When Dvo ák wrote his Serenade for 10 winds and 2 lower strings in January 1878, the heyday of the great wind serenades and ''Harmoniemusik'' wind ensembles was already long gone. He was probably inspired by hearing Mozart’s Gran Partita shortly beforehand in Vienna. The home key of d minor here is striking, as is the often serious, even tragic atmosphere that repeatedly darkens the otherwise cheerful mood that is typical of the serenade genre. Perhaps this was a reaction to the death of two of