Written for a grocer-friend, Oswin Grainger, with whom he had played in an orchestra, Elgar composed his Romance for violin and piano in the late 1870s. A few years later, in 1885, he decided to publish it as his Opus 1.

Elgar's Romance, in E minor, is plaintive and moody. The opening theme is unrestful until its final bar when, after a brief, yet dramatic interjection by the piano, a moment of tranquil reflection quickly leads into more and more anxious music. After the climactic apex of the development, the opening theme returns once again and the short, 5-minute, work whispers a wistful recollection of the previous music, featuring melancholic double-stops, which fades into silence. This piece is ideal for the skillful intermediate or advanced player. This International edition is edited by Carmit Zori.