Now the excerpt! Disclaimer: I try to avoid cliches, in general. Believe me, I don't like them. But I did write a cliche scene in this story, and you can read it below.... My only (bad) excuse is that it might be deleted from the final draft. ;)
“My dear Miss Bridge,” exclaimed our host suddenly. “Might we beg you to entertain and enlighten the company with a performance? Come, come, just one piece—or two—perhaps some Mozart? I should be forever indebted to you if you would be so kind.”
The volume of Mr Gill's voice had been increasing as he spoke, and all the heads in “the company” were turned directly towards us by the end of this entreaty. I felt the colour come to my cheeks as I half-consciously murmured some words of assent; I had not been prepared, the question was so abrupt and unprecedented from Mr Gill, and the thought of performing just then, when the idea was so alarming to me, made my steps towards the piano rather too brisk and unsteady. I was to perform in front of an array of people whom I had only that evening met, and in particular, in front of the lieutenant; would he not think me quite forward and self-important? Inwardly, I recoiled at this possibility, while attempting to express modesty and good-naturedness in my voice as I accepted a few compositions from Mr Gill, who had darted across the drawing room and had taken some sheet music from a drawer in a small table. I longed to look at Lt Clifton to try to read his thoughts, but such a thing could not be done. Instead, I sat down, opened the piano, and set up the sheets of paper before me, for a moment wondering suddenly why I cared so much for the favourable opinion of any of the guests there present.
To say that, gradually, I found myself swept away by the blissful music, to say that I became overwhelmed by self-consciousness and made many an inharmonious blunder—neither would be quite true, for my playing was not marked by any remarkable turn or sentiment. The piece I had chosen from the proffered volume of sonatas was one I knew well: a B-flat major adagio in common time, by Mozart as suggested. Though Mozart is formidable music for the purpose of performing, and though I played with rather too little expression, it was a pleasant enough selection for the occasion; and, nonetheless yet mortified at performing in front of one to whom I was anxious to make a good impression, I realised that, with Mr Gill, the situation might have been worse, and that it was not such a very extraordinary or great thing he had asked of me. And so, I played on, unable to perceive in any degree what the guests were thinking, as I was facing a corner and had my back to them.
As you can see, my Victorian writing style needs some work...
Here's a video of the Mozart piece I had in mind:
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