[1] Barber drew from some of his previous work, including the unpublished orchestral piece Horizon (1945), as material for Summer Music.
[2] On March 20, 1956, as part of the twelfth season of the Chamber Music Society, the premiere of Summer Music took place at the Detroit Institute of Arts, performed by the first-desk players of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra: James Pellerite (flute), Arno Mariotti (oboe), Albert Luconi (clarinet), Charles Sirard (bassoon), and Ray Alonge (horn).
Instead of a commissioning fee, Barber agreed to accept donations from the audience, with the Chamber Music Society acting as guarantor for a minimum of $2000.
[4] Summer Music is Barber's only chamber composition for wind instruments, and has become a staple of the wind-quintet repertory.
[5] Summer Music showcases each instrument of the wind quintet for which it was composed, namely the flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, and horn.