Aztec Ceremonies was commissioned by Henry Skolnick, contrabassoonist of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra.The composer writes: "During a recent visit to Mexico I visited several archaelogical sites, where I was impressed by certain aspects of Aztec ritual. In this piece each of the five sections represents a ceremony honouring a particular deity." The work is dedicated to Gunter Angerhofer, the eminent authority on the contrabassoon, on the occasion of his 70th birthday.