As a composer Lehár started with contributions to the opera-genre but the great triumph of his first operetta Die lustige Witwe, (The merry widow), in 1905 made him clear that he had to give his talents to the operetta. Die lustige Witwe was not only the start of a new flourishing period, it is also one of the absolute highlights in the whole operetta-repertoire.
The romanze 'Wie eine Rosenknospe' is sung by Camille de Rosillon. He is a Parisian and is in love with Baron Mirko Zeta's wife Valencienne. In the garden of a Parisien palace he compares his love for her to a rosebud that blossoms overnight into full bloom. This beautiful song is placed in the second act of the operetta followed by a little duet: Valencienne is trying to finally break with Camille, however she follows him into the summerhouse in order to bid him farewell.