Serenade (Ital. serenata), originally music performed in a calm night; hence an entertainment of music given by a lover to his mistress under her window—especially in Spain and Italy.—A piece of music characterised by the soft repose which is supposed to be in harmony with the stillness of night is sometimes called a serenade, more usually a Nocturne (see MUSIC, Vol. VII. p. 358).
Serenade
Chambers's Encyclopaedia, Volume 9: Bound to Swansea, p. 321
Source scan(s): p. 0334