n. [ F. sérénade, It. serenata, probably fr. L. serenus serene (cf. Serene), misunderstood as a derivative fr. L. serus late. Cf. Soirée. ] (Mus.)
v. t.
v. i. To perform a serenade. [ 1913 Webster ]
n. One who serenades. [ 1913 Webster ]
Or serenate, which the starved lover sings
To his pround fair. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]
☞ The name serenata was given by Italian composers in the time of Handel, and by Handel himself, to a cantata of a pastoreal of dramatic character, to a secular ode, etc.; also by Mozart and others to an orchectral composition, in several movements, midway between the suite of an earlier period and the modern symphony. Grove. [ 1913 Webster ]