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This cute little composition started out as a simple example of sonata form for a Music Appreciation class I was teaching at the College of Eastern Utah. The title was originally “Sonata No. 1” and the Soprano part was the entire composition. I decided to harmonize the piece for the Castle Recorder Consort. Russell Wilson, the leader of the Consort, observed, “It’s not a sonata,” at least not in terms of featuring a solo instrument in a multi-movement chamber piece. So “Nottasonata” was quickly made the permanent title (there is also “NottasonataNo. 2”). The whimsical designation is appropriate for this light-hearted quartet with some tongue-in-cheek musical jokes, including unexpected syncopations and harmonic retrogressions.