Romance

Today is Valentines Day  or St. Valentines Day  St. Valentine was an early Christian martyr during Roman times when Christianity was illegal.  He had performed marriages of soldiers which was outlawed.  There are many other legends about St. Valentine.
​The Romantic era in art and music lasted from around 1800-1920.  From the end of the Classical Period until WWl.  The term has nothing to do with romantic love.  In music the term "romance" usually refers to a short one movement concerto.  A concerto is a piece for solo instrument and orchestra.  They are usually in three movements.  They can be for any instrument: piano, violin, Cello, are the most common  there are also ones for trumpet, trombone, tuba, flute, bassoon, clarinet and oboe.   Thee can be for more than one solo instrument and orchestra.  Beethoven's Triple concerto, (piano, violin and cello)  or Brahms' Double concerto (Violin and Cello).
​A romance is short and usually lasts for 15 minutes of less.  Beethoven wrote two for solo violin and orchestra, Bruch, Dvorak, Saint- Saens, Vaughan-Williams, Svendsen all wrote at least one Romance for Violin and orchestra.  Ralph Vaughan-Williams  is called "A Lark Ascending"  Richard Strauss wrote a romance for cello and orchestra (opus# 13),  Tchaikovsky's  Andante Cantabile of  Cello and orchestra is another one.  He arranged it form the second movement of his first string quartet.
​Dvorak's  Romance for Violin and Orchestra ( Opus #11) comes from an aborted string quartet.  I like this piece as well as Dvorak's Violin Concerto (Opus#53).  His Cello Concerto (opus #104) is more popular.  He also wrote and earlier cello concerto and a Rondo for Cello and Orchestra (Opus #94) which at the present time, I don't know much about.