When Tengo prepares Fuka-Eri for the press confrence (Chapter 16 Book I). The speakers in the Cafe’ are playing music from the soundtrack of the movie “The Sound of Music”
The Sound of Music (1959) is a musical by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the memoir of Maria von Trapp, The Story of the Trapp Family Singers. Many songs from the musical have become standards, including the title song “The Sound of Music”
The Well-Tempered Clavier (German: Das Wohltemperierte Klavier), BWV 846–893
It appears in the book in chapter 16, when Tengo prepares Fuka-Eri for the press conference (announcing the award of Air Chrysalis).
In this same scene, Fuka-Eri also mentioned that she like, Bach’s earlier work i.e. BWV 244 - also known as the Reißt euch los, bedrängte Sinnen.
Johann Sebastian Bach
Murakami doesn’t usually spare us the details, but in chapter 17 he describes the Dowager siting dressed with a jersey top listening to John Dowland’s “Lachrimae”, without providing the full name of the piece, which is of course “Lachrimae Pavane” (Flow my Tears). Originally composed as an instrumental under the name Lachrimae pavane in 1596, it is Dowland’s most famous ayre, and became his signature song, literally as well as metaphorically: he would occasionally sign his name “Jo. Dolandi de Lachrimae”.
For a more complete work of Dowland’s see: The Collected Works / The Consort of Musicke, Rooley
Right at the very beginning within the first pages of Murakami’s latest novel - 1Q84, the author draws the reader into the atmosphere with sounds from Sinfonietta - by the Czech composer Leos Janáček.
I researched quiet a bit, trying to listen to various performances of the Sinfonietta, and eventually concluded that my personal favorite is the one performed by The Wiener Philharmoniker.
In Book II - Chapter 3, Aomame engages in a painful streaching session while listeing to another variation of the Singonietta conducted by Georage Szell.
Janáček’s Sinfonietta appears in the first few chapter or pages of the book when Aomame takes her taxi ride that changes her life. Listening to it in the background while reading the first chapter enhances the experience.
Also note that the Sinfonietta comes back quite a few times in the later chapters as memories of both Aomame and Tengo.
There are a couple of other very good versions such as:
