Composing Greatness: #1. Rachel Portman - "Emma" (1996)

Scene from Emma

Welcome to Composing Greatness: a column dedicated to exploring the work of film composers. This will specifically focus on the films that earned them Oscar nominations while exploring what makes it so special. This will be broken down into a look at the overall style, interesting moments within the composition, and what made the score worth nominating in the first place. This will also include various subcategories where I will rank the themes of each film along with any time that the composer actually wins. This is a column meant to explore a side of film that doesn't get enough credit while hopefully introducing audiences to an enriched view of more prolific composers' work. This will only cover scores/songs that are compiled in an easily accessible format (so no extended scores will be considered). Join me every Sunday as I cover these talents that if you don't know by name, you recognize by sound.

Series Composer: Rachel Portman

Entry: Emma (1996)

Collaborators (If Available): N/A

Nomination: Best Original Score (Musical or Comedy)

Did She Win: Yes

Other Nominees:
-The First Wives Club (Marc Shaiman)
-The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Alan Menken)
-James and the Giant Peach (Randy Newman)
-The Preacher's Wife (Hans Zimmer)

Additional Information

This is to help provide perspective of where each composer is in their Oscar-nominated life as it related to the current entry.

Oscar Nomination: 1

Oscar Wins: 1

Track List

1. "Main Titles"
2. "Harriet's Portrait"
3. "Sewing and Archery"
4. "Frank Churchill Arrives"
5. "Celery Root"
6. "Mr. Elton's Rejection"
7. "Emma Tells Harriet About Mr. Elton"
8. "The Cole's Party"
9. "Mrs. Elton's Visit"
10. "Emma Dreams of Frank Churchill"
11. "The Dance"
12. "The Picnic"
13. "Emma Insults Miss Bates"
14. "Emma Writes Her Diary"
15. "Mr. Knightley Returns"
16. "Proposal"
17. "End Titles"

Note: Listen to here.

Exploring the Music

The area of the column where I will explore the music in as much detail as I see fit for each entry.

Theme Exploration:

"Main Titles"

In this second full series for Composing Greatness, I wanted to explore what made the most Oscar-nominated female composer in the category so special. To say the least, this is a great start to an unfortunately small amount of nominations. It's an orchestral piece that is light and flutters through the entire music beautifully. It has a tenderness to it that never feels condescending and instead elevates emotion in a way that makes me believe that Portman was overdue for her first nomination, let alone this win. It may not have the most immediately striking of melodies, but it is a score that reflects power and focus in ways that often go overlooked. It doesn't need to be big to be interesting. It just needs to be sincere.

Interesting Standout:

"The Dance"

While there's faster portions of the music, this is an easy standout because it is about dancing. There is a need for the pace to be picked up, to speed through in dizzying fashion. It's plenty fun and fits within the flowing texture of the surrounding music. Still, it's a nice break from the tender nuance that the rest of the album has, reflecting Rachel Portman's ability to make a track that is organic but also engaging in its own way. It also proves that an orchestral score isn't without the potential to be just as effective, challenging, and upbeat as anything in more contemporary interpretations of scores.

Best Moment:

"End Titles"

It shouldn't be read as condescending that the closing track is the best on the soundtrack. To be frank, it's actually indicative of how many good melodies are scattered throughout the remaining tracks. It's the greatest hits of the bunch, and manages to pack them all into a four minute track that is at once sweet and quiet while also being vivacious and perky. There's no limitations for how this manages to be more than a generic period piece score. It doesn't stray too far from the format, but it also creates something that elevates the film as well as serves as simply enjoyable music to play out of context.

Did This Deserve an Oscar Nomination?:
Yes

To be upfront: I am not that familiar with Rachel Portman's work. I am sure that I have heard her someplace before, but never in focused detail. Here, I have discovered that she is maybe one of the more underrated, overlooked composers currently working. Even if this isn't as flashy as anything from the previous John Williams series (though it's leagues ahead against his snoozefest work on The Accidental Tourist), it definitely reflects the diversity to which a score can sound melodically. It doesn't need to be solely motifs, but instead can be atmospheric, emotional, and deep in different ways. I'm hoping that the rest of Portman's work is as good as Emma was.

Did This Deserve to Win?:

Yes

On one hand, it's particularly strange that music this pretty is competing under musical or comedy. Yes, I am aware that Emma itself is comedic, but it's so classical and emotional in style that it's hard to take it seriously in that way. With that said, this is a solid score that never has a dull moment, instead choosing to emphasize everything that's good about orchestral music without relying on tropes or patterns that would dampen expectations. It's an effective piece of music, and one that should've alluded to Hollywood in general that there were more great female film composers out there besides Portman. There's been a few nominated, but there probably needed to be more sooner.

Up Next: The Cider House Rules (1999) for Best Original Score

Best Theme

A ranking of all themes composed by Rachel Portman.
1. "Main Titles" - Emma (1996)

Best Winner

A ranking of all winners composed by Rachel Portman
1. Emma (1996) for Best Original Score (Musical or Comedy)