Coming up with a title for his Chanson de Nuit seemed to pose more problems for Elgar than did its actual composition. Originally considering "Evensong" and "Vesper" for the violin and piano piece, Elgar scrapped these, fearing that either would give the work an inappropriate clerical slant. He settled on the title by which it is known although, conversely, he felt that this would carry a risqué suggestion. The composer also disliked the pointless appendage of French titles to works, but it was the great age of salon music, and doing so was stylistically in step.

Although it is in a lighter vein, the Chanson commences in much the same manner as many of Elgar's more somber and stately airs. A theme similar to King Henry's from Lohengrin unfolds against a pulsing, Baroque overture rhythm; this soon evolves into pure Elgar, similar in flavor to parts of the E minor Serenade. The mid-section alleviates the heavy mood with an animated eighth-note tempo. The reprise of the opening is less solemn, this time against a walking bass, and the brief work comes to a more lyrical finish.

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