Serenade or Ständchan, the piece’s original name, which means serenade in German was composed by Franz Schubert in 1826.
In the medieval tradition of minnesinger, serenading was used primarily for courtship, with the singer accompanying himself on the harp or lyre. This tradition was continued for a long time: the serenade in front of the beloved’s balcony is a popular tradition of European culture, which is reflected in art songs.
Aside from love, there are many other uses for prepared or spontaneous serenades, for example for birthdays weddings, or Mother’s Day.
The Composer
Franz Peter Schubert was born in 1797 in Vienna, Austria. He is between the classical and romantic eras. “Ständchen” (known in English by its first line “Hark, hark, the lark” or “Serenade”), is a composition for solo voice and piano. It is a setting of the “Song” in act 2, scene 3 of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline, also known as The Tragedie of Cymbeline or Cymbeline, King of Britain, which is a play by William Shakespeare set in Ancient Britain. The song was first published by Anton Diabelli in 1830, two years after the composer’s death.
The Arrangement and video
The following video shows the arrangement for Solo Ukulele. The Tablature and score for Ukulele are written for the soprano Ukulele in the tuning of C with high G or Low G . [string 1: A, string 2: E, string 3: C, and string 4:G]. It is in the key of D minor. In this video, the guitar plays the chords and the ukulele plays the melody, but this piece can also be played with two ukuleles.
