Favourite Romances

[Peter1953]

Short, mostly one-movement pieces, utterly romantic. Usually for solo instrument, like piano or violin, and orchestra. I love it.

An example? The Romance for Violin and Orchestra in A minor op. 155 by Carl Reinecke. It touches your musical heart without detours.

Any other examples?

[Josh]

I'd like to toss Samuel Coleridge-Taylor's Romance in G for Violin and Orchestra into the mix. That might be my personal favourite "Romance for x and Orchestra". I think the natural feel of his orchestration in general was well-suited to this type of work anyway. Not to mention, when he was on form, Coleridge-Taylor sure could pen down a good tune, which he certainly did here.

[TerraEpon]

It has to be Peterson-Burger's for violin and orchestra.
Though Saint-Saens wrote a six wonderful ones for various instruments (one of them's a trio), and I have a soft spot for good old Beethoven #2.

[Alan Howe]

Dvorak in F minor.

[Steven Eldredge]

Can I choose the Fauré Ballade Opus 19 for Pf/Orchestra and just call it a Romance? Just this once? It has always been my absolute favorite. So wondrously beautiful.

Steven in NYC

[chill319]

Johan Svendsen, Romance in G major for violin and orchestra, Op. 26.

[wunderkind]

Andreas Hallén:  Romanze for Violin & Orchestra, Op. 16.

Exquisite music.

[Mark Thomas]

I'll vote for Svendsen too. Delicious and just that touch of bitter-sweetness.

[thalbergmad]

There are two Romances in Thalberg's Op.70.

Beautiful, but so is the whole series to my ears.

Thal

[Peter1953]

Another very beautiful Romance I like to add to the list is Max Bruch's Romanze for Violin and Orchestra in A Minor, op. 42. Bruch surely knew how to write sensitive music. Christopher Fifield quotes in his booklet notes Bruch, saying that he loves the violin 'because it can sing a melody, and melody is the soul of music.' Who would argue with that?

There are indeed other kind of compositions called Romance, like the ones Thal mentions. And Antoni Stolpe wrote a Romance ("Duettino") for piano, violin and cello.
But going back to the Romance for solo instrument and orchestra, I wonder who was the first composer who wrote music in this genre? Was it Beethoven?

[JimL]

Well, I don't know about the very first, but the slow movement of Mozart's K. 466 PC is titled Romanze.  As a matter of fact, to my knowledge, there is no other indication regarding tempo of any kind for that movement (i.e. Andante, Andantino, etc.) indicating that it was fairly well assumed that the tempo would be on the slowish side.

[Hofrat]

Mozart also wrote a romance in one of his horn concerti.  So, as a music form, the romance existed for some time before Beethoven. 

[Peter1953]

All right, I agree. But as a single musical piece, for solo instrument and orchestra, who composed the first? Beethoven with his opp. 40 & 50?

[JimL]

Don't forget that the term could also once have applied to a work for chamber ensemble, keyboard solo or orchestra without soloist before it applied to a work with solo and orchestra.

[Amphissa]

 
Chausson Poeme for violin and orchestra, op 25
Bruch Kol nidrei, op 47
Bloch Schelomo - Rhapsodie Hébraïque pour Violoncelle solo et Grand Orchestre
Paganini Romanze in A minor
Reinecke Romance for violin in A minor, op 155
Reinecke Romance for violin in E minor, op 93
Stenhammer Two Sentimental Romances for violin and orchestra, op 28