One finds in Saint-Saëns' Romance for Horn and Orchestra Opus 36 (1874) characteristics that have come to be considered typically French: elegant line and proportions scored with the utmost clarity. It is a highly compact example of Saint-Saëns' approach to the Art of Composition. Saint-Saëns composed the Romance in response to the need for original concert works for various neglected solo instruments, whose repertoires were then largely dependent on transcriptions. He later wrote similar works for harp and flute. The work is dedicated to the famous horn player Henri Garigue.
