Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 58
 Ooooh I love this book! April 5, 2006
Arena Connery (Wisconsin USA)
60 out of 60 found this review helpful
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.)
An excellent translation May 18, 2006
Snuffles (New York, NY USA)
23 out of 23 found this review helpful
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).
At long last... May 16, 2006
Arden Carlson
19 out of 19 found this review helpful
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!
there are 2 versions! April 10, 2007
J Graves (Clifton, VA United States)
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
Please note, there are two versions of this book, Piano Solo and Easy Piano Solo.
A real pleasure to play this music on the piano! September 25, 2006
April79marie (Dijon, France)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
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.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 58
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![Pride & Prejudice [Music from the Motion Picture]](http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000BEZQ0Y.01._AA75_PU_PU-5_.jpg)
