Goldengrove was commissioned by Musica Viva Australia for the Australian Chamber Orchestra. The first performance was in July 1982. The title comes from a poem by Gerald Manley Hopkins entitled Spring and Fall in which the arrival of autumn is an allegory for the transience of life. The first and third movements include a quote from the motet O Nata Lux by Thomas Tallis.
Butterley had arranged to take leave from his position at Newcastle Conservatorium of Music in the second half of 1981 to have the time to work on this commission. His life was thrown into turmoil when Tom was involved in a serious car accident.
With Tom in hospital in Gosford, Butterley took the long train journey each day to be with Tom, which weighed heavily on him. It was on those long journeys that Butterley conceived the second movement. Entitled Canzona, is song-like with two themes running concurrently throughout the movement. They are clearly heard at the beginning: one long, languid melodic line, and one continuous undulating line below.
The CD by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra conducted by Isaiah Jackson is out of print. The complete work, three movements, can be heard on YouTube.