Accolay composed his Violin Concerto in 1868, though it was first published in 1876. It was dedicated to Carlos A Diehl, a student and friend of Accolay. The A minor concerto is written as a single movement and is often performed by students, since it contains many useful technical challenges. One can find double-stops, arpeggios, string crossings, and much more, all while being a crowd-pleaser and very fun to play.

Although it was originally written for the Violin, Accolay's concerto is often performed on Viola, transposed to D minor: Accompaniment for Accolay's viola concerto