Aaron Jay Kernis originally composed "The Blue Animals" in 1983 as part of his song cycle Morningsongs, based on poems by Jon Anderson. Later, Kernis donated the song to the AIDS Quilt Songbook project of baritone and AIDS sufferer William Parker, as part of Parker's effort raise funds for AIDS research. "The Blue Animals" is written for solo bass and a chamber orchestra consisting of flute, two clarinets, bassoon, horn, harp, and string trio.

The poem itself is fairly short, but the musical setting is fairly substantial—slow and grave in declamation, and featuring a number of important instrumental interludes. Kernis tends to use the winds and strings as two separate groups: one sits silent while the other plays. The music itself is dense, full of sighing and drooping figures that emphasize the grief inherent in the poem. Kernis shows his sensitivity to the poet's art by emphasizing internal rhyme, as with the words "lawn" and "gone," and setting parallel passages in the poem to similar music.

© Andrew Lindemann Malone, All Music Guide