In 1934, the year following completion of his three-act opéra-bouffe Le Testament de la tante Caroline, Roussel turned to the composition of two orchestral works, though a stretch of illness soon upset his timetable. Finally, in July, he wrote to a friend that "I have begun an Andante and Allegro for string orchestra that I promised to Jane Evard. It will be completed next week. You can see that I am making up for lost time!" By the end of August, not only was the Sinfonietta, Op. 52, finished, but Roussel had written a prefatory Allegro, longer than either succeeding movement (though the entire work lasts just over eight minutes).

The Sinfonietta begins much as the Third Symphony (1929-1930) does: an insistent triple meter propels a jagged melodic line, while polytonal sonorities underneath keep the listener surprised and deliberately off balance. The second subject is lyrical, with wisps of a violin solo, but contrapuntal development takes precedence until the main theme returns, abbreviated but still untamed. The Andante commences chordally (recalling the slow movement of the Op. 30 Sérénade) before it dissolves into a legato subject with delicate counterpoint. The chords return, now modally embellished, before a segué into the duple-meter finale. The mood here is jauntier without trying to sound "youthful." Counterpoint—Roussel's abiding strength—enriches the mix when material from the subject repeats. The end is decisive, without pretentions of grandeur.

The Sinfonietta doesn't reveal its considerable riches in a single (much less a casual) hearing, but they are there and invite—and reward—careful listening. Four days after completing the Sinfonietta, Roussel began work on his Fourth (and final) symphony, in which a continuity clearly can be heard.

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