In the mid- to late 18th century, cassations commonly comprised loosely assembled sets of short movements intended for outdoor performance by orchestral or chamber ensembles.
Works titled cassation were especially common in southern Germany, Austria and Bohemia in the mid- to late part of the eighteenth century.
[4] It is hard to discern any substantial formal characteristic that could distinguish cassations from other serenade-like genres, such as the divertimento, notturno, or Finalmusik.
[2] Malcolm Williamson composed a series of ten mini-operas involving audience participation (especially aimed at children), which he called "cassations".
[6] Hermann Abert was among those who thought that the term derives from the Italian cassare, meaning "to dismiss",[n 2] implying a musical farewell, or Abschiedsmusik.