The Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 20, is a piece for string orchestra in three movements, by Edward Elgar. Written and first performed in 1892 it was dedicated to the organ builder and keen amateur musician Edward W. Whinfield. 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. It is reportedly the first of his compositions with which he professed himself satisfied.The central Larghetto is generally accepted as containing the work's finest and most mature writing. The work remains among the most frequently performed of all his music. A typical performance lasts approximately 12 minutes.
