In this episode, we look at the soundtrack of the 1996 movie of Jane Austen's Emma by Rachel Portman. We listen to how the clarinet is Emma's voice and how the instrumentation, time signature, and major vs minor are often used to change mood or characters. We also pay to attention to how her emotional journey and theme changes throughout as well as the comedy and matchmaking theme. Finally, we compare the songs performed by Emma and Jane and how the words convey meaning to Frank Churchill's attentions.

Music included in podcast:

"Main Titles" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Emma: Piano Suite" - music by Rachel Portman, 2022

"End Titles" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Celery Root" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Emma Insults Miss Bates" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Emma Writes her Diary" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Mr. Knightley Returns" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Proposal" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Emma Tells Harriet about Mr. Elton" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"The Picnic" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Emma dreams of Frank Churchill" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Sewing and Archery" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Harriet's Portrait" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Three German Dances, K. 605: No. 3 in C, Trio "Die Schlittenfahrt" - Mozart in the Morning, music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, performed by Academy of St. Martin in the Fields & Sir Neville Marriner, 1992

"Mr. Elton's Rejection" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"The Coles' Party" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Mrs. Elton's Visit" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Main Title and First Victim" - Jaws (The Collector's Edition Soundtrack), music by John Williams, 1975

"Gypsies" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Tolomeo, Re Di Egitto HWV 25: Silent Worship (adapted by Arthur Somervell from "Non lo diro col labbro")" - Silent Worship: The Timeless Music by Handel, music by George Frederic Handel, performed by David Hobson, 2006

"The Beggar's Opera: Act 1 No 14, Air 6: Virgins are like the fair flowers" - Gay: The Beggar's Opera, music by John Gay, performed by The Broadside Band, Jeremy Barlow, Bronwen Mills & Charles Daniels, 1991

"The Dance" - Emma: Music from the Miramax Motion Picture, music by Rachel Portman, 1996

"Mr. Beveridge's Magot" - English Country Dances from Playford's Dancing Master, performed by The Broadside Band, 2009

"World of Soundtracks" - music by Edith Mudge, graphics by Lindsey Bergsma

Both this movie and the more recent movie version of Emma were composed by women. In fact, Rachel Portman, the composer of this version won an Academy award for the soundtrack of Emma. At that point there were still two categories for original score so she won for Best Musical or Comedy score. It is especially notable that this was the first time a woman had won in that category. She has since been nominated for Cider House Rules and Chocolat.

Rachel Portman is a British composer and has been writing a variety of scores since the 80s including several other period dramas or adaptations such as A Little Princess, Nicholas Nickleby, Oliver Twist, The Duchess, and Belle. She has her own unique sound in how she uses instruments, melody, and harmonies to the point that you can usually recognize a Rachel Portman score. The focus is much more on how it makes you feel and setting a mood than being period accurate and imitating music of the time.

In that vein, unlike Pride and Prejudice or even Sense and Sensibility, this Emma is not trying to emulate the sounds of the classical era through certain harmonies or rhythmic structures. It is however, still similar in being a very classical orchestration using strings, solo winds, harp, and the occasional brass. This is also one of the few Jane Austen adaptations that does not feature piano in the accompanying score. The only time we hear it is when Emma or Jane are performing at the Coles’ party.

This version is a romantic comedy but the choice of a classical orchestra is important because it still tonally sets you in an older time while the harmonies connect with a modern audience. Clueless was also an Emma adaptation coming out around the same time but it followed the natural expectations of a rom-com including a lot of pop music that sets it clearly in the 90s. Having pop music would be jarring for the regency period and so it is made softer and more romantic by the use of classical instruments. This may seem second nature to us but the lines are blurring much more now between modern sounds and period dramas.

One other interesting observation of the three Emma adaptations is the focus of harp to represent Emma and her world. It is a charming instrument often seen as romantic but also an instrument that seems to indicate a certain level of wealth. For a woman “who knows who the world should be run,” this choice of instrument helps give a level of status and elegance. However, it is the clarinet that is used for Emma’s primary voice often reflecting her emotional journey according to an interview with Rachel Portman, being a bittersweet instrument. It can convey the more introspective moments as well as the joyful ones, giving the story and music depth.

This Emma has a lot of romantic idealism and works from a naive and prideful belief that she knows everything about love and who should belong together. Even the grumpy disapproval of Mr. Knightley at times is met with a greater sense of humor and forbearance towards Emma’s choices the majority of the time. This version follows Emma and is through her eyes and lens, including several voice-overs of her thoughts as well as writing in her diary. Because this is clearly Emma’s story, the main melody has an opening motif that carries throughout the entire movie connecting the narrative. Many of Jane Austen movies depend on music for transitions and this movie uses either a motif heard in the clarinet or it depends on comedy connecting a visual such as held hands or a sentence finishing one scene and then starting a new one. There is only one time that both the music and visual transitions are used together.

The main melody starts in the harp over a few open harmonies or suspensions in the violins, matching the floating or spinning feeling with the painted globe and the stars. The time signature is in 3 which also gives it a dance-like quality almost like a waltz and the lower part in the harp keeps the bass note the same (which is a pedal tone) while alternating the pattern and open harmonies each measure (which means that it is keeping out the third of the chord, which tells us whether it is major or minor). it isn’t until the title of Emma is shown that the horns and clarinet add depth to the sound. Flute is added keeping the sound high with the second part of this melody as all the characters and places are shown painted on the globe. It is a theme that will appear reflecting Emma’s inner journey the most, being either at home with friends, her father, and Mr. Knightley, or when she has inner dialogue about how she feels. As the focus is on the picture of Emma, the clarinet plays her motif which is the first few notes of the theme. (Main Titles).

For those who may have a hard time hearing the movement of the harp clearly in how the harmonies move, there is a new Piano Suite that Rachel Portman released this spring in honor of the 25th anniversary. (Opening of her suite)

This melody changes throughout the story depending on Emma’s journey. This determines whether it is fast, slow, major or minor or in the case of the opening wedding reception for the Westons, it switches time signatures to 6/8 and goes twice as fast, fitting more of the wedding scene by reducing the ensemble from an orchestra to a string quartet. While the feel is still in a compound meter or a feeling of three, the feeling of 6/8 often resembles more of a jig or a reel than a waltz. There is a different kind of energy provided that matches the joy and the comedy of the dialogue. Then the bittersweet clarinet plays as the transition is shown to Emma who is in fact sad to be losing her friend and governess before the transition to Hartfield with the flute playing Emma’s motif. (Main Titles - 2:30/4:05)

There are 3 different emotional threads in Emma’s story that uses this theme the most. The primary one being the relationship between herself and Mr. Knightley. While we hear it first in regards to her declaration that Mr. Elton will next benefit from her help to both Mr Knightley and her father, the emotional connection is heard after their reconciliation following their disagreement over Harriet and Robert Martin.

The clarinet (Emma’s instrument) plays the melody over the harp, as Mr. Knightley seeks to reconcile as a close friend while connecting over their baby niece and finally shaking hands. “Celery Root” (2:00)

This mellow sound of the clarinet returns again in an even slower version when Emma has to tell Harriet about Mr. Elton, with the melody going from clarinet to flute to oboe, as she is deeply sorry about bringing disappointment to Harriet, and admiring how Harriet is taking the news. In the middle, the violin plays as a countermelody with the flute - a duet between the two ladies having an affection for each other, becoming friends with Harriet no longer just a project anymore. This portion of the music takes the second part of the main melody and creates a variation of it. In fact, much of the music throughout Emma is loosely based on the main theme, connecting it all together. “Emma tells Harriet about Mr. Elton”

The opening harp and strings melody returns as Emma writes in her diary believing she is in love with Frank despite the fact that she expected love to feel different. Later on, she writes in her diary that she is not in love with Frank but then thinks that Harriet and Frank would be a wonderful couple. This brings back that flute and violin variation but in a much happier setting, being both in major and a faster tempo as she longs to bring happiness to her friend. “Emma Dreams of Frank Churchill”

The oboe is the most melancholy of the wind instruments in sound and timbre, so it feels appropriate to use this instrument as Harriet decides to burn her treasures from Mr. Elton in the presence of Emma. This is also the first time the theme is heard in minor, as she explains what they are and why there were precious to her. The flute and violin duet returns in her determination to burn them, with the oboe returning as she finally says goodbye to Mr. Elton. “The Picnic”

This leads us into the third thread which is Emma’s diary times, most frequently over Frank Churchill.

The clarinet returns again in a slower tempo near the end of Mr. Knightley’s “Badly done” speech after insulting Miss Bates, as he reminds her that Miss Bates has watched her grow up and now was humbled in front of all their friends. At first, it plays over a single held chord that slowly moves, before the harp enters, giving space for his speech and Emma hearing it. The flute then takes the melody over minor chords, as he tells her that he gives his council while he still can. The horns fill in the space during this moment to bring a gravity and depth to the scene as we see Emma cry, her back to Mr. Knightley. “Emma Insults Miss Bates”

Mr. Knightley is then determined to leave for London and as he says goodbye, kissing Emma’s hand, the clarinet plays the melody again with the violin and flute playing a response in the spaces, giving it a romantic feeling while she looks vaguely confused by her emotions. “Emma writes her diary”

Since the clarinet is her instrument, it is only fitting that it continues with the melody along with the violins as Emma realizes that she loves Mr. Knightley. However, because she becomes aware of this only after Harriet tells her that she believes Mr. Knightley returns her affections, it plays over minor strings until she tells Mrs. Weston that she loves Mr Knightley and then the music swells, turning major as the flute, harp and violin take the melody and countermelody, with horns swelling. “Emma writes her diary - 1:47”

The Flute and violin duet returns as Emma writes in her diary that she was trying not to think about Mr. Knightley especially in regards to the daises and lamb stew. “Mr. Knightley returns.”

Mr. Knightley returns and tries to express why he envies Frank Churchill, Emma panics and shuts him down. The main melody returns again in the clarinet but also in minor as he walks away, showing hurt and deep disappointment by both parties. Underneath is played alternating minor seconds in the cellos which until this point had been used for dramatic moments both humorous or dangerous. While this doesn’t fit into those categories, it is one of the more life-altering moments for Emma and while the music is subdued, it does show how high the emotional stakes have become. “Mr Knightley returns” (1:08).

Thankfully, Emma does seek to quickly apologize, no longer just imagining things in her head but willing to listen to what Mr. Knightley says. Once he admits that he went to the wrong place to get her out of his mind, we start hearing many variations of the theme. Beginning, unsurprisingly at this point, with the clarinet and strings. It grows slowly along with the proposal, first with chords just quietly held and with very little movement to give space for his speech. The harp enters as the melody repeats and Emma starts to realize that he loves her and not Harriet. The flute and violins soar then as Emma says she is awakening from a dream along with the horn swells. High violins are often used for either romantic climaxes of a story or for soaring epic scenes. There is a brief pause in the music as Mr. Knightley asks Emma to marry him and then the soaring returns as he repeats the questions, broadening out the melody in a slower version to match the emotions of the couple as they kiss. “The Proposal”

Emma them freaks out briefly about her father, realizing she can’t leave him and therefore can’t marry Mr. Knightley. Once he offers to live at Hartfield with her, the clarinet plays her theme once more before the soaring proposal music returns as they kiss once again and the camera moves farther away. At this point, the narration of Mrs. Weston enters as the characters are seen rejoicing but then the music slows down and becomes more intimate with the flute and harp as Emma tells Harriet, finishing in minor as Harriet leaves upset. “The Proposal”

This leads us into the 2nd thread of Emma’s journey with her relationship with Harriet. Most of this theme is sadder and often in minor in regards to how she led Harriet astray and the emotional consequences of her misguided matchmaking.

Once Harriet returns to let Emma know that she has accepted Robert Martin’s proposal, Emma’s theme returns one last time in the clarinet as she declares that she happily relinquishes her sad attempts at being a matchmaker, and her joy is complete now that Harriet herself is happy. “End Titles”

I happen to love bookends in stories that connect the beginning and the end. This has two different but related bookends which is quite lovely. The movie opens with a wedding for Miss Taylor and that same faster, jaunty 6/8 version returns for Emma’s wedding but this time much fuller. Instead of a background string quartet, the whole orchestra is playing including trumpets which are saved for this moment. It is an instrument of celebration and declaration. The trumpets play as Emma and Mr Knightley are seen walking down the outside aisle amongst all their friends and then the trumpet finishes with the last time hearing Emma’s opening theme, seeing all the friends in their various groupings and painted again just the way they were introduced in the beginning of the film. The other bookend is that the opening titles and the end titles use almost the same music, except it is a bit more full in orchestration and uses the trumpets at the end. I also love that the clarinet motif is the last thing heard. Emma always get the last word. “End Titles”

We first hear the bassoon as Mr. Elton is seen entering Hartfield for a party and then the comedic motif is played in the clarinet along with violin as Mr. Elton is introduced to Harriet. The beginning of Emma’s schemes have begun.

However, it is really when Emma starts meddling along with giving hints during embroidery, that that this comedic theme is heard in full force. There are many pauses as Emma plants seeds that Mr. Martin was perhaps not as thoughtful forgetting the romance book, the music matching the timing of what she says and then as Harriet takes these words in. Of course, it is the clarinet that plays the main theme for Emma and the bassoon responding as she plants seeds for Mr. Elton being the thoughtful one. “Sewing and Archery”

The other prominent comedic theme for Emma starts with the opening notes of the main melody before it changes. Not only does the melody change at that pointt, but it changes the mood, first by being in 4 instead of three so the rhythm has changed. It is also more comedic and bridges the gap between Emma’s lyrical and emotional theme and the comedy theme that we will look at later. This version is more upbeat and uses both the underlying rhythm of the lower strings as well as more rests and staccatos. The rhythm underneath has the lower strings playing on beat 1 and then the middle strings playing the off-beats or syncopations. (1and and) This provides both movement and also the feeling of a dance. This is the more light-hearted, kindly meant but convinced her way is the right way theme.

This comedic theme appears as Harriet and Emma begin to spend time together with Harriet catching butterflies and sharing about the Martins. The clarinet plays the melody as Emma is beginning her newest project of getting Harriet together with Mr. Elton, while also getting to know Harriet herself.

This melody returns later as Emma is painting Harriet’s portrait in the viewing of Mr. Elton. The flute plays the melody as Mr. Elton makes insinuating and flattering comments that Emma and Harriet interpret being for Harriet, especially after Mr. Knightley tells Emma that she painted Harriet too tall. The clarinet and horn enters later as Mr Elton offers to get the picture framed in London. “Harriet’s Portrait”

This theme returns again during Emma and Mr. Knightley’s disagreement over Harriet refusing Mr. Martin. As they are drinking tea, Mr. Knightley guesses that Emma is trying to get Harriet together with Mr. Elton and that it will not work. The theme is played in the bassoon for comedy and the accompaniment matches their back and forth as Emma denies it. Another bassoon changes the bass line rhythm to a tango rhythm which then is repeated in trombones. This matches their frustration which you can only do with someone you know this well as well as the tension. Using trombones adds weight and provides a very different color from most of the higher timbres throughout the score. “Sewing and Archery - 2:01”

It is when Mr. Elton escorts them home after visiting the poor that both of these comedic themes are heard together. The first comedic one is heard with the clarinet playing the theme while pauses occur as Emma tries to encourage Harriet to share what she did with the poor while Harriet suddenly remembers knocking off baskets and getting a lettuce leaf stuck on her shawl. The music matches the humor of what Emma is trying to arrange with the actuality of what happened. As she sends them on their way after a pretense of needing to fix her shoe-lace, the other theme comes in the flute, moving faster and faster as the kid she walks besides is in a hurry. The music swells as she imagines she is coming across a proposal only to be disappointed that they are talking about celery root with the clarinet finishing. “Celery root”

This instrument association makes it is easy to for the audience to know what season we are in once we hear the sleigh-bells. While it may seem more modern in our association of Christmas instead of the overall season of winter, using sleigh bells still fits the time period heard here in “Mr. Elton’s Rejection”

The story takes a more serious turn for awhile so the main humorous themes don’t return again until Harriet runs into Mr. Martin after her refusal of his proposal. As she tells Emma about that experience, the clarinet plays the 2nd matchmaking theme and then the trombones return in the bass line as Mr. Martin comes over and speaks to her. The flute returns with the melody after announcing that she has put Mr. Martin out of her head and then proceeds to talk about him with the violins taking the second portion of the melody as Emma drives her carriage into the flooding right before meeting Frank Churchill. “The Coles Party”

While Emma is focused on finding a match for Harriet, she cannot help being intrigued by Frank Churchill so it is only fitting that the humorous matchmaking theme should come back as she is searching for an invitation to the Coles. This one matches the version of Celery Root when Emma is walking quickly besides the kid, with the melody in the clarinet but a quicker motion in the off-beats in the middle strings and pizzicato in the lower strings mixed with bassoon giving it a feeling of urgency as she pretends not to look for the invitation but is in fact looking every opportunity she can. “The Coles Party -2:04”

The second theme returns in the clarinet with the solo violin responding as Mr. Churchill gossips with Emma and plants the seeds for Mr. Dixon giving Jane Fairfax the pianoforte at the Coles’ party. There are few key pauses as he suggests an idea of Mrs. Dixon and then they walk closer up the piano before he suggests Mr. Dixon, reeling Emma in with this ideas. “The Coles Party - 1:14”

What better way to include the first comedic theme and bassoon over pizzicato than when the Eltons come for tea. It is a bit intermittent throughout their exchanges both to highlight the awkwardness of them arriving, then as they discuss Bath being good for Mr. Woodhouses’ health while walking through the house but then the tea portion is in silence to add to the level of awkward silence, only hearing the birds and clocks in the background. “Mrs Elton’s visit”

The second theme plays immediately after in the clarinet as Emma complains to Harriet about the visit wondering if Mr Elton found Mrs. Elton in a mental infirmary and that the only thing to do would be to throw a party for her. This is the last time the comedic themes play as the focus switches to more serious or romantic elements at the end. “Mrs Elton’s visit”

The last time we hear this theme is at the picnic, as once again, Emma is seeking to matchmaker Harriet, this time with Frank but not saying his name and so they speak to each in confidence but speaking of two completely different people. (the Picnic)

The other theme or motif that returns in a few different forms is the very dramatic music including alternating low half-steps in the lower instruments, often cellos and basses. This alternation is probably the most famous in Jaws by John Williams, but more terrifying. “Jaws” While John Williams does not own the use of minor seconds, I don’t think it was entirely coincidence that it is used in a slightly more humorous but still dramatic parts throughout Emma. It is first heard after Mr. Elton’s proposal in the carriage and both he and Emma turn away from each other as he is taken home, both of them suffering from hurt pride as much as anything else while the violas play the back and forth while the brass and strings add accents and almost over-the-top gravitas. (1:25) “Mr. Elton’s Rejection”

The other over-dramatic use of this music is when Emma replaces Harriet’s picture with a painting of a dog in the middle of the night being jealous over Mr. Knightley during “Mr. Knightley Returns” This version keeps mostly to strings so it is a bit more subdued but it still gets the point across. - 0:37.

The other moment that uses this idea is more serious as they are attacked by the gypsies so it takes the idea but swaps starting from the bottom and starts with the top note. It also goes much slower and is played in lower violins, bringing up the timbre or color to give a sense of unease. Usually, if it is a truly scary situation, music is either very low or very high. While this changes where the register is played, it does not go to the very high horror range. This leads to unease but no-one is truly in danger. There is also a swell in the trombones which actually reminds me a bit of the TV show Lost as it gets the most intense and Frank Churchill comes to the rescue. The clarinet finishes with the motif as they transition with them holding hands, transitioning from being rescued to the drawing room…the one place that uses both the music and the visuals for a transition in this movie. “Gypsies”

We already touched on this earlier but that same alternation of minor half-steps does return when Mr. Knightley walks away thinking that he is being rejected by Emma right before the proposal. It’s not as scary or over-dramatically funny as the previous times but it does reflect more of the feelings within regarding the seriousness of their emotions, believing that the other person does not love them.

Jane’s song is much more melancholy seemingly matching both her personality and giving it more sophistication. It is from the ballad opera “The Beggar’s Opera” written in the same year by English composer John Gay. Ballad operas, without going into too much nerdy details, were usually satiric musical plays and the lyrics were often set to already known or popular tunes of the day. While Emma’s song is about worshiping “My Lady,” Jane’s song sings the view that virgins are like beautiful flowers with bees and butterflies frolicking around them, but no longer alluring once plucked ending with the words

“There fades, and shrinks, and grows past all enduring,

Rots, stinks, and dies, and is trod under foot.”

That part is in the background during conversation, so we usually notice the words of the happier part of the virgins being like flowers except for Frank holding the highest note on dies. “Virgins are like the fair flower in its luster, which in the garden enamels the ground.”

This is rather strong language and contrasting messages between the two ladies. To choose that as a duet between Frank Churchill and Jane Fairfax may throw off the scent that they are engaged but I do wonder also if the choice of this bleak outlook is a way of showing Jane’s despair regarding keeping their engagement a secret as she sees Frank flitting around Emma. It is also in minor to help with the contrast in mood. Neither of these songs are originally duets which lends itself nicely to Mr. Knightley’s disgust that Frank is showing off. “Virgins are like the fair flower”

For a version that is essentially the romantic-comedy adaption of Emma, there is a good balance of the romantic and emotional melody and comedic themes. There is lot of consistency in using the clarinet for her voice and connecting the opening few notes into her two of the three main themes. From there, the story can change from the comedy to the drama depending on the circumstances. The choice of themes throughout the movie tells us of a charming young woman, who is both proud of her matchmaking skills and yet completely unaware of reality, growing both as a person, in friendship and in love, and even within her community.

Until next time, Happy Listening!

A special thanks to all those involved to make this podcast happen especially Edith Mudge for the title music and Lindsey Bergmsa for the graphics. This is World of Soundtracks.