The 'Two Character Pieces' were originally composed as Christmas presents for the composer's tuba playing brother-in-law in the late 1990s. 'Stomp' was written first, taking its inspiration from a snippet of melody by Horovitz and developing it in a riotous blues-ragtime-Latin fusion. The following year the composer, Peter Davis, was in a more Elgarian and elegiac mood, and thus a typical "big tune" receives a common treatment in 'Elergy', the first of the two movements, initially presented expressively and quietly by the tuba with the piano taking over on the second page as the tuba develops a countermelody. Both movements seek to exploit two of the tuba's many characteristics and Peter has enjoyed performing them over the years at the piano with their original recipient and other young tuba players.

The publication includes the soloist's part in both Bass and Eb treble clef.