Tag: string serenade

2025 . . . Serenade for Strings . . . 12 minutes

There are so many beloved serenades. There is Dvořák’s Serenáda pro dechové nástroje d moll (Op. 44, 1978) for winds. For strings, Smyčcová serenáda E dur (Op.22, 1875) by Dvořák and Serenade for Strings in C Major (Op.48, 1880) by Tchaikovsky stand out as masterful evocations of the genre’s elegance and vibrant color potential. And then there are Mozart’s many wonderful serenades, some for winds and the most popular, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, for strings. (Our daughter played it as a violist in her high-school string quartet, and everyone in the family sang it around the house.)

The language of my new serenade’s title honors that beloved string piece. It also fits my ongoing obsession with nocturnal and astronomical images. (See Mapping the Music Universe.)

The introductory first part quietly morphs darkly complex sonorities. In contrast, I recently became interested in studying the lovely middle movement of Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 18 (K.456, 1784). Its simple half-note secondary theme launched a study that led to composing variations on it, becoming the brightening latter two parts of this new serenade.