One finds in Saint-Saëns' Romance (1874) for horn and orchestra 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 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 hornist Henri Garigue.

The Romance's moderato tempo and triple meter give it a waltz-like feel. The work's ternary form resembles a da capo aria, in that the final section is a near-literal return to the first. Considering the brevity of the piece, the main theme is rather long. It falls into two sections, both of which share the opening arching eighth note figure and a dotted idea, and, indeed, the entire rhythmic pattern. The more animated central section, marked by a wide dynamic range, develops fragments of the main theme, most notably the opening eighth note figure. Throughout the Romance, the orchestra is clearly subordinate to the horn, providing support for the melody.

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