Born in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, Eaton attended Princeton University, where he graduated in 1957.
[1][3] Eaton was a prominent composer of microtonal music, and worked with Paul Ketoff and Robert Moog during the 1960s in developing several types of synthesizer.
It was premièred in Bloomington, at the Indiana University Opera Theater, on March 1, 1980, and received a number of subsequent productions, most notably in New York and California.
[10] During his tenure at the University of Chicago, Eaton concentrated on works for smaller ensembles, including chamber operas that involved dramatic participation of the instrumentalists alongside the singers.
[11] He founded and directed The Pocket Opera Players, a professional troupe dedicated to the performance of his works in this genre, and occasionally those of fellow composers interested in the form.