Sibelius wrote this miniature (five-minute) composition in 1903, between two versions of a work on a much grander scale: the popular violin concerto. Unlike the concerto, or most of the composer's popular large-scale works, the charm of the Romance comes from a simple setting of a characteristic melody, with effective and straightforward use of the string orchestra.

Sibelius was going through a turbulent period of financial difficulty while writing this work, an experience which was common during the first half of his life (the introduction of certain copyright laws later would go some way to alleviating this problem). He would look back on this period, however, as a time of happiness. He was still composing in the Romantic style of his early works, partly derived from Tchaikovsky and Grieg, and it was observed at the first performance of this piece that it owed something to Tchaikovsky. In the decade following the composition of Romance, the composer's works became more austere, a trend especially audible from the Fourth Symphony onwards. It has, oddly enough, been suggested that this austerity resulted from the composer's having being forced to give up cigars and alcohol, but deeper musical and spiritual forces were no doubt at work.

Opus 42 was originally entitled "Andante," and carried that name through the first five years of its existence. The impulse for the change to "Romance" came when a review of the piece suggested that a title such as "Nocturne" or "Romance" would have been more appropriate. Sibelius evidently took the idea to heart, changing the name to Romance when he attempted to get the work published in 1908.

Romance is formed of three main sections, a slow, Andante beginning, a more rapid middle section and finally another slow section. The middle section is set apart in tempo, but melodically this little crowd-pleaser is nicely knit together.

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