My Dearest Jane (2023)
For Piano and Wind Band
Movement 2 of The Author's Suite
Commissioned by Bradley University, Darrell Brown, director.
Movement 2 of The Author's Suite
Commissioned by Bradley University, Darrell Brown, director.
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“She was stronger alone... her appearance of cheerfulness as invariable, as, with regrets so poignant and so fresh, it was possible for them to be.”
—Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility Concert band and Piano, Grade 5.
To this day, the great novelist Jane Austen is still beloved by many. Her work defies easy categorization of genre, using a blend of romance, comedy, and social satire. Her novels depict her heroines' dependence on marriage to secure social standing and economic security, which was typical during Austen's lifetime. Despite societal pressures, her protagonists find love as they learn to take control of their own lives and happiness. With such insight into her character's hearts, it is hard to imagine Jane's own life would have been completely without romantic feeling, though she died having never married. “My Dearest Jane” imagines Austen alone at her pianoforte, initially with all the appearance of cheerfulness, though eventually her deepest feelings come through. |
RESOURCES:
Custom illustration by Erik Evensen.
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