After the first subscription concert performance of Willard Elliott's The Snake Charmer by the Chicago Symphony with Richard Graef as alto flute soloist in 1978, the Chicago Sun-Times said approvingly, "...this intriguing little piece has gentle, hazy sonorities reminiscent of Debussy and a wonderfully colored alto flute part, which Graef breezed through." The Chicago Tribune added "...it deftly evokes the langour of a famous painting of Rousseau. The writing for alto flute is idiomatic...Strings' harp, and tinkling percussion caress and soothe." The composer is principal bassoonist of the Chicago Symphony, and the piano reducticn has been prepared by him. The duration of the piece is 12 minutes. It was a winner of the National Flute Association Newly Published Music Cornpetition in 1978.