From Seville to Grenada In the quiet twilight of the night Serenades are heard The sound of swords is heard. These lines of the poet A. K. Tolstoy, set to music, are a serenade. You must have heard it more than once. we called works performed in the evening or at night on the street (the Italian expression "al sereno" means "in the open air") in front of the house of the one to whom the serenade was dedicated. Most often - in front of the balcony of a beautiful lady.
The serenade originated in southern Europe, under the warm blue skies of Italy and Spain. There she was an indispensable part of the life of the city. Now from one street, then from another, the sounds of music almost always came - most often the ringing of a lute or guitar, singing. No wonder Rossini's opera The Barber of Seville, which embodies the scenes of Spanish life with such brilliance, begins precisely with a serenade. Serenade of Count Almaviva, who sings, accompanied by hired musicians, under the window of charming Rosina. In the 17th and 18th centuries, suites for a small orchestra, also performed outdoors, were also called serenades. As a rule, composers composed them by order of noble persons. Such serenades were written by Haydn, Mozart.
In the 19th century, there were almost no orchestral serenades. The exception was Tchaikovsky for string orchestra. On the other hand, the vocal serenade attracts great attention - it is no longer a song performed by a gentleman under the beloved's balcony, but a romance intended for concert performance. Very popular are Franz Schubert (“My song, fly with prayer quietly at one o'clock in the night ...”), Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (“Sleep, child, under your window I will sing a serenade to you ...”). As you can see, the content of the vocal serenades remained traditional.
Watch value Serenade in other dictionaries
Serenade- isp. evening, night honorary or greeting music, usually under the windows of the honored.
Dahl's Explanatory Dictionary
Serenade- serenades, (it. serenata, lit. evening song). 1. In the medieval poetry of troubadours - an evening welcome song, performed in the free air. 2. In old Italy........
Explanatory Dictionary of Ushakov
Serenade J.- 1. A song in honor of a lady (usually as a love appeal), performed in the open air to music in the evening or at night under her windows (in troubadour poetry). 2. Musical........
Explanatory Dictionary of Efremova
Serenade- -y; and. [ital. serenata]
1. In Italy and Spain in the Middle Ages: a song to the accompaniment of a lute, mandolin, guitar in honor of a beloved, performed under her windows (usually as a love ........
Explanatory Dictionary of Kuznetsov
Serenade- Goes back to the Italian serenata, formed in a suffixal way from the noun sera - "night"; literally translated - "night song".
Etymological Dictionary of Krylov
Serenade- (French serenade - from Italian serenata, from sera - evening), a song accompanied by a lute, mandolin or guitar, addressed to a beloved. It was distributed in the life of the southern Roman peoples .........
Big encyclopedic dictionary
Serenade- - evening - a song to the accompaniment of a lute, mandolin or guitar, addressed to her beloved. It was common in the life of the southern Romanesque peoples. Later it became a genre of chamber vocal music.
Historical dictionary
Serenade- (French serenade, from Italian serenata, from sera - evening; German Serenade, Ständchen).
1) A song that is an appeal to a beloved. The source of such S. is the evening song of the troubadours ........
Music Encyclopedia
- In the oldest sense, a serenade is a song performed for a beloved, usually in the evening or at night and often under her window. This genre was common in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. The source of such a serenade is the evening song of the troubadours (serena). The vocal serenade was widespread in the everyday life of the southern Romanesque peoples. The singer usually accompanied himself on the lute, mandolin or guitar.
Writings of this type also appeared in later periods, but usually in the context of a reference to the past. (for example, in Mozart's Don Giovanni).
- During the Baroque era, a serenade (also called in this case an Italian serenade - since this form was most common in Italy) was a type of cantata performed outdoors in the evening, including both vocal and instrumental performances. Among the composers who composed this type of serenade were Alessandro Stradela, Alessandro Scarlatti, Johann Joseph Fuchs, Johann Mattheson, Antonio Caldara. Such compositions were major works performed with minimal staging, and were the link between cantata and opera. Some authors argue that the main difference between the cantata and the serenade, around 1700, was that the serenade was performed outdoors and could therefore use instruments that would be too loud in a small room - trumpets, horns and drums.
- The most important and widespread type of serenade in the history of music is the multi-movement piece for large instrumental ensemble, akin to cassation, divertissement and nocturne, and mostly composed in the Classical and Romantic periods, although a few examples exist in the 20th century. Usually such compositions are lighter than other multi-movement compositions for large ensembles (for example, a symphony), where melody is more important than thematic development or dramatic intensity. Such writings were most common in Italy, Germany, Austria and Bohemia.
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Literature
- Serenade // Musical encyclopedia / ed. Yu. V. Keldysh. - M .: Soviet encyclopedia, Soviet composer, 1978. - T. 4.
An excerpt characterizing the Serenade
“We missed a little,” said the batman.The headquarters was located three miles from Salzenek. Rostov, without going home, took a horse and rode to headquarters. In the village occupied by the headquarters, there was a tavern frequented by officers. Rostov arrived at the tavern; at the porch he saw Telyanin's horse.
In the second room of the tavern the lieutenant was sitting at a dish of sausages and a bottle of wine.
“Ah, and you stopped by, young man,” he said, smiling and raising his eyebrows high.
- Yes, - said Rostov, as if it took a lot of effort to pronounce this word, and sat down at the next table.
Both were silent; two Germans and one Russian officer were sitting in the room. Everyone was silent, and the sounds of knives on plates and the lieutenant's champing could be heard. When Telyanin had finished breakfast, he took a double purse out of his pocket, spread the rings with his little white fingers bent upwards, took out a gold one, and, raising his eyebrows, gave the money to the servant.
“Please hurry,” he said.
Gold was new. Rostov got up and went over to Telyanin.
“Let me see the purse,” he said in a low, barely audible voice.
With shifty eyes, but still raised eyebrows, Telyanin handed over the purse.
"Yes, a pretty purse... Yes... yes..." he said, and suddenly turned pale. “Look, young man,” he added.
Rostov took the wallet in his hands and looked at it, and at the money that was in it, and at Telyanin. The lieutenant looked around, as was his habit, and seemed to suddenly become very cheerful.
“If we’re in Vienna, I’ll leave everything there, and now there’s nowhere to go in these crappy little towns,” he said. - Come on, young man, I'll go.
Rostov was silent.
- What about you? have breakfast too? They are decently fed,” continued Telyanin. - Come on.
He reached out and took hold of the wallet. Rostov released him. Telyanin took the purse and began to put it into the pocket of his breeches, and his eyebrows casually rose, and his mouth opened slightly, as if he were saying: “Yes, yes, I put my purse in my pocket, and it’s very simple, and no one cares about this” .
- Well, what, young man? he said, sighing and looking into Rostov's eyes from under his raised eyebrows. Some kind of light from the eyes, with the speed of an electric spark, ran from Telyanin's eyes to Rostov's eyes and back, back and back, all in an instant.
“Come here,” said Rostov, grabbing Telyanin by the hand. He almost dragged him to the window. - This is Denisov's money, you took it ... - he whispered in his ear.
“What?… What?… How dare you?” What? ... - said Telyanin.
But these words sounded a plaintive, desperate cry and a plea for forgiveness. As soon as Rostov heard this sound of a voice, a huge stone of doubt fell from his soul. He felt joy, and at the same moment he felt sorry for the unfortunate man who stood before him; but it was necessary to complete the work begun.
In medieval times, the performance of a song for a person she liked under her window or balcony was considered the standard of behavior for a man in love in medieval times. It is difficult to say how such a tradition appeared. However, some information about the rules for its implementation has been preserved. What is a serenade, who sang it?
Songs of wandering musicians
Possession of the secret of adding sounds into a melody that is pleasant to the ear, its performance on musical instruments has been respected and welcomed in all countries of the world in all ages. Talented poets and singers walked around the cities and towns, delighting and surprising the inhabitants with their art. In different places they were called in their own way:
- ancient Greek wandering poets - rhapsods;
- singers of the northern European peoples - bards;
- in Spain, Italy - troubadours;
- in England and France - minstrelsy.
Traveling, musicians not only earned their living by entertaining society with their performances. They got acquainted with customs and creativity in other countries, transferred some elements of culture from one people to another.
What is a serenade in music?
The definition unequivocally states that this is a love song performed by a troubadour in the open air. Under the accompaniment of a mandolin, lute or guitar, knights expressed their refined and noble feelings for beautiful ladies. Some of them could play love roulades tirelessly through the evenings. As opposed to morning chanting, alborades, serenades were sung in the evenings, which was reflected in the name of the genre.
Knightly times are over, but the romantic tradition of nightly love concerts has remained. And if the admirer of the lady did not possess vocal and poetic talents, he was not forbidden to hire a troubadour or a whole ensemble of professionals to express his feelings.
In the future, music appeared in a love style, written for small orchestras. Usually such accompaniment was ordered by more noble and wealthy lovers.
In the future, when the traditions changed somewhat, the question of what a serenade is, one could answer that these are calm melodies performed by a chamber orchestra, accompanying a respectable family vacation in the fresh air.
How has the art of troubadours changed?
At one time, Haydn and Mozart wrote serenades for the orchestra to order. Then the genre, gradually fading away, was transformed into a serenade in music today? This is a vocal piece to be performed with a chamber orchestra. Among the most popular compositions, we will name the “Serenade” by F. Schubert, the words of which cry out for love: “My song, fly with a prayer at the hour of the night ...”
Romantic Traditions for a Private Night Concert
For both a knight and any lover, there was an unwritten set of rules of conduct, a kind of scenario. After all, not only every girl knew what a serenade was. The inhabitants of the surrounding houses heard the music, so everything had to happen according to traditions. Moreover, the ladies did not just sit on their balconies, contemplating what was happening. They could sigh loudly and cheer on the singer, or boo and drive away. So, a knight (an admirer who decided on an open expression of sympathy) was supposed to:
- learn to sing with the guitar and compose poetry;
- dress appropriately for the occasion;
- stock up on a bouquet of fresh flowers;
- stand under the lady's balcony or under her window within hearing and visibility;
- take the first chords and wait for some kind of reaction of the “object of adoration” (movement of the curtains, a loud sigh or an exclamation of approval);
- start the performance, praising her beauty, the harmony of the camp, the kindness of the soul and his love for the owner of all this.
What is a serenade? This is a private communication of lovers in the Middle Ages. If the lady likes the act and its performer (the customer of the song), she will appear in the window or go out onto the balcony, give the knight a meaningful look, a flower, or (secretly from prying eyes) the Knight is obliged to climb it, regardless of the height from which it was lowered. In any case, the prepared bouquet must be presented to the lady, at least by throwing it out the window.
If a troubadour song, a serenade, a musical composition performed by an ensemble did not inspire a girl, she could ridicule the performance, turn away and leave, slamming the door loudly.
A persistent admirer will appear in the morning and sing to his beloved alborade.
French serenade, from Italian. serenata, from sera - evening; German Serenade, Standchen
\1) A song that is an appeal to a beloved. The source of such S. is the evening song of the troubadours (serena). Wok. S. was widespread in the life of the South. Romance peoples. She was intended to be performed in the evening or at night under the window of her beloved; the singer usually accompanied himself on the lute, mandolin, or guitar. Over time, this kind of wok. S. entered the opera (the serenade of Don Giovanni from the opera of the same name by Mozart, the serenade of the count from the opera The Barber of Seville by Rossini, etc.), along with its variety - a song in honor of the beloved, glorifying her virtues - became the genre of chamber wok. music. Widely known are Schubert's "Evening Serenade" ("Ständchen") to the text of L. Relshtab (his "Morning Serenade" in many respects represents the type of "morning song" - see Alborada), S. to the text of F. Grillparzer (for solo contralto, women choir and fp.); there are serenades among F. Schubert's songs that do not bear this name (for example, the song "To Sylvia" - "An Sylvia"). Subsequently, S. for voice and piano. created by R. Schumann, J. Brahms, E. Grieg, M. I. Glinka ("I am here, Inezilya", "Night Zephyr", "Oh my wonderful maiden"), A. S. Dargomyzhsky ("Night marshmallow") , P. I. Tchaikovsky ("Don Juan Serenade") and other composers.
\2) Solo instr. a piece that reproduces the characteristic features of a wok. serenades. Samples of S. can serve as No. 36 from "Songs without Words" for piano. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, S. from "Dumok" for piano. Dvorak trio, S. for violin and piano. Arensky. Occasionally wok features. S. are also imitated in ensemble music. A striking example is C. Andante cantabile from strings. J. Haydn's quartet (Hob. III, No. 17), where solos and accompaniment stand out, recreating the sound of instruments typical of old S. accompaniment - mandolin, lute, guitar.
\3) Cyclic. ensemble instr. product related to cassation, divertissement and nocturne. Initially, S. were created in honor of Ph.D. persons and were intended for performance in the open air; in instr. spirit dominated the composition. tools. S. often began and ended with marches, as if depicting the arrival and departure of musicians. By about 1770, S. had lost its applied significance. The characteristic features of a symphony are a greater number of parts than in a symphony (usually 7-8), a combination in a cycle of parts typical of a symphony with parts typical of a suite; as a rule, in S. there is a minuet, often 2-3 minuets. S.'s style is closer to a suite than to a symphony. Tool the composition can be both chamber (especially in suites for spirit instruments) and orchestral (mainly strings are used. orchestra).
Among the authors of instr. cyclic S. - M. Haydn, L. and W. A. Mozart (the most famous S. - "Haffner Serenade" - "Haffner-Serenade", K.-V. 250, and "Little Night Music" - "Eine kleine Nachtmusik ", K.-V. 525), L. Beethoven (op. 8 - for violin, viola and cello, op. 25 - for flute, violin and viola), I. Brahms (op. 11 - for large orchestra and op. 16 - for small orchestra), A. Dvorak (op. 22 - for strings. orchestra, op. 44 - for wind instruments, cello and double bass), X. Wolf ("Italian Serenade" for small orchestra), J. Sibelius (op. 69 - 2 p. for violin and orchestra), P. I. Tchaikovsky (op. 48 - for string orchestra), A. K. Glazunov (op. 7 and 11 - for symphony orchestra) and others.
\4) Composition for singing with instr., b. h. orc. accompaniment, created in the 17-18 centuries. in the countries of the West. Europe in honor of Ph.D. adv. celebrations (weddings, birthdays or name days of the crowned person) and performed in costumes and with modest decoration. In such S. usually involved allegorical. texts. As a rule, in addition to the designation of the genre, they also carry a definition. titles that match the content of the text. These S. are approaching, on the one hand, with operas written in honor of similar events (such as the opera The Golden Apple - Il pomo d "oro" Honor), on the other hand, with solemn cantatas. Among these S. - " Acis and Galatea" ("Acis und Galathea") by Handel (3 editions), "The Wedding of Hercules and Eba" ("Le nozze d" Ercole e d "Ebe") by Gluck. In the West, theatrical S. is indicated exclusively by the Italian term serenate, which before applied to S. of other genera.
serenade it originally a piece of music played in the evening or at night in front of a person's house as a token of reverence or love; mostly a song in honor of the beloved, usually including the motive of an invitation to a date, a love call. A vocal serenade with accompaniment on a lute, mandolin or guitar was common in the life of the southern Romanesque peoples; its origins are the serena, in contrast to which the theme of forbidden love has become optional in the serenade. In the Central European countries of the 17th and 18th centuries, the instrumental serenade, which was originally also performed in the open air, became especially widespread. The serenade did not develop solid poetic forms. Over time, it entered the opera (Don Giovanni, 1787, W. A. Mozart; The Barber of Seville, 1816, G. Rossini, etc.), became a genre of chamber vocal music.
Echoes of the serenade genre are heard in the work of the French playwright E. Rostand (Persine's monologue in the comedy "Romantics", 1894,1,9; Cyrano's declaration of love for Roxane - "Cyrano de Bergerac", 1898, III, 7). In the lyrics of A.A. Fet there are two poems called "Serenade" (1840, 1844), which include the main attributes of an evening greeting song: "voluptuous darkness", "ringing" strings, "sounds of chanting", "trembling heart" of the poet, letter love falling over the balcony railing. A.S. Pushkin's poem "I'm here, Inezilla ..." (1830) is approaching the form of a serenade.
