Serenade No.2

Of course, during this time Brahms composed his large-scale First Piano Concerto, but as far as purely "symphonic" works were concerned, he preferred to write two modest serenades, No. 1 in D major and No. 2 in А major, composed between 1857 and 1859, which he subsequently edited and revised. This may provide some answer to the question of why, given that serenades have historically been regarded as 'music for fun', an artist as serious and profound as Brahms was able to produce not one but two serenades. And if the first of these can be described as somewhat conservative and in a sense 'un-Brahmsian', the second has all the qualities of the true Brahms, revealing the characteristics that make his music immediately recognisable. The tunefulness, warmth, graceful melodies and lively cross-rhythms that distinguish the work as a whole fully meet the definition of serenade as 'music for easy listening'.

The Serenade No. 2 was composed in 1859 and dedicated to Clara Schumann. Its first public performance was in Hamburg on 10 February 1860.

In 1875 Brahms made a transcription of the work for piano at 4 hands and in the same year revised the orchestral version, reworking it for chamber orchestra.