Appalachian Breakdown is a solo piano work based on the traditional Appalachian banjo tune Cluck Ol Hen. When performed by traditional string bands, each player would have a solo break, providing adventurous variations on the tune. Instrumental pieces like this one, based on this style of folk variation, became known as breakdowns. One of twelve works commissioned by the pianist Nicola Melville, each from a different composer; the purpose of the project was to provide literature for advanced high school and liberal arts college piano students – pieces approximately five minutes in length and each with a focus on a particular aspect of American music culture.