Jane Austen's World: Piano Book

This collection captures the lyrical elegance of contemporary film scoring in arrangements that actually sound like the movies. Rather than watering down Rachel Portman's Oscar-winning themes, Harris preserves their character while keeping the technical demands reasonable for intermediate pianists.

Refined and nostalgic. These arrangements transport you into candlelit drawing rooms and garden walks, filled with the yearning and wit that defines both Austen and Portman's musical voice. The writing flows naturally under the fingers while maintaining the gentle sophistication of the source material.

Intermediate pianists preparing concert repertoire or solo recitals who connect with film music. Teachers seeking contemporary material that builds musicianship without requiring advanced technical chops. Anyone who wants to experience these beloved Austen adaptations at the keyboard.

• Let the melody sing through in the right hand, even when accompanying figures occupy the same staff; this mirrors how the film scores distribute voices.
• Listen closely to the recorded films (or their soundtracks) before learning these pieces. The orchestral context will inform your phrasing and rubato choices.
• Balance textural variety across the collection; contrast the more lyrical themes like Tristesse with the brighter character pieces to shape an engaging recital set.
• Pay attention to pedal changes at phrase boundaries rather than holding throughout passages; these arrangements benefit from clarity in the harmonic movement.

Build a thematic recital around Austen adaptations, programming these pieces alongside classical works that influenced Portman's compositional voice. They also work well as pre-concert ambient music or as a transition between heavier classical repertoire in a mixed program. Individual pieces extract cleanly for shorter performance slots.

• Voicing and independence between hands when melody and accompaniment share the same staff
• Sustaining legato lines while managing harmonic rhythm and pedal changes
• Interpreting film-derived music with nuanced rubato and phrasing
• Sight-reading contemporary arranged repertoire with varied textures and harmonic language