Not that long ago, Hungarian musicologists discovered that one of Joseph Haydn's most lovely works was not in fact by Joseph Haydn at all. That they were not entirely sure who did write the work—some said Hoffstetter, some said Michael Haydn—everybody was dismayed to find out that the work they had come to know and love as Haydn's "Serenade" was in fact "Somebody Else's Serenade." Despite this aesthetic dislocation, the work has continued to be performed and recorded and loved. One can understand why. The long-breathed cantilena of the melody above the delicately poised pizzicato accompaniment may not have been composed by Haydn, but the charm of phrasing, the balance of its harmonies, and the lightness of its rhythms are inspired. Although it is probably wrong to consider the work to be "Haydn's Serenade," that title still sounds better than "Haydn's Spurious Serenade."

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