Frank Martin’s Petite symphonie concertante, was composed in 1944–45, on a commission from Paul Sacher, and became one of Martin’s best-known works. The original version is scored for harp, harpsichord, piano, and two string orchestras, and it lasts about 22 minutes. It was first performed in Zurich on 17 May 1946, with Sacher conducting.

The title is apt: the work treats the three solo instruments and the divided strings in a concertante manner, so the music unfolds as a dialogue between individual lines and larger string groups rather than as a conventional symphony.