Vieuxtemps' first composition for viola, the Elegie, op. 30, was premiered for the public in 1848 in St. Petersburg along with the composer playing Mendelssohn's e minor Violin Concerto. Although the work only initially received "moderate interest," by 1854, London-based The Musical World wrote, "[l]ike all that M. Vieuxtemps composes, this Elegie is full of musical feeling and remarkable for ingenuity." 

Since its composition, the autographed manuscript has been lost and, with it, a vital record of the piece's synthesis. Editor Frank Foerster has worked from the first (1854) edition to create this International edition of Vieuxtemps' Elegie, which Foerster characterizes as having "emotional intensity and depth [that is] well suited for the autumnal sound of the viola. In three major sections - first, the solemn F minor theme, then the middle "affords a grateful relief" (The Musical World) in Ab major, and finally returning to an impassioned and frenzied F minor coda - the music brawls with itself, elegantly swaying between grief and melancholy. Perfect for the advanced player, Elegie allows ample room for expression and passion to flourish in a relatively compact time-span, all while building technique with its quaint virtuosity.