In short: It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single film in possession of a good soundtrack, must be in want of a permanent place in your heart.

If the acting provides the film’s heart, Dario Marianelli’s Oscar-nominated score provides its soul. The soundtrack of is unusual for a period piece: it is minimalist, repetitive, and achingly modern.

The main theme, “Dawn,” is played on solo piano. It starts with hesitant, single notes—like a thought forming—before cascading into a rolling, hopeful melody. This theme reoccurs throughout the film, but never identically. During the first proposal, the piano is percussive, staccato, and violent. During the dawn walk at Pemberley, it swells into a romantic reverie.