Customer Reviews

Pride & Prejudice: Music from the Motion Picture Soundtrack

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This 40-page piano solo book is a wonderful translation of Dario Marianelli's simple but poignant score to the 2005 film "Pride and Prejudice."

The book includes 12 of the 17 tracks that appear on the P&P soundtrack CD, and the transcriptions are pretty much exactly as you hear it on the recording. The soundtrack is piano-based with an orchestra, but the songs translate very well into piano solos. Many of the songs are only approximately 2 pages long, which at first glance was disappointing; however, realize that most of the CD tracks are only 1 or 2 minutes in length. So the sheet music stays true to the soundtrack CD.

They have chosen the best tracks to put in this book. (I would've liked to have "A Postcard to Henry Purcell" in the book, but that is more of a violin piece, anyway.) Pretty much each has its own distinct theme, yet just like Marianelli's score, they have a unified sound. The sound is a fresh, modern take on Jane Austen's 19th Century England. The music is simple -- scales, trills, and arpeggios, hardly a chord in there. But in its simplicity there is a great emotional depth for pianists to experience. The music is easy to (mostly-)intermediate: simple enough for the novice (at least for someone with 2 years' playing experience and much practicing) but rich enough for an advanced player to really make the notes shine. (Just listen to the fantastic performance by pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet on the soundtrack CD to see how much can be made of this simple score.)

Where the songs are difficult to play is this: sweeping arpeggios that require intuitive fingering and favor larger hands; quick grace notes; having to play with crossed hands; occasional fast tempos (e.g. "moderately fast, in 4" on "Georgiana"). Timing/rhythm is pretty simple -- eighth notes for the most part, but can be challenging and irregular at times.

Fingering is not included. Pedaling is. Only a few songs specify a metronome count (e.g. Liz on Top of the World states a quarter note = ca. 144; Living Sculptures of Pemberley merely states "slowly, lilting").

There is no spine on this book. It's got a glossy back and front cover, folded and stapled. Still, very much worth purchasing at the Amazon price of less than $10 (over $5 off the cover price).

Here are some more specifics:
1. Dawn: 5 pages.
2. Arrival at Netherfield: 5 pages.
3. Stars and Butterflies: 2 pages. One sharp.
4. The Living Sculptures of Pemberley: 4 pages. (2 flats. the last third of the song has six flats.)
5. Meryton Townhall: 4 pages. One sharp.
6. Georgiana: 2 pages. 3 sharps. All naturals. 3 flats.
7. Liz on Top of the World: 2 pages. 2 flats.
8. Leaving Netherfield: 2 pages. 3 flats.
9. Another Dance: 2 pages. 2 flats.
10. Secret Life of Daydreams: 2 pages. 2 flats.
11. Darcy's Letter: 4 pages. 3 flats.
12. Mrs. Darcy: 5 pages.

Each composition is pretty fabulous, but the standouts are "Dawn," "Living Sculptures of Pemberley", "Liz on Top of the World," and "Georgiana."

I went to the movie, and have been listening to the soundtrack over and over. And now the beautiful piano music is available! Marianelli did an excellent job of making some of the pieces sound like the classical music of the day. 'Darcy's Letter' is my favorite, with a brooding opening and then poignant, longing finish.

These pieces aren't quite the same without a cello and other string instruments, but the piano arrangements are very good. At first glance, the music seems very simple. But some of the pieces are quite fast. This book would be excellent for piano teachers who want to focus on voicing in different hands, and basic technique (arpeggiated patterns, etc.)

Since my first hearing of it, I have become addicted to this music. A literal addiction; I can't fall asleep if I haven't listened to the soundtrack at least once during the day. Unfortunately, I have not watched the movie, so what caught me about this music wasn't the pivotal movie scene it reminded me of, it was that feeling of beauty transcending time, getting lost in the flurry of arpeggios, legato chords, and sharp piano melodies. Luckily, the feeling is not lost in the transition to piano sheet music.
Although the music does not sound the same without the Chamber Orchestra, it by no means sounds worse. Marianelli did a wonderful job in filling in the orchestrated parts with the piano. Unlike many other "music to sheet music" transitions, the songs to not lose their impact when these other instruments are lost. This happens with many Broadway songs; they start to sound thin. And instead of trying to impress us with elaborate translations, he maintains the simplicity which made the music so emotionally complex. The pieces may be about intermediate in technical difficulty, but it is not easy to convey the intricate mood and to play it with a feeling that would be comparable to the quality which Jean-Yves Thibaudet played the music.
My favorite pieces are The Living Statues of Pemberly and The Secret Life of Daydreams. The left hand in the Living Statues of Pemberly sets the dramatic tone with its rolling notes while the right hand plays a longing melody with held out single notes that seems to vibrate through your hand. The Secret Life of Daydreams has an airy feeling that is just so enjoyable to play. It has a flowing rhythm that is hard to capture but worth the practice to get. Liz on Top of the World is the most challenging to me simply because of the sheer speed you have to play all those half-notes at.

Verdict: This is well worth it and will make your piano playing experience an enjoyable one. All the songs have a faithful trabslation. All it needs is a good measure of determination and a love for the music. It is simply irresistable and will "bewitch you body and soul" (I heard that in a preview).

There is no longer the need for trying to transcribe the songs on the soundtrack anymore. Dario Marianelli finally released the sheet music for his beautiful and sensual soundtrack: Pride and Prejudice. It was known for its luscious swells of the strings, and soft tinkle of piano to set the scene of the movie. There are splashes of melancholy, childishness and cheerfulness, sensuality and boldness here and there. It took a while for my copy to arrive, but it was worth the wait! The pieces may look simple, and easy, but at a closer glance, it's all simply intricate.

Out of the 17 songs on the CD, the songbook possessed 12 of the compositions (A POSTCARD TO HENRY PURCELL, CAN'T SLOW DOWN, THE MILITIA MARCHES IN, YOUR HANDS ARE COLD, and CREDITS are not in there). Not bad. DAWN starts off slow with arpeggios and then fast with alternate hands playing; ARRIVAL AT NETHERFIELD: with both the left and right hands are constantly moving with even more arpeggios, and chords near the end of the song; STARS AND BUTTERFLIES is played slowly, and softly through out; MERYTON TOWNHALL is played light and cheery with the right hand setting the melody; GEORGIANA is played with the left hand as the repeated arpeggios accompaniment, and right hand the sweet and childish melody; LIZ ON TOP OF THE WORLD with both hands in unison, builds up to the large swell in the middle with its large scale, and slowly retreated back to its slow and soft pace; LEAVING NETHERFIELD, though short, is not as simple as it looks. With the left hand constantly moving to produce the accompaniment, the right hand slowly eased its way around to make the soft melody; ANOTHER DANCE is a cute little piece, and it feels like you are jumping along the keys as you are playing it; THE SECRET LIFE OF DAYDREAMS is chock full of arpeggios for both hands; DARCY'S LETTER does, of course, start off with chords, and a gradually increasing scale, until its sudden drop in pace, and mood; and, lastly, MRS. DARCY is like a recycled piece, since most of it appeared in an earlier piece, DAWN.

My favorite piece has to be LIZ ON TOP OF THE WORLD with its large buildup and the emotions and expressions swelling deeply within the song just left me completely breathless.

Overall, though some of the compositions are short, and it is missing its beautiful strings accompaniment, the book is very well worth it. At first look, it may not be a lot, and you may think it was arranged for a beginner or intermediate level player (that's what I thought at first), but at a deeper investigation, a lot of elements (especially the expressions, and tempo) have to be considered to make the pieces sound just like the soundtrack. This is a book you MUST have to go along with your soundtrack!

Please note, there are two versions of this book, Piano Solo and Easy Piano Solo.

Wow! I admit that as soon as I saw the movie and heard the music,I couldn't wait to get the soundrack and was then all the more impatient to be able to play it on my piano. What a great score! The music is simply sublime. I think that is one of the first things that made me fall for this movie. It also fits very well the movie because it is supposed to reflect Lizzie's emotions and passionate side!
The pieces are not very difficult at all. I have played the piano for many years and I even had a very good teacher during my high-school years and I used to participate in some national, piano competitions every year so these pieces appear to be very easy to me; But still I think everyone with enough practice can manage. The rhythm in 'Dawn' changes very often, I like it when it gets faster near the end. There are slower pieces like 'The secret Life of Daydreams', 'Leaving Netherfields'...My favourite pieces are 'Darcy's letter'(, very heartbreaking music,sure, there isn't the sound of the cello but still I enjoy playing it), 'Dawn', Life of Secret Daydreams', 'Mrs Darcy', 'Stars and Buuterflies', 'Leaving Netherfield','Living Sculptures'. I haven't really started playing the others yet, though. But if you like playing the piano, this score is pure magic for you! It really gives you a lot of satisfaction when you can play it. For me this music is a masterpiece by Marianelli, half-way between 'Baroque' and romantic music.

I got the Easy Piano version, was thrown off by the comments thinking this was the original score. MAKE SURE YOU DOUBLE CHECK before ordering which one you're getting!!!

I found this sheet music perfect, both for playing for hours on the piano when having nothing to do, and to let people appreciate what a composer like marianelli can do with a few notes. Truly it contains some of the most wonderful modern, yet somehow going back to the past, pieces i have ever played. Georgiana is perfect and liz on top of the world produces such liberty... it is a treasure which one most definitely must have.

This is a book of the songs from the movie Pride and Prejudice. Each song is included, written for piano only. I bought this book for my daughter, who is an intermediate piano player. She has had a lot of fun learning these pieces. The songs are well written for her level, and they capture the flavor of the movie score very well. I would recommend this song book.

I really like the music from the Pride and Prejudice movie and I love playing the piano so naturally when I saw this music book for sale, I bought it. Most of the songs are at an advanced intermediate level with a few exceptions. I was able to play through most of the songs when I first got it but had to work out some of the more difficult sections. The music is nice to play and has some good romantic melodies. The only downside is that most of the songs are only 2 pages long... which totals to about 1 minute apiece. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys playing nice pieces on the piano and really liked the music from the movie.