Eine kleine Nachtmusik; Serenade Nr. 3

A serenade is a classical-period genre that originally denoted evening music performed outdoors, often offered to honor or woo someone. By the mid–late 18th century, it evolved into a multi-movement instrumental work closely related to the divertimento and cassation, typically lighter in character than a symphony and intended for social occasions. Serenades are tuneful, gracious, and often scored for small orchestra, wind ensemble, or strings, with movement types such as marches, minuets, and lyrical slow movements. Famous examples include Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik and the string serenades of Dvořák and Tchaikovsky.