Polish by birth, Alexandre Tansman settled in France, a major influence on his composition. He was a close associate of Stravinsky, particularly during his war-time exile in America. Tansman favoured the clarinet, in particular, among wind instruments. The works included here date principally from the later period of his life, with the clarinet sometimes recalling Polish elements in compositions of some variety. His more familiar Triptyque for string quartet is an earlier work, written in 1930.