From contemporary pop music to traditional classical music, there’s so much romantic violin music out there. Today we’ll look at 15 of the most romantic tunes through different genres of music that sound so sweet on the violin.

If you’re still in a romantic mood after Valentine’s Day, you might want to listen to, or even try to learn, some of these beautiful pieces for violin! Some are very easy for beginners to learn, and for those, I have my own tutorials and sheet music that you can learn from.

Other music that I’m sharing today is considered a quite difficult violin repertoire. Even if this music is too difficult for you to try to learn, please take a listen: you can learn so much about the violin by watching the professionals perform!

Romantic Violin Music – Popular Songs

There are so many pop songs out there that were written about love, and many of them sound lovely on the violin! Here are a few that I think you might like, along with tutorials to help you learn them on your own.

1. La Vie en Rose

La Vie en Rose is a beautiful French love song, which tells of the way the world looks to those who are in love.

This song is quite easy to play on the violin! Check out my tutorial to master this song on your own violin: La Vie en Rose Violin Sheet Music. You can purchase the score over here:

2. Can’t Help Falling in Love

Can’t Help Falling in Love is a classic love song by Elvis Presley. It’s always been popular, and new artists frequently record covers of it. This song also sounds so romantic played on the violin, and it’s great for beginners. Try my tutorial if you’d like to play this one!

You can purchase the sheet music below:

3. A Thousand Years

A Thousand Years by Christina Perry is a very popular wedding song since it was featured in the wedding scene in Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1.

The lyrics are very romantic, and it has a yearning sound that works so well on the violin! This is a great song to learn as a beginner if you’re okay with a little half position and low 2nd and 4th fingers.

Romantic Violin Music from Movies

Lots of movie soundtracks are romantic, especially if a love story is part of the plot. Here are some songs from movies that sound very romantic on the violin.

4. My Heart Will Go On

This is a song I love teaching to beginners because it’s actually very easy to play on the violin! My Heart Will Go On is the love theme from Titanic. If you’ve watched that movie, this song probably makes you very emotional (which is totally ok!).

Since this is such a popular song, it’s a great one to learn if you want to impress your friends! Make sure to check out my tutorial, tips, and play-alongs over here.

5. A Whole New World

Aladdin is one of my favorite Disney movies, and the magic carpet ride where Aladdin and Jasmine sing this song is so romantic and beautiful!

A Whole New World is so fun to play on the violin. Try learning it if you’ve been playing for a while and are comfortable with some more difficult techniques like triplets, slurs, and low 1st finger.

6. Love Story Theme (Where Do I Begin)

Love Story is a romantic movie from 1970, with a classic instrumental theme. That theme was later recorded by Andy Williams, with lyrics that tell the storyline of the movie.

The minor sixth interval through the whole song gives the music a tender, yearning feeling. This interval sounds so nice on string instruments!

This is more of an intermediate piece for violin and sounds especially romantic if you’re comfortable shifting up to the third position.

Romantic Violin Music – Classical Repertoire

There are so many pieces of traditional Western classical music written either for violin or orchestra that sound so romantic. I’m so excited to share a few of my favorites with you!

7. Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel

Canon in D is one of the most popular processional choices for modern weddings. Because of this association, hearing or playing this piece might bring back happy memories from a loved one’s wedding, or maybe even your own!

I have a tutorial and free sheet music for Canon in D – It’s a great song to learn as a beginner violinist! It’s also a very helpful piece to learn if you think you’d ever like to play the violin at a wedding.

8. Adagio in G Minor by Albinoni/Giazotto

Our next romantic piece has a complicated history. Just after World War II, musicologist Remo Giazotto found a draft of music written by Baroque composer Tomaso Albinoni and completed it himself. The music is “attributed” to Albinoni, although it’s entirely possible that the Baroque composer didn’t write any of it: Giazotto never shared the draft he claimed he found.

The original arrangement of this piece is for strings and organs, but it’s since been arranged for solo instruments and a wide variety of ensembles.

I have an advanced tutorial and free sheet music available for the original version of this piece, but it’s much more difficult than the other tutorials I’ve shared today. This music goes all the way from 1st to 7th positions! I suggest trying to learn this only if you’re very comfortable shifting to high positions.

If you’d like to check out my simpler, beginner-friendly version of Adagio, make sure to watch this tutorial (free sheet music and piano accompaniment included!).

And, for intermediate learners, I’ve got a separate lesson: How to Play Adagio in G minor by Albinoni.

9. Meditation from Thaïs

Meditation is a very famous interlude from the opera Thaïs by Jules Massenet. It was originally played by the concertmaster in the pit orchestra in between two scenes in Act II of the opera. Shortly after the opera premiered in 1894, the interlude became a standard in the classical violin repertoire.

Meditation is by far the most popular song from the opera, which wasn’t a huge success. This piece is widely loved, and you’ll often see audience members request to hear it played by their favorite violinists.

Since this melody has become so famous, it’s been transposed for other solo instruments, like viola and euphonium.

Check out my full Master Class on Méditation from the opera Thaïs composed by Jules Massenet – only for Julia’s Violin Academy students. In the Master Class, you will find video lessons on all the details of this piece together with extra exercises and practice plans. Enjoy!

10. Romance for Violin and Orchestra No. 2 in F Major – Beethoven

As the title of the piece suggests, this work by Beethoven is very romantic! The recording I’m sharing today is by Itzhak Perlman, a very famous violinist. Listen to all the passion he gives the music!

11. Liebeslied – Fritz Kreisler

Listen to this emotional recording by great violinist Anne Akiko Meyers!

Liebeslied is a short piece of music written for violin by famous violinist and composer Franz Kreisler. The name Liebeslied translates to “Love’s Sorrow”; I can imagine someone telling a story of their own romance, both the highs and lows.

12. Mozart Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major – Second Movement

Many of Mozart’s slow 2nd movements and opera arias are beautiful, romantic perfection. The second movement of his fifth and final violin concerto is delicate, light, and considered by some to be the most beautiful piece of music he ever wrote.

13. Salut d’Amour – Edward Elgar

English composer Edward Elgar wrote Salut d’Amour for violin and piano in 1888. Elgar lived during the Romantic era of music, where compositions were full of chromaticism and were overall more complex than music from the Classical era.

This piece was written as an engagement gift to his wife, after she presented him with a poem she’d written. He originally named it “Liebesgruss” (‘Love’s Greeting’), but after publication, it was changed to “Salut d’Amour” to reach a wider audience.

The piece was originally published in a few different forms: violin and piano, cello and piano, piano solo, and small orchestra.

14. Air on the G String – J.S. Bach

Air on the G String is actually an arrangement of the 2nd movement of Orchestral Suite No. 3 by Johann Sebastian Bach. The first violin part was written higher, and wasn’t meant to be played entirely on the G string.

In 1871, violinist August Wilhelmj created Air on the G string as we know it – he transposed the music from the original key of D down to C and wrote at the beginning for the violinist to play entirely on the G string.

Wilhelmj’s arrangement isn’t very popular anymore, but Bach’s original Air is now known by the nickname “Air on the G String.”

15. The Swan by Saint-Saëns

The Swan (Le Cygne) from Carnival of the Animals is a very famous cello solo, but it’s also been famously transcribed for violin. Actually, it sounds beautiful on any instrument!

The music is wistful and full of passion, which makes it feel so romantic!

16. Clair de Lune by Debussy

Ray Chen recorded such a beautiful version of Debussy’s Clair de Lune, which is another very romantic piece of classical music. This piece in particular makes me imagine a beautiful city at night, with a peaceful, serene river nearby.

Final Note

There’s so much music out there that sounds romantic on the violin! Some pieces were written exclusively for violin, some for other instruments, while others come from contemporary compositions – movie themes or pop songs. No matter what genre speaks to you the most, there’s always a romantic song that would sound great on our instrument.

If you’re on your way to learning to play the violin, or you’d like to be, I hope my lessons and song tutorials will help you. They range from beginner to intermediate level. Check out my Video Lessons library and browse through song tutorials (anything from traditional music to Ave Maria, Avengers theme or Let It Go), violin basics, practice strategies & motivation, violin technique, and more. Have fun!