Rondino

A short piece in rondo form — a small rondo, lighter and more compact than a full rondo. Sibelius used the term for the Two Rondinos, Op.68, written alongside his Three Sonatinas. The diminutive signals brevity and lightness rather than any fundamental difference in form from the rondo.

The term rondino was used by composers throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries to indicate a brief, unpretentious piece in rondo form. In Sibelius's usage it signals the same concentrated, astringent style as the Sonatinas — economical, tonally ambiguous, and far removed from salon prettiness.