As part of the celebration of its 25th anniversary, The Menil Collection commissioned American composer Philip Glass to create a composition for solo piano. Glass began writing the etudes in the mid-90s to expand and challenge his piano technique, and to provide new music for solo piano concerts. The Menil commission is 17th in the series of 20 works called Etudes, Volume II. Likened to Bach's Two-and Three-Part Inventions, Glass' etudes are succinct compositions that create new themes and develop them in ingenious ways.