Elegant but easy to play music from “Still Alice”

I listened to the soundtrack to the film “Still Alice” on Youtube because I missed its premiere at the Maui Film Festival last December. I became mesmerized by the simplicity and beauty of the various short pieces played on piano, violin, viola, and cello.

When I finally went to see it in the local cinema yesterday, I found myself anticipating the music and putting context to it — a sort of reverse engineering.

This music of composer Ilan Eshkeri would answer my insane quest for easy to read and easy to play music for my piano students if only the sheet music were readily available or some other fans were to have transcribed it and made it available. Failing to find the scores online or for sale anywhere, I decided to transcribe the music in the scene where Alice looks at herself in the bathroom and smears toothpaste on the mirror.

Bathroom scene in “Still Alice” with Julianne Moore

It’s the easiest piece I could find to transcribe and play from listening to the soundtrack. I look forward to playing music from the rest of the soundtrack with my piano ensemble, which could easily substitute for the piano and string trio.

Click on the image for the one-page PDF transcription of “Toothpaste” from “Still Alice” composed by Ilan Eshkeri

Related links:

• Bellevue family donates $6M to UW for Alzheimer’s research, March 29, 2015
• Changes linked to Alzheimer’s disease evident even in young brains, March 2, 2015
• Alzheimer’s Disease Fact Sheet
• Film review: ‘Still Alice’ Strikes a Chord, Hou’ulu, April 5, 2015
• New caregiving method for Alzheimer’s patients, April 17, 2015