The Frog and the Golden Ball was commissioned by TheKing William Winds, funded by a grant from the City of San Antonio, Department of Arts and Cultural Affairs in1992. The premiere took place at the University of Texas at San Antonio on September 27, 1992, and included RitaLinard, flute, David Herbert, oboe, Kathleen Gavigan, clarinet, David Law, horn, and Ron Noble, bassoon. The title is taken from a poem by Robert Graves, andthough the music was composed before it was titled, there is coincidentally a loose connection between the fivestanzas of the poem and the five movements of the quintet. James Scott Balentine is Professor of Composition,Theory, and History of Jazz at the University of Texas at San Antonio.