It was near the end of his first stint as a wandering virtuoso (1851-60) that Henryk Wieniawski composed what is probably his most famous work, Légende for violin and orchestra, Op. 17 (though it has long since been more popular in its arrangement for violin and piano). The year 1860 has two important bookmarks as far as Wieniawski fans are concerned: Wieniawski's marriage to British society's Isabella Hampton and his acceptance of Anton Rubinstein's offer to settle in St. Petersburg and help establish a conservatory in the city. Légende was composed with the first of those bookmarks in mind, and Wieniawski dedicated it to his new bride. It is a wonderful representative of a long-dead species—the sentimental salon-ballad; it is technically undemanding enough to yield its treasures to student violinists, yet rich enough in melody to interest virtuosos the world around.

Légende is a simple, three-part song for violin, unassuming but well-crafted in its soon-to-be-outdated, cream-puff way. A melancholy rustling in the piano (or orchestra) spurs the violin to produce a lovely, wistful G minor tune. In the middle section (G major), syrupy parallel thirds argue in favor of life's brighter side; but a passionate mini-cadenza leads us back into the opening music, whose reprise the violin caps off by annexing the piano rustling of the opening and transforming it into a sparkling little coda.

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