I have been exceedingly curious these past few weeks, as to find out what tune is so frequently referenced in connection with Mrs. Wilfer in Our Mutual Friend. What sort of music must it be that she lives her life to the tune of?
A quick search on the internet remedied my curiosity. While not quite as ominous as I was hoping for, I can definitely see why Bella and R. Wilfer associate it with Mrs. Wilfer! Slow, steady, and rather depressing. However, the tune is quite defined, and shouldn't be too hard to remember for certain members of the Wilfer family who must hum it.
For your listening convenience I have linked to a nice recording I found on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12tvIp8enpA
It may be just me, but I felt that this would also be an appropriate wedding march for the thankfully averted marriage of Georgiana and Fledgeby. I could also see it playing softly in the background during Mrs. Wilfer's speech at the end of section 17 of Act I.
I hope this is enlightening for anyone wondering about this particular piece of music. Also-I expect you to all be able to hum the general theme by this weekend. Get listening!
3 comments:
Yes, definitely not as funereal as I would have expected. The winking conductor at the beginning kind of undermines it too, but that's just the video...
I agree...I cannot watch the conductor. I should have warned against watching the video, perhaps.
I love funeral music.
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