« Elegy » was excerpted from the concerto for oboe, « Phantom Drum, » which was originally commissioned by Joseph Salvalaggio and the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra. Lois Fuse, a friend of the composer and an oboist, asked her to excerpt the slow, lyrical section from the concerto as a separate piece. Raum expanded the excerpt to make it a complete piece by itself and scored it for oboe and piano first and then oboe and string trio.