[1][2][3] Morros was working on a movie at the time, entitled Carnegie Hall, and needed Varèse to compose a short piece parodying the sounds orchestras make at the beginning of a concert, initially though to be played by the New York Philharmonic conducted by Leopold Stokowski.
[3] Even though they didn't get to agree on a sum of money in exchange for the piece, Varèse worked fast and hard, even though the project never took off the ground.
[3] A rumor circulated at the time saying that Varèse had been paid a large sum of money and refused to cash the check upon hearing his music altered during rehearsals.
This project was commissioned jointly by the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Casa Ricordi, and the Decca Record Company.
A number of quotations are present in the score, among which are Varèse's previous works Amériques, Arcana, Intégrales, and Ionisation.