony), and the musical quality takes precedence over the development or the dramatic intensity. The majority of these works come from Italy, of Germany, of Austria or Bohemian.

The most common instrumentarium for the serenade included/understood winds to which the Contrebasse S and the viola united, which allowed more " poids" in the play, especially in outside. It was current that the serenades start and finish in a style close to a walk.

The most famous serenades of the 18th century are undoubtedly those of Mozart, which counted between 4 and 10 movements. Among its most famous serenades, that known as Haffner , counted thereafter like the 35e symphony of Mozart, or Symphony of Haffner, or Eine Kleine Nachtmusik .

As of the 19th century, the serenade becomes more one artistic concept, which inevitably does not imply a representation in outside or an original framework, the style is released and of the compositions address themselves to various orchestras. The two serenades of Johannes Brahms resemble light symphonies, planned for a however traditional orchestra, deprived of violins. Antonín Dvořák, Piotr Ilitch Tchaïkovski, Josef Suk, enter others, composed of the serenades for cords. Others tried to approach a romantic style, among which Richard Strauss, max Reger, Edward Elgar and Jean Sibelius.

There are still some made up serenades at the 20th century, by Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinski or Dmitri Chostakovitch. Lastly, among the compositions of the 21e century, one finds the Sérénade for cords of Nigel Keay, which goes back to 2002.

N.B.: in the popular speech " to make (or sing) a sérénade" (often shortened in " chanter") mean to badger somebody with complaints and noisy lamentations even of tears in connection with a subject considered to be futile or at least of less importance and easy to solve.

Sources

The New Harvard Dictionary off Music , ED. Gift Randel. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard University Near, 1986. ISBN 0674615255
" Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart" , " Serenade, " " Serenata, " in The New Grove Dictionary off Music and Musicians , ED. Stanley Sadie. 20 vol. London, Macmillan Publishers Ltd., 1980. ISBN 1561591742
Meyers Konversations-Lexikon, 4. Aufl., 1888, Band 14, Seite 884
Musik-Glossar, Serenata

See too

Serenade for cords

Random links: