Eric Whitacre was born in Nevada in 1970. He is a graduate of the Juilliard School of music and has composed prolifically since. He composed October on commission from a group of thirty high school bands in Nebraska. Brian Anderson, one of the band directors from these schools, was the one who coordinated this commission between the thirty high schools. Whitacre was so impressed by this that he dedicated October to Brian Anderson. Whitacre had a difficult time composing this piece because he tried to compose it so that all the high schools could play it. He describes this piece as "simple, elegant, and functional" and can be heard in the beautiful melodies that remind one of fall. In his own program notes, he writes, "October is my favorite month. Something about the crisp autumn air and the subtle change in light always makes me a little sentimental, and as I started to sketch I felt that same quiet beauty in the writing. The simple, pastoral melodies and subsequent harmonies are inspired by the great English Romantics (Vaughn Williams, Elgar) as I felt that this style was also perfectly suited to capture the natural and pastoral soul of the season."