[1] The piece was commissioned by the Jefferson High School Band of Bloomington, Minnesota, in honor of their conductor, Earl Benson.
It was written in 1971 and premiered at the convention of Music Educators National Conference in Atlanta, Georgia in March of the following year.
The compositional ideas of the piece include augmentation and diminution, as well as polytonality, melodic fragmentation, and homophonic and polyphonic textures.
Several portions of the song feature "call and response" between instrumental groups, and canon variations play an essential role in supporting the simple Shaker melody.
The composition is considered Grade 4 in difficulty and is commonly performed by high school, college, and community bands.