Serenade for Strings in G
Major KV 525 is much better known to the world as Eine Kleine Nachtmusik,
composed by
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in
1787.
The title
translates as "A Little Serenade." These four
movements for
string orchestra are probably Mozart's best-known piece. It is not known whether the
composition was written for a particular
evening party, of whether it is a kind of
idealization of the form. Essentially, this work is to the
symphony as a
sonatina is to a
sonata: A dancing first movement with two
contrasting
themes but only a small symphonic
development, a lovely song in rather fast a tempo for the second movement, a sweet minuet, and a
frisky conclusion.