Serenade for String Orchestra in E minor Op 20

Miniature score edition. Recently used as part of the Royal Wedding Music for Prince William and Kate Middleton. This orchestral piece was written in 1892.

Serenade for Strings in E minor, Op. 20, is a piece for string orchestra in three short movements, by Edward Elgar.

It was written in March 1892 and first performed in private in that year, by the Worcester Ladies’ Orchestral Class, with the composer conducting. It received its first public performance in Antwerp, Belgium on 21 July 1896.

The piece has a youthful charm while at the same time displaying indications of the skills Elgar developed as he progressed towards musical maturity. It is reportedly the first of his compositions with which he professed himself satisfied.