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The term romance (Spanish: romance/romanza, Italian: romanza, German: Romanze, French: romance, Russian: романс, Portuguese: romance) has a centuries-long history. Beginning as narrative ballads in Spain, it came to be used by the 18th century for simple lyrical pieces not only for voice, but also for instruments alone. During the 18th and 19th centuries Russian composers developed the French variety of the romance as a sentimental category of Russian art song. "Ochi Chyornie" (black eyes) is a well-known example.

The Oxford Dictionary of Music^[1] states that "generally it implies a specially personal or tender quality.

Georges Bizet's "Je crois entendre encore" from The Pearl Fishers (1863) is labelled a romance in the score.

As for instrumental romances, Mozart subtitled the second movement of his piano concerto no. 20 in D minor (K.466) "Romanze" and his Horn Concerto has a romanze and Rondo. Robert Schumann was particularly fond of the title for lyrical piano pieces.

Some instrumental music bearing the title "Romance":

• Beethoven's two Romanze for violin and orchestra, no. 1 G Major, Op. 40, no. 2 in F Major, Op. 50 takes the form of a loose theme and variations.
• Antonín Dvořák's Romance in F minor for violin and orchestra, Op. 11 (1873/1877)
• Camille Saint-Saёns' Romance in D for violoncello and orchestra, Op. 51 (1877)
• Clara Schumann's Drei Romanzen for violin and piano, Op. 22 (1853) (link)
• Robert Schumann's Drei Romanzen (for oboe or violin and piano), Op.94. (1849)
• Johannes Brahms's Romanze in F major for piano, Op. 118, no. 5
• Anonymous "Romance/ Romanza" for the classical guitar.

Notes

References

• (French) Henri Gougelot, La Romance française sous la Révolution et l'Empire : choix de textes musicaux (Melun:Legrand & Fils, 1937) [2nd ed., 1943].
• (French) Henri Gougelot, Catalogue des romances françaises parues sous la Révolution et l'Empire, les recueils de romances (Melun:Legrand & Fils, 1937)