The Méditation was written between 23 and 25 March 1878, in Clarens, Switzerland, where Tchaikovsky wrote his Violin Concerto.

On 25 May he left for a two-week vacation on the Ukrainian country estate Brailivo (sometimes seen in English as "Brailovo"), which belonged to his benefactress Nadezhda von Meck, where he finished the work by 31 May.

The two additional movements, Scherzo and Mélodie, completed the Souvenir d'un lieu cher.

Tchaikovsky had the original manuscript sent as a token of gratitude to Nadezhda von Meck, but he always intended to publish the work, so he asked her to arrange for a copy to be made, which was done by Władysław Pachulski, a member of von Meck's household and later her son-in-law.

There are also arrangements for violin and strings by Nils Thore Røsth and Alexandru Lascae.