It took a particularly long time for Elgar's Three Characteristic Pieces to reach definitive form. Because of this long span, an examination of the pieces provides an interesting insight into Elgar's progress from talented fledgling to master composer. The Mazurka dates from 1883, at which time Elgar held a post as a conductor at Powick Asylum. It is dedicated to Mary Lygon, later immortalized as one of the composer's "Enigma" friends. The second piece, "Moorish Serenade," dates from 1888, in which year it and its predecessor were premiered as part of the Suite in D. The final Gavotte materialized circa 1899, when it joined the two other works to form the definitive Three Characteristic Pieces. Stylistically, the Gavotte is in step with contemporaneous works like the Enigma Variations and the Cockaigne Overture.

The Mazurka owes more to the ballet music of the French school than it does to Slavic models; some passages, in fact, are curiously premonitory of Mahler's satirical sense. The exaggerated rhythm and overly delayed coda have a particularly sardonic effect. The "Moorish Serenade" is mysterious, exploring an avenue of exoticism in the composer's music that would reach its apex in the opera and orchestral suite Crown of India (1911 - 12). The final piece, whose full title is "Contrasts: The Gavotte A.D. 1700 and 1900," is the most striking and imaginative of all. This two-part dance was inspired by the sight of a dancing couple in "halved" costume—that is, their appearance was Rococo when viewed from one side, contemporary from the other. The piece opens in "1700" with shades of Purcell and Handel emerging in stately dignity, becoming jovial, even boisterous, when it crosses into "1900." This rejuvenated, tub-thumping take on the old dance brings the little suite to a lively conclusion.

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