The work is inspired by great feasts of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, specifically that of the archbishop of York George Neville upon his ascension to the post.
Rouse wrote of this event in the score program notes:George Nevill was elevated to the archbishopric of York in 1465 — perhaps tellingly, this occurred in the midst of the Wars of the Roses between the Houses of Lancaster and York — and the feast held that year in his honor has come down to us as one of the most sumptuous and enormous of all such feasts.
A substantial variety of birds were served, including gannets, gulls, sparrows, peacocks, and larks.
[1] Mark Kanny of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review remarked that the piece "takes a noted Medieval English celebration as an excuse for party music."
He continued, "The jaunty main theme — very simple and repeated a lot — is offset by contrasting ideas, one of which includes a bass guitar part.