Can someone identify this piano piece for me?
In the 1985 Merchant Ivory Productions version of A Room with a View, Lucy Honeychurch plays Schumann (?) at “Mrs. Vyse’s well-appointed flat” for guests. Can anyone tell me more about this tune?
Go to 1:15 to hear it.
I’ve tried looking this up before, to no avail. If someone can recognize it, please let me know.
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8 Answers
Here are the piano pieces from the movie. I know that she is not playing Beethoven’s “Waldstein”.
The melodic line sounds like Schubert but I can only listen to the first and second movements on YouTube and they don’t sound right. I’ll keep looking for the third movement.
A Room with a View Beethoven Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op.53, ‘Waldstein’
A Room with a View Mozart Piano Sonata No. 8 in A minor—K.310
A Room with a View Schubert Piano Sonata No. 4 in A minor, op. 164, D 537
Sorry but I can’t find the third movement of the Schubert. Bummer. And Helene is playing a rather spritely melody in a major key. Sorry. I am stumped.
Room with a View is Schubert’s Sonata in A minor, D. 537 (Op. 164) according to a site I found.
Ah, thank you @gailcalled and @diavolobella it’s Schubert’s Piano Sonata in A minor, D. 537. In the book it supposed to be Schumann, but I do think Mr. Vyse says Schubert in the film. Go work, thanks!
@everephebe; I have just listened to the first, second, third and last movements of the Schubert. None of them seem to jibe with the movie music, but I have trouble remembering pitches and the musical line.
@BarnacleBill: That’s it. Thank goodness. I was just at the piano, picking out the melody and noticing that the line started at e above middle c and then descended. And doesn’t it sound like a major key at the beginning of the movement?
My excuse can be that your guy plays better than Helene Bonham-Carter, can’t it?
And, guess what? I just noticed that Schubert wrote two sonatas in a minor. (So I feel slightly better.)
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