MacDowell wrote primarily piano works, along with a substantial number of songs and a few orchestral works, the most famous being his Second Suite (“Indian”). Among his long list of works for piano, there were a number of sets of short pieces. One of these is his Opus 51, Woodland Sketches, a set of ten short attractive pieces, one of which, To a Wild Rose, became the most popular. To a Wild Rose is a simple diatonic melody accompanied by mostly standard triadic accompaniment, although he includes some interesting, slightly chromatic, harmonic twists. It offers beautiful content for the development of bow control, as well as tone and intonation.