No party would be quite the same without music to liven it up! Music and dancing were part of most Regency gatherings.
There was a lot of wonderful music used in the three available film adaptations of Persuasion and this is what I'll be focusing on. Music for you to enjoy which Anne Elliot and her fellow characters would have listened to and enjoyed!
Music from Persuasion (1971) - Most of the music from this film is classical with some traditional dances.
Opening Theme Song: The music in this BBC adaptations is mostly tunes and classical pieces of the era. The opening song is "A Downland Suite: III - Minuet: Allegretto grazioso" composed by John Ireland.
There are a couple dances and an operatic aria but I have't been able to figure out exactly what they are.
Music from Persuasion (1995) - Most of the music from this film adaptation was from classical composers Frédéric Chopin and Johann Sebastian Bach and only a bit was the original work of composer Jeremy Samms.
Music from Opening Scene: "Prelude in B" composed by Frédéric Chopin.
Anne Leaves Kellynch: "Sarabande in D (French Suite)" composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
Long Walk to Winthrop: "Nocturne in B"composed by Frédéric Chopin
On the Cobb at Lyme: "Prelude in G" composed by Frédéric Chopin
A Rainy Day In Bath: "Sarabande in B (French Suite)" composed by Johann Sebastian Bach
I finally found the answer to the nagging question What song is Captain Wentworth trying to play on the piano in Persuasion (1995)? The answer is 'The Minstral Boy' which is an Irish ballad, written by Thomas Moore, about a boy going to war. You can hear the whole song on piano here and even listen to it played half tempo like Captain Wentworth does when he's trying to sound it out.
Dance at Uppercross: After much searching I finally discovered that the tune Anne plays for the others to dance to is "The Dusky Night" a traditional tune to which author Henry Fielding wrote a poem called 'The Hunting Song'. Th sheet music can be found here.
The harp music on the end of the video above was apparently composed by Jeremy Samms especially for the film.
Italian Arias: Anne was proficient in Italian enough to translate most of the words in the Italian arias that were played at the concert. I love this bit of info about Anne because it seems that she did have a love and appreciation for opera! I couldn't figure out what arias the soprano was singing at the concert or at the end of the film. If anyone has an idea let me know.
Music From Persuasion (2007) - most of the music in the soundtrack was specially composed for the film but there were a few pieces from the era that were played.
Anne Plays Piano: While Captain Wentworth looks on Anne plays "Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor (Moonlight Sonata)", composed by Ludwig van Beethoven.
Dancing at Kellynch: While the Captain Wentworth and the others dance at Kellynch Anne plays "German Dance in D Major" by Franz Schubert on the piano.
At the Bath Concert: While Anne leaves to concert room in pursuit of Captain Wentworth the orchestra begins to play "Symphony 25 in G Minor" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Very Truly Your's,
13 comments:
Instead of 'stop to smell the roses', this is stop to listen to the music.
Thanks for posting this, beautiful.
The music on these movies are always an interesting study! I remember last time I was watching the 1995 version (quite recently), my brother walked into the room and said "That's Chopin." He always recongizes the composers...;-)
Anne playing Moonlight Sonata in the 2007 version was the exact thing that got me playing more piano - before that, I just did chords for my mom's children's church class, (like one would on a guitar) but after that, I asked a friend for Moonlight Sonata, and had my brother write in the names of the notes; and then I figured out how to play it.
Now I take piano lessons and can read most notes - not easily, and with hard songs, I write in notes myself. tehe
Thomas Moore wrote a song I really like! I can't remember which one it is...I'll go look it up...
Yes, that's what I thought, it's 'Endearing Young Charms'. :)
Very fun post!
Felicia, thanks for listening, I really had too much fun listening to these beautiful pieces of music in preperation for this post!
Melody, I forgot that Thomas Moore wrote 'Endearing Young Charms' that's one of my favorite Irish songs! The music in 1995 is so beautiful, I particularly love the pieces played when they're walking by the seaside in Lyme!
It's wonderful that your brother recognizes these pieces! I love classical music by haven't listened to much Chopin. I'd never thought of writing the letters for the notes. I did a few at home piano lessons but didn't get very far. I had a few classical pieces and Jane Austen songs memorized but now I hardly remember them. I admire anyone who can play the piano well!
After reading (and listening to) this I have decided that I really must see Persuasion 1995, I feel like I have missed out on so much by not having seen it yet!
Mel
Does anybody know the opus number for the schubert german dance in d major he wrote quite.a few under this title! Kim
Thank you for posting such precise list of classical pieces used in all adaptations. But I must point out one mistake I found, I know it's rather long time after the post was published, but maybe it will help someone. It's about the piece from opening scene of 1995 TV film - it's not Prelude in B, but the Prelude in B-flat, and that's a huge difference as these keys are totatlly different ones. The one you posted is Chopin's "Prelude in B Minor, no. 6 of op. 28", and the one played in the film is Chopin's "Prelude in B-flat Major, no. 21 of op. 28". I hope someone will find this information useful.
Greetings, Paula.
Do you - or any of your lovely readers- know what song Anne starts to play when she returns from Lyme?
I guess it is one written by Jeremy Samms or am I wrong?
Beautiful page!
Who's singing the arias in the 1995 version? She's gorgeous! Beautiful tone and technique. Not listed at all in the credits. Thanks.
In the 1995 version, after Chopin's Prelude in G Major, the piano continues on as a variation. It's so lovely, and whoever composed it did such a good job imitating the framework of the prelude. Where can I find this?? I've been looking for it for a long time!
Does anyone know the name of the song on the DVD trailer for the 1995 persuasion ? It's not in the actual movie, just on the DVD trailer ... thanks!
Thanks so much for all your research here - I have been very keen to discover some of these tunes and now I find you have all of them in one place. I have been able to add many to my 'to listen' list.
thank you for all this great musics..
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