The Clarinet Sonata was Somers' first commission, earning $100.00 in 1965 currency (equivalent to $800.00 today). The composer describes the work, "Clearly Neoclassical in style, the Sonata also has some touches of jazz in that it uses doubly inflected thirds, which come off like blue notes. At the time of its composition I was both a traditional jazz pianist and a non-jazz composer, so I suppose it should be no surprise that the two worlds crossed paths in this piece. However, I find far more F. J. Haydn than W. C. Handy in the music."