The ''Italian Serenade'' is a piece of music written by

Hugo Wolf Hugo Philipp Jacob Wolf (13 March 1860 – 22 February 1903) was an Austrian composer of Slovene origin, particularly noted for his art songs, or Lieder. He brought to this form a concentrated expressive intensity which was unique in late Ro ...

in 1887. It was originally written for

string quartet The term string quartet can refer to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two violinists ...

and named simply "Serenade in G major". By April 1890, he was referring to it in his letters as ''Italian Serenade''. In 1892, he arranged it for string orchestra. It is one of his few works other than Lieder.

History

The work was written between 2 and 4 May 1887. One of its inspirations was his concurrent work on setting various poems by

Joseph Eichendorff Joseph Freiherr von Eichendorff (10 March 178826 November 1857) was a German poet, novelist, playwright, literary critic, translator, and anthologist. Eichendorff was one of the major writers and critics of Romanticism.Cf. J. A. Cuddon: '' ...

to music, and the first of them "Der Soldat I" has a theme that is similar to that of the ''Serenade''. That poem's subject is similar to that of Eichendorff's novella ''

Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing ''Memoirs of a Good-for-Nothing'' (german: Aus dem Leben eines Taugenichts, ) is a novella by Joseph von Eichendorff. Completed in 1823, it was first printed in 1826. The work is regarded as a pinnacle of musical prose. Eichendorff created an open ...

'', and it may be that Wolf was as much influenced by this work as he was by the poem. The novella includes a section about an Italian serenade played by a small orchestra. The hero of the novella is a young violinist who leaves home to seek his fortune further afield, and this could well have been something that Wolf could relate to. It was originally planned as part of a work in three movements. However, Wolf later abandoned this plan in favor of a self-contained, one-movement work.Diabo Regional Arts Association
/ref> His father died only a week after he wrote the ''Italian Serenade'', and he wrote no more music for the remainder of 1887. When Wolf orchestrated the work in 1892, he was intending it as the first movement of a four-movement suite. He did sketch a slow movement in G minor, but never finished it. In his letters, he mentions another movement that he claimed to have completed, but that score has never come to light, only 45 measures of sketches being extant. In 1897, he sketched a few pages of a Tarantella to complete the suite, but he was committed to an insane asylum before he could finish it. In summary, all that remains of the projected suite is the ''Italian Serenade''. Throughout his time in the asylum, where he remained for the rest of his life, he planned to complete the suite, but this never eventuated. Wolf died in February 1903. Its first performance was in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

in January 1904, eleven months after Wolf's death. Both the original string quartet version and the orchestral version were played at the premiere.

Structure

The ''Italian Serenade'' is quite short, taking only about 7 minutes, and has a lilting and varied theme, played over a pizzicato figure. The main theme is said to have been based on an old Italian melody played on an obsolete form of

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

called the piffero. Its lively and optimistic manner is an evocation of the Italianate spirit, realised through melodic richness. Robert W. Gutman has written that "The essence of the delicious ''Italian Serenade'' is its antithesis of romantic sentiment and mocking wit".

Legacy

The ''Italian Serenade'' has been recorded many times; it is a favourite encore piece for string quartets, and it has been arranged by other hands for combinations of instruments such as a wind quintet and solo

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

and orchestra.Schubertiade in Cincinnati
/ref>

References

External links

* {{Authority control Compositions for string quartet Compositions for string orchestra Compositions by Hugo Wolf 1887 compositions Serenades