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The source of this work began with a composition for my Bachelor of Music Graduate Recital at California State University, Sacramento, in 1985. Its original title was Music for Flute, Viola, and Harp. The revised title is derived from Sonata da Camera, which refers to a trio ensemble. However, this is not a sonata, and has no characteristics from the Baroque period; it is, though, "chamber" music and it is a trio.

The core is the 2nd movement, an independent work which I had composed simply because I had felt inspired to so do—even though I have never been to France. For the recital in 1985, I freshly composed and added the 1st, 3rd, and 4th movements. I never fully liked the others. In 2019 I thoroughly reworked the other three movements, reordered them, and added a newly composed 5th movement to bring the entire work to a satisfying and unifying conclusion. Now, I am very fond of the entire work—though "A Walk in Provence" still holds the softest part of my heart.

The performers were flute: ???, viola: Dan Bachman, harp: Marylee Dozier.

Movements	Approximate Timings in Finale
I. Currents	7'01
II. A Walk in Provence	2'01
III. Flight	4'04
IV. Suspended	3'20
V. Musings	8'45
Performance time:	approximately   25'11"

For my Masters of Arts in Music, completed in 1986, I composed one large work for symphonic winds —essentially the winds of an orchestra, minus the strings except for a solo string bass. The title, "Railroad Suite," reflects my life and experiences working on the railroad—in both freight and passenger train venues—as conductor, brakeman, and TBM. It also was influenced to some degree by the heart-warming book by Kay Fischer that was based on her early marriage years with husband Bill on the railroad that began with living quarters fashioned from a retired railroad baggage car, and aptly titled A Baggage Car with Lace Curtains. Railroad Suite was premiered about two years later by a concert band from American River College, directed by Dr. Les Lehr, inside the California State Railroad Museum. The concert was funded by the Teichert Foundation.

Steam is more about the dynamics of power and speed and unfettered syncopation, whereas my other works are more about musical themes and their developing variations.

Vanessa McClintock
February 2023