Cruisin' with the Top Down

Cruisin' with the Top Down
Composed by Sonny Burnette
Trio for Harp, Flute, and Viola (Cello part included as substitute for viola)
Published by Pine Castle Music Publications
Includes score and parts
Duration: 5:10

Program Notes:
      Cruisin' with the Top Down needs little formal explanation. It is simply intended as a fun encore piece with a hint of Latin and jazz flavorings thrown into the mix.
      Throughout most of the composition, meter signatures alternate between 6/8 and 5/8. Following the opening repeated pattern played by the harp, the flute and viola are featured. Both are involved in presenting interwoven melodic lines of equal prominence.
      Eventually, the flute is featured, then the viola. Afterwards, the trio provides a brief transition leading into a harp feature. 
      The flute and viola are then paired on a soaring unison line as the harp provides a spirited accompaniment in the form of continuous glissandi. The piece then moves into a minor tonality, after which, a subdued transition inspires the trio to unexpectedly break into a jazz feel, providing a taste of the blues – first featuring the flute, then the viola. 
      In contrast to the jazz feel, the next section moves in a majestic direction. Both flute and viola again present melodic lines of equal prominence before the return of the opening dual themes. The piece closes with alternating blues riffs between flute and viola.