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A serenade was originally an instrumental or vocal piece performed outside a lover's window at night to express one's devotion, but as nobles grew fond of and pursued music—using it to entertain guests at banquets, balls, and all manner of celebrations—the meaning of the form shifted. Musicians began crafting works to cater to the social demands of the aristocracy, making serenades, nocturnes, and light suites increasingly social and entertainment-oriented. They were stripped of any deep structure or substance, and along with that, they lost any original ideas of their own.
As a result, the orthodox musicians of Altor, while occasionally composing banquet-style serenades for their "patrons," spent the bulk of their time discussing "true" elevated music—or serenades that express love and genuine emotion.
Sylvia, who had been discussing the characteristics of the piano with Lucian and the others earlier, smiled softly at Christoph while waiting for the chamber ensemble to prepare. "Teacher, I once came across this Mr. Julian's works in your study. That serenade with its five tightly-structured movements—I must admit, perhaps owing to the influence of the Trian court style, it is light, elegant, and lively. Quite fitting for this sort of banquet occasion."
Upon hearing Sylvia's words, Christoph shook his head with a helpless smile. "You..."
He wore that expression because Sylvia's remarks were not genuine praise. Even though she had been subtle, everyone present was a highly accomplished authority in music—how could they fail to grasp her meaning? Julian's works were only suitable for banquet settings; in pursuing liveliness and charm, they came across as frivolous.
Therefore, orthodox musicians like Othello and Victor simply smiled without responding to Sylvia. After all, Barré and Clément—Julian's two companions—were standing right nearby.
But this was Barré and Clément's first visit to Altor. Though they had heard their teacher François speak of Altor's musical culture before, having never experienced it firsthand, they actually believed Sylvia was praising their companion. And so, captivated by Sylvia's beauty, they smiled warmly and nodded at her while secretly seething with envy toward Julian.
"What a subtle and tactful way of speaking," Lucian remarked to himself, barely grasping Sylvia's intent. He figured that perhaps because he served as Natasha's music consultant, Sylvia had extended a measure of goodwill by association—and consequently had no favorable impression of Julian.
This style of serenade contained no deep content. After the ensemble reviewed the music score twice and attempted to play through a few passages, they signaled that Julian could begin.
Julian took up the violin, serving as the lead himself, preparing to play while coordinating and conducting simultaneously.
A solemn opening sounded. Christoph, Victor, and the other orthodox musicians looked at Julian with surprise and confusion—this was not the usual serenade style at all!
Though many musicians had employed similar approaches before, none had been particularly successful, and such attempts had grown rare of late.
Natasha's smile deepened. She loved nothing more than creations that broke free from rigid tradition. Sylvia, meanwhile, reined in her smile, slightly pursed her lips, and listened attentively to what followed.
Julian proved himself worthy of being called a genius musician of the Trian court. His subsequent performance displayed extraordinary momentum, employing melodies imbued with strong symphonic and sonata characteristics that simultaneously evoked the festive, joyous atmosphere of celebration and banquet while expressing congratulations and respect for Phyllis—without the shallowness typical of other serenades in this style.
When the movement concluded and transitioned into a gentle, flowing second movement, most of the musicians couldn't help but nod in approval. Christoph smiled and praised him: "The composition of this movement truly tests Julian's musical foundation. It is suffused with an elegant style."
Clément and Barré watched Julian's performance with envy and jealousy. To earn such a compliment from Christoph meant Julian now had the credentials to enter the ranks of genuine musicians—and to boast about it in the Trian court for at least the next ten years.
Following the elegant adagio came two consecutive dance-movement sections, designed specifically for this type of banquet, before transitioning at last into a fast-paced finale, concluding amid a climax of joy and passionate energy.
Thunderous applause erupted. As the guest of honor for the coming-of-age celebration, Phyllis turned to Julian with her thanks: "Mr. Julian, thank you for your serenade. It is a rare gem among pieces of this style."
"It is my honor that you enjoyed it, Miss Phyllis. Your beauty shines radiant as a ruby—may you forever retain both this beauty and this joyful spirit." After performing the hand-kissing gesture, Julian returned to the musicians' circle with a radiant smile. From the applause and the guests' reactions, he already knew that this serenade—which he had spent a full five months composing—had been affirmed.
Though the ensemble's unfamiliarity with the piece left imperfections in many places, they could not overshadow its success.
MacKenzie approached, smiling, and praised: "Magnificent, elegant, passionate—it's hard to imagine a superior serenade in this style."
As he delivered the last half of that sentence, his gaze rested squarely on Lucian.
Lucian paid it no mind, simply clapping to express his respect for the beautiful performance. He wasn't a real musician, after all.
"Julian, your work fully embodies the most captivating qualities of the serenade." Othello, in his capacity as an association director, also offered his affirmation of Julian's serenade. This was the consensus of most musicians present.
But at that moment, the gentle and refined Sylvia smiled and spoke up: "However, it also carries the most conspicuous weakness of the serenade. To cater to this sort of occasion, many passages end up dragging, loose, and monotonous, and the overall structure leaves something to be desired."
"This angelic lady, you are identifying problems that serenades simply cannot avoid." Julian answered with a strained smile, his bright, enthusiastic mood doused as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over him.
As Sylvia's teacher, Christoph shook his head helplessly once more. His gentle, quiet, and composed student was being rather sharp today—and this was hardly the occasion for penning review columns for the newspaper. So he took over from Sylvia with an amiable smile: "Regardless, Julian, your work has already surpassed the vast majority of serenades in this style. It achieves a certain depth of expressiveness."