Although it took several weeks to complete this musical adaptation of The Shooting of Dan McGrew, I had tremendous fun attempting to capture the widely varying moods of the poem. Beginning with a cheerful honky-tonk opening, the tension gradually builds, from the first appearance of the stranger through his devilishly difficult piano solo in the middle, finally culminating in the shooting. The 10-minute piece ends as it began, with honky-tonk piano underscoring the final verse.

A challenge to play and sing, Dan McGrew is still one of my favourite compositions. It was a real pleasure setting these words to music.