The idea for Tristitia came from reading about 'Geomancy', a method of divination as old as astrology and possibly the surviving ancestor of the I Ching. The divinatory figures for geomancy are made up of a combination of lines through which 16 figures, each with its own name and significance, are determined. From the European interpretation that uses Latin designations an illustration was given which involved one of these figures, Tristitia. Tristitia's meaning was of sorrow and melancholy and gave rise to idea for the piece.
Tristitia was written for the British Double Reed Society at the end of 1997.