Gwyneth Paltrow’s breakout role, Emma (1996) is a period piece by Douglas McGrath set in Victorian-era England. The movie is about Emma Woodhouse who is stubbornly against getting married and so motivated to find a suitor for her best friend Harriet, but she ends up finding her own love instead.
The music in Emma is composed by British composer Rachel Portman. She is clearly very well classically trained as the entire score fits nicely into a Romantic style which not only reflects the mood of the movie but obviously the time period as well. As a period piece, it makes sense: it would have been inappropriate to have Baroque-style music just as it would be to have modern contemporary styles of music in the film. It is important that this distinction is made not only in the instruments used but in the style of composing for the viewer to be properly immersed into Emma’s world. What is heard in the main theme of the film is delicate song-like melodies and lots of quaint clarinet or other woodwind melodies that accompany Emma through her journey. There are a couple of instances of diegetic sound in this movie, such as the scene where Emma plays piano and sings for an audience of party attendants. While I don’t know the particular song, I am sure it is appropriate for the period and Portman does a good job making the original, non-diegetic music match in style with that piece.
The main theme of the film, which is introduced right away at the beginning of the movie, is constantly repeated throughout the film in different ways that are fitting. For example, about 25 minutes into the film the theme can be heard with sleigh bells added when the characters are going to the Christmas Even party. After that party, when Emma must refuse Elton’s marriage proposal and realizes that she had read him wrong the whole time, the theme returns in a darker, minor key. The accents are heavier, there is added brass making it more “stompy”. About another 50 minutes after that, when Emma realizes that she has wronged Miss Bates and Mr. Knightley scolds her, there is a very sorrowful and wistful variation of the theme that is slower and more prominent in the strings.
Overall, Emma (1996) may be a more down-to-earth story that’s not about aliens or murder mysteries but, much like Laura (1944), the music does a fine job pronouncing the time and setting of the film with a clever and diverse use of a single theme.
ben_making_sounds 
Hi Ben,
I liked you pointing out that this is in Romantic style. That stood out to me too.
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These specific observations of the music are definitely well done. The romantic style definitely was an observation that really stuck with the movie. The inclusion of the theme taking on different iterations, slowing down, for example, to show Emma’s feelings throughout the film was a very good one.
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Very nice post, Ben. One little correction – – the novel is actually set in Georgian England, in the early 19th century. So, this is a novel that is actually more classical than romantic in terms of its historical placement. As you say, though, the music actually has a song like quality which makes it closer to folk Music, perhaps, then classical or romantic music. But given Portman’s use of standard orchestral instruments, two most listeners, the music sounds just right.
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