The Rose Bay Quadrilles were originally written by William Stanley in 1885 to mark the occasion of the laying of the foundation stone of Woollahra House in Sydney. Sculthorpe, who lived most of his professional life in Woollahara was drawn to these pieces and wrote that, in editing these pieces ‘the only liberties taken were in the name of better voice-leading. Most of my work was concerned with correcting misprints in the printed music.’