The work was commissioned by the pianist Jeffrey Biegel in association with the Adele Marcus Foundation, the Abraham J.
The music's thematic material is based on the folk song "Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies," which Zwilich's grandmother sang to her when she was a child.
In the score program note, the composer wrote, "I can still 'hear' her voice when I remember this, so I thought it would be a special pleasure to create a musical fantasy based on it.
"[1] The work is scored for solo piano and a large orchestra comprising two flutes (2nd doubling piccolo), oboe, English horn, clarinet, bass clarinet, two bassoons (1st doubling contrabassoon), two horns, two trumpets, one percussionist, and strings.
"[3] Mary Ellyn Hutton of The Cincinnati Post called it "a broadly appealing work" with "meaty, flavorful construction.