John Corigliano's works are marked by a tendency to draw on a huge variety of available compositional resources. To one degree or another in his various pieces, he makes use of imitative counterpoint, sonata form, 12-tone rows and tone clusters, motivic manipulation, minimalist techniques, and traditional harmonies. This mixture of styles produces a whole that is clearly a product of Corigliano.

In some of Corigliano's pieces, however, he stresses a particular method of composition. The Fantasia on an Ostinato, for example, derives from aspects of the minimalist music Corigliano finds appealing. For the premiere of the orchestrated version of the work, given on September 18, 1986, by the New York Philharmonic Orchestra under Zubin Mehta, the composer explained his attitude toward minimalism in the program notes: "I have very mixed feelings about minimalism, for while I admire its emphasis on attractive textures, its leaning toward simplicity as a means of expression, and its occasional ability to achieve a hypnotic quality (not unlike some of late Beethoven), I do not care for its excessive repetition, its usual lack of architecture and its general overall emotional sterility."

Corigliano's mention of Beethoven is important, for the Fantasia on an Ostinato is based on the Allegretto second movement of Beethoven's Seventh Symphony and its insistent, rhythmically driven theme. Corigliano was fascinated by the first four minutes of the movement, in which the first theme (which he refers to as the ostinato), although distributed through various pitch levels and instruments and overlaid with other material, continues unaltered. The first theme also, of course, forms the basis for all of the ensuing variations. Beethoven's ostinato is in two parts, the first consisting of the rhythmic theme and the second the combination of this idea with a more lyrical melody.

Like Beethoven's, then, Corigliano's ostinato is in two parts. Moreover, the Fantasia on an Ostinato as a whole falls into two parts, each of which explores the primary features of one of the two parts of the opening ostinato theme. The first of these features a rhythm conspicuously similar to that of the Beethoven example. Focusing on this rhythm, the first part of the Corigliano work develops both the rhythm and harmony of the first half of the ostinato. The second half of the piece concentrates on and extends the material of the second half of the ostinato, becoming increasingly elaborate as Corigliano develops major/minor contrasts. Eventually, the rhythm of Beethoven's theme becomes clear again, leading the way to the presentation of Beethoven's actual theme in full.

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