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Although not formally published until 1892, the Serenade is
believed to be a reworking of a suite Elgar had written some
years earlier, before he had firmly set his sights on a career
as a composer. Apart from the Wand of Youth suites,
it is
therefore probably the earliest of his compositions to survive
into the standard repertoire. Certainly, it has a youthful charm
while at the same time displaying indications of the skills Elgar
developed as he progressed towards musical maturity. It is
reportedly the first of his compositions with which he professed
himself satisfied.
The opening bars of the first movement will be familiar to most,
particularly to listeners to a classical music station which uses
it as introductory music. It is however the central Larghetto
which is generally accepted as containing the finest and most
mature writing. The work remains among the most frequently performed of all his music.
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