Brian Mueller initially wrote Danny Boy while he was a doctoral student at Indiana University. Brian finally arrived at this current version after a brief period of study with famed marimba virtuoso Eric Sammut in Paris. It was Sammut who recommended that a variation of the piece be incorporated where the performer can improvise over the main structure.
Included in this score is exactly that, a variation structure with chord symbols and a bass line specifically for the performer to improvise if they wish. For those less inclined to improvisation, a fully-notated version of the variation as performed by Mueller is also included. Because of Sammut’s indelible influence on him, Brian decided to dedicate Danny Boy to him.