Serenade for Strings in E Major, Op. 22

Night has inspired centuries of composers. Some genres, like the nocturne, highlight atmospheric darkness or dreams, while other “night pieces,” like serenades, were performed outside in the evening or were intended for night festivities—most famously, Mozart’s Eine kleine Nachtmusik (A Little Night Music). The serenade gradually shed its nighttime association while retaining the genre’s light, relaxed, and tuneful character. And although not explicitly stated, serenades for strings alone recall the genre’s roots in the Middle Ages as a love song for guitar and voice, the string orchestra playing the role of both.

Antonin Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings in E Major illustrates both associations perfectly. Composed in the space of two weeks in 1875, the Serenade was written during a very happy time in the composer’s life; he and his wife Anna were married in 1873, and welcomed their first son a year later. With the support of Johannes Brahms and critic Eduard Hanslick, Dvořák won the Austrian State Prize in 1874, and the stipend it offered allowed him to focus more exclusively on composing. The Serenade showcases precisely the merging of Romantic form and Bohemian melody that made Dvořák famous. Each of its five movements is distinctive, from the lyrical opening Moderato through a lilting waltz, lighthearted Scherzo, passionate slow movement, and concluding folk dance. At the same time, Dvořák creates unity through recurring motives; the Larghetto revisits the second-movement waltz, while snippets from multiple movements find their way into the Serenade’s lively finale.