The work consists of three short pieces in A-B-A form, and it was written during what was speculated to be one of Schumann's manic episodes.

[3] Previously that year, Schumann had written two other works for wind instruments and piano: the Adagio and Allegro, op.

"[5] Schumann's mental health was quickly deteriorating during the time of the pieces' writing; shortly afterward, he moved from Dresden to Düsseldorf, where he was admitted to and eventually died in an asylum.

"[2] The second romance, which is in A Major, is primarily a traditional duet between the two instruments with a tense B section that changes tempo twice.

Described as "the most rugged and colorful-sounding [romance]" and reminiscent of Brahms, the final fantasy is the liveliest of the set.

"[3] However, Schumann denied the request, replying, "If I had originally written the work for violin or clarinet, it would have become a completely different piece.

[3] Disobeying Schumann's wishes, Simrock published alternate violin and oboe parts in the first edition.

In her compilation of Robert's works post-mortem, Clara only included the violin transcription, possibly due to her only playing the piece with violinists.