Lord of the Rings Soundtracks: Discuss

[Nimrothiel]

Just what the name says, state your opinion of the soundtracks, your favorite song(s), or how you feel they carry the mood of the scenes in the films. <BR>Personally, I like "Into the West," "Gollum's Song," and "The Steward of Gondor."

[Linnahiril Tinnufinwen]

My favorites are "The Steward of Gondor," "Twilight and Shadow," "The Return of the King," and "The Grey Havens." I really am a fan of Howard Shore's music, and I'm glad they picked him to do LOTR's.

[Angry Brandybuck]

I don't own (yet) any of the soundtrack CDs because i am a poor student who cannot afford the evilly high CD prices that are a product of the over commercial nature of the music industry.<P>Anyway, I particularly like the music that plays when we see Isenguard and all the underground tunnels and stuff around it. The way he composed it in 7/8 to give it an angular feel works really well.<P>I also love the polychoral, almost St Mark's Cathedral sound created by the elves of Lorien as they mourn Gandalf's death: Brilliant!

[Minyataurien]

I love "The White Tree", "Into The West", "Steward of Gondor", and "Gollum's Song". I sang Gollum's Song for my choir solo I like it so much. Very weird aren't I. But anyway I think Howard Shore has really gotten better. TTT soundtrack was a little to much like the FOTR one. In the ROTK he added a lot of new themes while still using the old ones. He has definately become a master!

[Lalaith]

For me, the soundtrack, which for the most part was both imaginative and appropriate, came some way to compensate for the screenplay, which often was neither of these things. <BR>I think my favourite was the Rohan theme.

[eldomeldo]

I do not have a particular track that is my favourite, as i like all of the music from the movies. What i like most about the soundtrack is the ability it has to transport you to the movies, even when you are not watching them.<BR>My hubby thought i was made, buying them when they first came out and were in the chart, 'cos if i had waited till now, i could of got, LOTR and TTT CD's for the price i paid for one, but i have no patience to wait, just like when the video's and EEE DVD'S come out, i can not wait till they have been out for a while so the price drops, i want them as soon as they are available. As Treebeard would say, I am hasty.

[Lathriel]

I love all the soundtracks and I could never choose my favourite out of all three because I change my mind all the time!<BR>Anyway, I like the flute solo on the Black Gate opens, I love the Gondor theme and I love the Rohan theme in battle mode. <BR>The only thing that I don't like too much is from the first soundtrack, that is the theme for the dark riders.<BR>Now I am just really curious about the Lord of the Rings symphony Howard Shore is writing.

[Ashton]

"Into the West" is my absolute favorite song.It definately deserved to win a Golden Globe, don't you think? Also I am a big fan of "The Grey Havens" It is a great pre-song to "Into the West" I find that I can't listen to "Into the West" without listening to "The Grey Havens" first. It just adds to the quality of the song.<P>I also love the song, "May it be" It is such a haunting melody. That is the first song I ever listened to from the FotR soundtrack. And since I was a late converter to the movies it was one of my first connections to the movies. I actually listened to FotR soundtrack before I saw the movie. <p>[ 12:19 PM February 06, 2004: Message edited by: Ashton ]

[Phervasaion]

Again, I tend to like all the music that is used in Lotr and, as someone else has said, it seems to take you to the film.<P>I particulary like 'Return of the King'with Viggo's solo and 'may it be' by Enya. I havnt actually heard 'Into the West' though, i'll have to hear it sometime soon.

[Essex]

Tracks 15, 16 and 17 work perfectly together.<P>How on earth did Howard Shore realise that a Penny Whistle could convey so much feeling when Frodo and Sam are crawling up Mount Doom? That bit still brings a tear to my eye when I'm in the mood. I mean, how did he do it? Maybe Sir James Galway is his mate and talked him into it.......<P>PS got tickets for the LPO's performance of LOTR conducted by Howard Shore in London for May. I can't wait. I wonder, you never know, Mr Galway might pop over from Ireland to have a little play.....

[Lhundulinwen]

The LOTR soundtracks are my favorite CDS ever possibly. I own a copy of the first one, and the third one. My absolutely favorite songs are "May it be", "Concerning Hobbits" "lothlorien""A Storm is Coming", "The Grey Havens" and "Into the West." They all flow so nicely from one CD to another. If I'm in the right mood, I'll cry over the CDs. Concerning Hobbits just reminds me of home. Its just so beautifully done. I love Howard Shore!!!

[Kransha]

Hard to say, considering I only have the second two.

I have a soft spot for the minor key, so I'd go with "the Uruk-hai" as a nice little evil ditty to hum. I always though Howard Shore was great at characterizing the races and peoples into music. I thought that the classical beat with that oh-so-lovely metallic drumming in the background was just perfect for Isengard, and the celtic melancholiness of the fiddle great for Rohan.

Overall, I liked "The Uruk-hai", "The White Tree", "The Return of the King", and "Into the West"

By the way, to add a side note, the stunning Rohan theme is actually played by a single Norwegian Fiddle. I had the great luck to obtain the music (being a violinist myself) and am rather adept at it if I do say so myself. (shameless self-promotion).

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

My FotR soundtrack's favorite is absolutely Concerning Hobbits. It has such a feeling like nothing's wrong and life is sun shine all the way. Other great pieces in that cd are The Bridge of Khazad-dûm and both Enya's songs.

TTT's favorites are The King of the Golden Hall, The Leave Taking and Isengard Unleashed.

RotK favorites are...actually I love all of them, but if I had to name three, I would say The Black Gate Opens, Minas Tirith and Into the West.
One can really live all the events of the movies over and over again with the soundtracks. Just awesome!

[Lathriel]

Actually it was because of the soundtracks that I got into this whole craze. First I liked the music a lot. Then the extended DVD of the first movie came out and I was hooked.
Now my mom asks me if I got tired of LOTR. Of course the answer is NO!! Of Course not!
Really I am afraid I will carry this craze with me for the rest of my life.

[Ellwyn]

I always thought the Lothlorien theme was eerie (sp?). I particularly liked in the FOTR soundtrack the 'Theme of Aragorn and Arwen'. I love it. Yes I do, precious.

[Vanwatholiel]

I really like the Lament to Gandalf theme. In the first movie, after Gandalf said "fly you fools", and fell, then Frodo yells, I like that the song playing. Everybody just came out of Moria, and they are sitting the rocks outside the gate mourning for him. The music playing there is really beautiful. I rewinded and played that part on the soundtrack so many times, it is permanently tatooed on my brain cells. It is just so sad and mournful, and full of sorrow, I cry everytime I hear that part and song. Aragorn goes,"Frodo"! And then Frodo turns around, and you can see that lone tear coursing down his cheek. I have no more tears left. :(

I also like the Sam and Frodo Hobbit theme. I also like The Grey Havens, Gollum's Song, and Into the West, and May It Be.

I sort of go into a trance when I hear Lament to Gandalf on the slopes of Moria. I'm about to cry now. Gotta go.:( :(

May the Grace of the Valar be with you. Amen

[Vanwatholiel]

Okay, who here besides me likes the part in the Fellowship of the Ring, the music, After Gandalf fell, and then Frodo yells Noooo! The music to that part is so sad. I cry everytime I hear it. I listened to it so many times, it is tatooed on my brain cells. For those of you who have the soundtrack, It is the last part on the song the Bridge of Khazad Dum, number thirteen. The first movie. Tell me what you think, or am I the only one. Speak! Would Treebeard call me hasty? :p

[Knight of Gondor]

I like pretty much every piece of music that Shore wrote for the trilogy. I can't claim any special love for that selection, but I do enjoy some of the other, more action-oriented tracks, such as the beginning of track 13, the Dwarrowdelf theme of track 12, the fighting theme in track 16, and the resolution theme of track 17. But I suppose we could talk about the rest of the tracks in the soundtrack discussion thread. :)

[Beruthiel]

Oh the LOTR soundtracks are fantastic!! I could listen too all them and every single time I do I get a tear in my eye. In FOTR my faves are Concerning Hobbits, The Ring Goes South and The Breaking of the Fellowship. Breaking of the Fellowship ALWAYS makes me cry...
In TTT I love the Rohan themes (King of the Golden Hall) and the first song is great too (forgot what its called!)
I haven't actually got ROTK but I've managed to listen to bits of them on the net and I really like The Return of the King, Minas Tirith, Hope and Memory and The Black Gate Opens...BEAUTIFUL stuff...
But there's something thats been bugging me for ages. Is it just me, or is the music in the TTT trailer absolutely amazing or what!? I LOVE it and I can't understand why they haven't included it on any of the CDs!! I downloaded the trailer and now I just play it over and over just to listen to the music! So if I have to choose, my fave music from LOTR is the TTT Trailer score :)

[Leyrana Silumiel]

Sadly, I am a poor, broke college student, so I only have the third one (though I really, REALLY want the first one). But my favorites off ROTK's soundtrack are "The Steward of Gondor," "The Fields of the Pelennor," "The Black Gate Opens," "The End of All Things" (the opera-style singing just MAKES that song), "The Return of the King," and, of course, "Into the West." I don't listen to "The Grey Havens" too often because it makes me cry ^_^

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Kind of off topic (sorry) but I thought that the music in the RotK trailer was just awesome and I waited to hear it on the soundtrack. Well, then I found out that the music in the trailer was form the soundtrack of Requiem for a Dream . That was a little disappointment. But still I think that the score of RotK is the best of the three.

[skadork]

While I have all 3, couldn't tell you which is my favorite, as of this moment in time, I think it's RotK.

They are nice on nights when I can't sleep, I let the soundtracks play me to sleep. ( For a while, I COULDN'T get to sleep without playing one................ addiction? )

[Oliphaunts_Rule]

Oddie, my sister, got to buy all three before I could, but their all reallllllyyyy cool.
my top five are (in order, mind-you)

Into the West
May it Be (I'm an Enya fan!!!!!!)
The Steward of Gondor
The Black Rider
Conserning Hobbits

I was crying by the end of RoTK, cause the song was sssssssooooo sad! :(


P.S. Its been to long since I last posted I'm ashamed to say!

[Oddwen]

Aww, Ollie, you were ssssssssssssoo sssssssssssad, Precious? >:D

Alright, if you care about my opinion at all, go ahead and read.


Fellowship of the Ring
General opinion: Time has made this the dearest volume, but I don't care for the too-overly choral pieces or most of the elvish stuff. The boy choirs & the 5/4 time of Saruman's orcs is very well done, and there are bits and notes in nearly every song that make it feel like I've listened to it forever.

The Prophecy (Wow, what can I say? This is like a sweeping overview of the ages when the trees of gold and silver were in bloom.)

The Ring Goes South (I love this little song. Especially the beginning few notes.)

The Great River (This is more Elvish than Lothlorien, or almost anything else.)

Amon Hen (This song goes together so perfectly, the beginning, the Saruman theme which is so cool, and the boy choir, specifically at 3:13.)

The Breaking of the Fellowship (I don't really care for "In Dreams," but this is a very good song. Very relieved to hear that it's Sam's theme. Also, the note at 3:17 is heartrending.)

May it Be (I like it a lot, very much.)


The Two Towers
I don't really care for this volume as much as the others. The Rohirric theme is rather annoying and sounds like it's trying too hard to make me feel pity for the poor wretches. Well, bah humbug!

The Passage of the Marshes (Very creepy, the voices extra so.)

Evenstar (The jewel of the album, extremely haunting. I wish they could have gotten Isobel Bayrakdarian for RotK as well.)

Treebeard (A very unusual song. I like it because of that, but it's too hasty to be Entish.)

Helm's Deep (It's an okay song, very heart stirring considering it's barely played at Helm's Deep at all, but it's the ending solo that makes me wake up.)

Isengard Unleashed (About the only thing I liked was the lament for Haldir. Creee-py.)

Gollum's Song (Definitely the strangest of the three Songs of the Albums. Unusual as well.)

The Return of the King
Wow. Howard Shore really outdid himself with this one. Billy Boyd's song is great.

Some standouts:


Shelob's Lair (Very creepy. I can almost place it in the book.)

The End of All Things (Very dramatic. Especially the part where Frodo is carried off by the eagles. Rene Fleming has a very good voice for that.)

The Grey Havens (The flute at the beginning, and between 4:40 and 5:60 just gets me)

Into the West (A fitting ending, if an ending indeed had to come. I love it beyond words.)


So, my favorite soundtracks in order:
#1RotK
#2FotR
#3TTT

And my favorite songs are:

Into the West
The Grey Havens
Evenstar

Thanks for reading, gotta go bye!

[Essex]

Any one know if they're going to release Into the West as a single? I mean it won an Oscar for pete's sake!

I'm hoping they will, as maybe as a 'b' side they will have the 'Keep well the days' (or whatever it was called) song that Annie also recorded that's only on a special (expensive) internet only CD soundtrack. Anyone heard this song yet?

[Sirithheruwen]

Like someone said, I also think the TTT trailer is absolutely beautiful!! Many a time have I tried to hum it, with little to show for my labors. ;) I listen to it over and over on the TTT DVD so that now it is tatooed onto my brain (thanks to all of the other BDers who gave me this wonderful phrase!;) Love it!)

Here are the soundtracks, in my opinion, with the amount of stars they deserve (on a scale of 1 to 5)

FOTR: **** (Really very good, IMO. Nazgul theme is cool. Especially love May it Be. Very haunting. Very fitting.)

TTT: ****1/2 (Better than FOTR, but only by a hair. Loved the Rohan theme especially. Very moving. Very haunting. I'm very repetative, I know.)

ROTK: ****** (And, yes, I know I gave it 6 stars. I think this soundtrack is absolutely phenomenal! Very moving. (Argghh! here I go again!) I especially loved The White Tree, The Steward of Gondor, and Into the West. Painfully beautiful and fitting for the end of the trilogy.)

Well, that's my opinion! Toodles!

[Gorwingel]

I love the Soundtracks! and I love basically all of the songs, except for some of the very loud "evil" songs. My favorites have to be on average the three last tracks on each of the soundtracks. I love the songs from Lorien, and the songs from Rohan, and I especially love the Gondor theme from the ROTK soundtrack. My absolute favorite song (after many listens) has to be "Return of the King" from the last one. I love the length of it, and how the music basically tells the entire story. From the celebration to the coming home. I also absoutely love the "Breaking of the Fellowship" from the first disk. It is a wonderful and heartwrenching piece.

Some of the best movie music ever :D And I think many of you would agree :cool:

[Vanwatholiel]

I have one more thing to add. In the first soundtrack, The breaking of the Fellowship ALWAYS makes me cry vedy, vedy hard. That song was my first love, and age has made it even more sacred to me. That song is so beautiful. I am about to cry just thinking about it. In Dreams is one of the main reasons why I listen to it. Edward Ross outdoes himself in this song. I even sing along too! Opera sounding voice and everything. I love Enya! This soundtrack was the reason I had even heard of her. May it Be was really gorgeous. And Aniron. And I like Evenstar too, in TTT. It is very haunting. But most of the time, I cry whenever I hear any of the quiet songs, and Sam's theme. That is my absolute favorite. The soft, low, sensuous melodies, and even the soft, low, choir themes make me cry. I have a lot of tears to spare. I wonder, would Treebeard call me hasty? All in all, ALL the soundtracks are really lovely, and will become classics. I LOVE HOWARD SHORE!!! AND ENYA!:rolleyes: I love music, and I am totally obsessed with the LOTR soundtracks! :D

[mark12_30]

Use well the days and look here. (http://lotrscrapbook.bookloaf.net/ref/menu.html)

[Oddwen]

I have been waiting for these RotK lyrics!


The Argument featured in The Black Gate_ [?]

Sindarin

Caedo, losto. Ú-erin davo.
Amman harthach? Anim únad.
Le tûg nach. O hon ú-wannathon.
Ú-moe le anno nad. Ónen a hon beth nín.
Gurth han ristatha. Ta han narcho Gurth.
Gar vethed e-chúnen, go hon bedithon na meth.

English

Lie down, sleep. / I cannot yield.
Why do you still hope? / I have nothing else.
You are a fool. / I will not leave him.
You owe him nothing / I gave him my word.
Death will break it. / Then let death break it.
He has the last of my heart. / I will go with him to the end.


Not Once, Not Ever_ featured in The End of All Things_ [?]

Sindarin

Dannen le
A ú-erin le regi
Rang ail le iestannen
Lû ail le tegin na hen.
Gwannach o innen ului
Ú lû erui, ului.

English

You have fallen.
And I cannot reach you.
Ever step I willed you on,
Every moment I lead you to this.
You never left my mind,
Not once, not ever.

My lovely, lovely Angel Sam.

[Essex]

Thanks as well Mark!

After listening (umpteen times) Use well the days, in my opinion, is even better than Into the West. The lyrics are brilliant, mostly taken from Frodo's last song and the title taken from Celeborn's last words to Aragorn.

Brilliant, and a great tune to boot as well. Take a listen if you can, the web site is pointed to above by Mark

[Silent Sam]

Hey, they changed the format since last time I was here :p

Anyway, my favorite ROTK tracks were:

-The Steward Of Gondor; Billy Boyd was hauntingly amazing in his solo

-Shelob's Lair; it portrayed the mood of that whole scene

-The Ride Of The Rohirrim; I love the Rohan theme in it

-The Return Of The King; again, Aragorn's solo was very haunting, and it was my favorite part of the whole movie: "My friends, You bow to no one!"

-The Grey Havens; I can't really say why, it's just very mood capturing, mabye my most favorite on the CD

[starkat]

My favorite has to be Return of the King soundtrack. Minas Tirith, The White Tree, Anduril, The End of All Things, The Return of the King, The Grey Havens, and Into the West have to be my favorite pieces off of there. I also like Concerning Hobbits off of FotR.

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

Oh thank you, thank you mark12_30! Use well the days is so beautiful! This is amazing: last week I wondered, where I could hear that song and when I came back here, there the link was :)

[Elanor the Fair]

Mt most favorite is Samwise the Brave, but I also enjoy: Into the West, the Return of the King, Concerning Hobbits, Many Meetings, The Breaking of the Fellowship, May it Be, and Gollum's Song. So all in all, I like most of the songs, except for the Dead Marshes. (there really wasn't much to that song)

This is kinda off the topic, bit did anyone else notice that like almost all the song titles were names of the chapters in the books? It's pretty cool! I guess that they were trying to be a bit creative there! :D

[Carlas]

I have always loved the Lord of the Rings music since the very first time I saw the Fellowship. It is so beautiful, and perfectly portrays the emotions and moods of each scene. I enjoy all of the tracks on the ROTK soundtrack, but the two that stand out for me are The Steward of Gondor, and Shelob's Lair.

The Steward of Gondor is so beautiful and strong, but the thing that really makes this track what it is, is Billy Boyd's solo. It worked so perfectly in the movie as Faramir and his men charged, and is equally as moving when just being listened to.

Shelob's Lair though is by far my favourite, it gives me goosebumps everytime I listen to it. You can just feel frodo's emotions as he finally realizes what has happened.

[Cibbwin]

Favourites include the song sung by the elves who passed by Frodo and Sam, Eowyn's dirge, The Flight to the Ford, Lothlorien, The Breaking of the Fellowship, The Riders of Rohan, The music playing behind the "Daughter of Kings" scene, The beautiful "Last march of the ents" bit, the tranquil, creepy, calm music played when the Three hunters are in Fangorn, when Faramir and Frodo are at Henneth Annun, The Steward of Gondor, Anduril, and The Return of the King. Oh, and Aniron!

[Lhundulinwen]

Just wondering if anyone else does this-

I got a MP3 player for Christmas (Its great! Two hours of songs AND still able to fit in my little purses!) and I have three or four LOTR songs on it- Concerning Hobbits, Into the West, and May it Be. (I try to rotate the other songs I like into it too.) And when I am having a bad day, or just really stressed, I HAVE to listen to one or more of these songs in order to go to sleep. Does anyone else do that? Or freak out and turn around if your on a trip and you've forgotten your LOTR CD's? I have done that before!

[dancing spawn of ungoliant]

And when I am having a bad day, or just really stressed, I HAVE to listen to one or more of these songs in order to go to sleep.
I do that all the time. My official stress remover songs are Into the West and Use Well the Days. I'm now having a quite tough exam period at school and those songs are playing in my cd player almost evey time I listen to any music.

[Sirithheruwen]

Just wondering if anyone else does this-

I got a MP3 player for Christmas (Its great! Two hours of songs AND still able to fit in my little purses!) and I have three or four LOTR songs on it- Concerning Hobbits, Into the West, and May it Be. (I try to rotate the other songs I like into it too.) And when I am having a bad day, or just really stressed, I HAVE to listen to one or more of these songs in order to go to sleep. Does anyone else do that?

*gasp* I got an MP3 player for Christmas too! :eek: Talk about spooky! :eek: I fall asleep with it playing every night and whenever I go out to Walk to Rivendell, it's really handy! :)

[dragoneyes]

I like the FotR soundtrack, though that's possibly because I don't like change (well hate is probably more appropriate) and so these beings the first tunes I heard, they stuck with me and all others are being compared to them. The first track that I really love is 'Concerning Hobbits' and close behind is 'The Black Rider' because it starts happy and then gets into the ringwraith theme (which I love) - a little bit of everything! I've also grown to like the 'Treason of Isenguard' as when we played LotR in band I got to do some excellent long loud and low notes rather than fifty or so bars rest (if anyone could work out how to fit a tuba into 'Concerning Hobbits' I'd be very interested!).

I got an MP3 player too, and I have one folder with LotR music and one without, except for TTT trailer music, I love pretty much all the trailer music.

[Lhundulinwen]

Oh my gosh! An MP3 player is perfect for all types of exercise! And IT NEVER SKIPS!! Its probably the best gift I ever got. And I confess, I do fall asleep listening to LOTR songs...Plus, its really easy to smuggle into boring classes. :D Not that I've ever done that.... :cool:

[Kitanna]

FOTR~ Best song Concerning Hobbits, that's my driving music.
Also love May it Be with Enya. The lyrics are so moving and I try not to cry when I hear it.

TTT~ Love the King in the Golden Hall and every time the tune pops up in other songs.
Gollum's Song shows what it's like for Gollum. And the way Emiliana Torrini sings is so haunting.

ROTK~ Minas Tirith! All the way! I could listen to that song forever! I hum along like there's no tomorrow every single time. Also the last bit to The Fields of Pelannor. It's like when the Riders of Rohan are charing down. So powerful I almost cried when I was listening to it.
Into the West is by far the most moving song I have ever heard. I even used it for an English project when we were supposed to dig for the deeper meaning in a song. I could go on for ever about how much I love the music for these moves, but I've taken so much time already.

[Beruthiel]

In case anyone is wondering, the music for the TTT trailer is based on a theme called Requiem For A Dream...I don't really know who its by though...

[starkat]

I've been listening to the FotR soundtrack a lot lately and found myself enjoying it more than when I first listened to it. I love RotK's soundtrack. On the TTT's soundtrack, the Golden Hall song is my favorite.

[Gimpel the Fool]

I believe it's quite honest of me to say that "The Lord of the Rings" soundtracks have surpassed many in their beauty and elegance. Howard Shore is an awesome composer (the word "awesome" doesn't do justice, I'm afraid), and I was very pleased to find he won an oscar for his brilliance. :D

[Feared Half-Elf]

I only got the soundtracks yesterday (I found the box set of all three) but already I've formed a big impression. I love "Concerning Hobbits" and "May It Be" on Fotr. "Gollum's Song" on TTT is really good, and "Steward Of Gondor" and "Into The West" were really cool on Rotk. I keep singing Billy Boyd's bit in "Steward Of Gondor" because I think it's really cool.

[Amanaduial the archer]

Feared Half-Elf - Another fan of that bit! ;)

I thought overall TTT soundtrack was not as good as the other two - it seemed more repetitive and the battle scene tracks were a little tedious I thought. However, I must say that I did particularly like the violin Rohan theme - it was rather striking and seemed to fit the scenes it was composed for perfectly. It came out the strongest in TTT, although it was present in RotK.

It's a close thing between the other two, but I think RotK is my favourite soundtrack out of the three, even though some of the tracks are extortionately long! One of the things I like the best about FotR soundtrack was the treble solo at the end of track 17, 'The Breaking of the Fellowship' (in fact, I like that entire track), as well as the heart string-twanging violins and flutes used in that track. There was much more of this present in RotK soundtrack, and so overall I liked it better. Also, it was very varied - a nice change from the slightly repetitive TTT soundtrack. However, I did feel that Enya's track 'May It Be' was more suitable to the films than Annie Lennox's 'Into the West'; neither the artist or the style of song really seemed to fit the film genre...

[Lhundulinwen]

I saw a box set at Wal-mart for all 3 CD's, but it seemed to be to inexpensive to actually be THE Howard Shore versions. Is there any other version? Would be safe to buy and enjoy? Thanks y'all!

[Kitanna]

There's actually a symphony for LOTR we played the movement called "Gandalf" in band, but I think it's only one CD. The one at Wal-Mart probably was the Howard Shore version. Even if it's not the symphony is awesome. I'd say you'd be safe in buying it.

[dragoneyes]

Is there any other version?

I, unfortunately, bought one of the soundtracks by "The New World Orchestra" thinking it was nice and cheap but it turned out to be completely synthesized. It's not nice to listen to and it's now hidden away never to see the light of day again.

[Amanaduial the archer]

Good grief, there isn't a soundtrack on sale from...*sinister voice* the cartoon films are there?! Horror!

[Oddwen]

There is, I've seen it myself at Wal-Mart, a soundtrack of...

Dramatic Music: *DUN DUN DUN*

the Cartoon version!

The Roast: Neigh!

Frightening, is it not?

[Amanaduial the archer]

Frightening? Oh yeah. Yeah, I'm scared...

[Lathriel]

I also played Gandalf and I loved it. Gandalf is from the Lord of the Rings first symphony by Johan de Meij (Dutch). I have the CD, the symphony is half an hour long and I think it has five movements (songs) Gandalf,Lothlorien,Gollum, a journey in the Dark, and The Hobbits.
The orchestra is no other than the London Symphony Orchestra and I like the CD a lot.
Loved playing the easy version of the first symphony. :)

[mollecon]

Actually, Shore won two Academy Awards (Oscars) for the soundtracks - one for "Fellowship..." and one for "Return...".

The 'violin' playing the Rohan theme on "The King of the Golden Hall" from the TT-soundtrack is actually a Hardanger fiddle - a Norwegian folk music instrument with additional resonating strings.

The box-set with all 3 CD's is OK. It came out the same date as the RotK-soundtrack, and is simply the 3 soundtracks in one box. So you'll save money compared to buying them seperately.

Shore has written a symphony based on the soundtracks - he's touring with it, and if it isn't already recorded, it will be. The symphony have the music arranged in accordance with the books, so there are six movements each corresponding with one of the six books the novel is made up off. It might come out already in May, but I'm far from sure about this.

There's also talk of a complete LotR movie music box-set, with 8-10 CD's - a sort of a 'super-extended soundtrack'.

A lot of musicians have felt inspired and written music based on Tolkien. So, if you're only looking for the music Shore wrote for these particular movies, take an extra look at a CD you wanna buy - maybe it's not the right music!

I love the music Shore wrote - I have many favorites, but I think I'd like to mention one that others don't seem to. It's the Polynesian choir singing (in Dwarfish!) on "The Bridge of Khâzad Dûm" from the FotR-soundtrack - of course, the Fellowship theme that follows right after on the same track is also great! :)

[Lhundulinwen]

I now own TTT and RoTK, and a copy of FoTR, wich really stinks. I need the real one! I wish wal-mart would carry it, dang them. I need to complete the trilogy!

[starkat]

Have you tried Target?

[The Only Real Estel]

I, unfortunately, bought one of the soundtracks by "The New World Orchestra" thinking it was nice and cheap but it turned out to be completely synthesized. It's not nice to listen to and it's now hidden away never to see the light of day again.

Heh. I got one 'preformed by Mask'. Basically the same thing, except tweaked a little, I'd much rather go for the real things :/.

[Lhundulinwen]

Well, the closest Target to where I live is about an hour away, and Wal-mart is more like 30 minutes away, so generally we go to wal-mart. But, me and a good friend will probably end up at Books-a-Million or Hastings weekend after next, so I should be able to get FoTR then. As long as I can keep from spending my money!! :)

[Gimpel the Fool]

Does anyone have any idea as to where one could find a good music book of Howard Shore's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" for, say, a violin or guitar? I love the music so much, and I would love to be able to play it on an instrument and share what I love with my family and friends.

[mollecon]

Do you mean sheet music? Anyway, here's a link:

http://netscape.musicnotes.com/features/promo/lotr/default.asp (http://)

Why don't you do a search on the Google (or other) search engine? Keywords could be Howard Shore, Lord of the Rings, sheet music...

I know a lot of the music is available, also in arranged form for smaller ensembles and even solo instruments.

[Boromir88]

Mine is not really a song, more just music, but I love the Rohan violin Music. Anytime we are in Rohan I love to hear those wonderful violins play.

[Lalwendë]

I really enjoy the soundtrack music. Many moons ago I thought that if they ever filmed LOTR then the soundtrack would have to be based on the Donald Swann song cycle, but I was quite impressed by the job Howard Shore did. I too like the themes for the Rohirrim (it stirs up my viking genes ;) ) and for the Hobbits (quite Vaughan Williams). I like the whole gothic nature of The White Rider, because I like stirring choral music. But I'm most fond of Gollum's Song...it's like the song Bjork never managed to do. Who is that woman who sings it?

The only thing I dislike about the CD soundtracks is the fact that they are these new-fangled interactive things and they take forever to load when I want to hear them at work!

[Dûrbelethwen]

Does anyone know where I can permantly down load the song "Use Well the Days" I only noticed this thread yesterday when it was bumped up and I became curious about the song. I heard the Mp3 of it but I was hoping there would be a version I could permantly down load on my computer. Like a version for Real Audio Player or iTunes ect. Thank you

[Encaitare]

Who is that woman who sings it?

Emiliana Torrini.

I'm wondering if it's worth it to set up a new thread for an idea I've got... it would be sort of like CbC only instead it would be TbT: Track by Track, a musical analysis/discussion of the scores, one track at a time. Would anyone be interested in this?

[Kitanna]

I'd be interesting in doing that track by track thing, Encaitare.

[Sapphire_Flame]

I think it sounds like a fun idea, Encaitare! Run it past Estelyn to make sure it'll be okay though. ;)

Abedithon le,

~ Saphy ~

[Encaitare]

Okay, cool. I happen to be at school right now and there are only around 15 minutes left till the end of study hall, so I can't do anything right now... perchance when I get home I'll start the thread, being sure to mind Mr. Wight's example-making/better topic thread. I'm glad people are interested!

Run it past Estelyn to make sure it'll be okay though. ;)

Heh... wouldn't want to miff Esty by stealing her title idea! Maybe I'll come up with something a little more creative...

[Estelyn Telcontar]

No need to work out a new name - Track by Track is fine. I suggest you put the thread on the Novices and Newcomers forum, as it will attract more general attention there than on the Movie forum. It sounds like it could make for an interesting discussion!

[Encaitare]

Alright, N&N, here I come. I'll just scamper off and begin, then. :)

[The Tennis Ball Kid]

The entire score is coming out on CD! More info: here (http://www.moviemusic.com/mb/Forum1/HTML/013360.html), and here. (http://www.theonering.net/perl/newsview/8/1098197915)
Anyway, things continue to progress at the corporate level. You know, with a project of this size, there’s always the question of exactly who will put it out? Or, how will it physically be packaged? Or, how will it impact other releases – when’s the best time to put it out? And of course there’s always the question of how exactly to present it all. There’s so much great music that you’ve not heard, even in the films. As I’ve mentioned before in emails to some of you, the word I’ve continually heard bandied about is "legacy." Everyone wants to make this something special. And we as fans know all too well what happens when things are rushed out.

So, that being said, understand that there’s not a set release date yet. I believe the intention all along has been to make this a fourth quarter release, which I think is a good idea. So, if it’s out in 2005, expect it around the holiday season. And should it be 2006, the same will hold true, I think. (This isn’t my way of hinting that it won’t be next year... no one really knows yet. As the other Douglas Adams said, "Don't panic!")
he nine-disc cd set will be similar to the ROTK special edition soundtrack, in that it will most likely also have a documentary part with the cds. The cds will have every bit of music recorded for the EE editions of the three movies. It also will include some out takes, such as the first version of the fellowship theme, and music from an Arwen scene that was cut from the movie.
Anybody else excited about this?


ttbk

[Encaitare]

Oooh! Very excited indeed ... I wonder how much that will cost... Sounds great, though.

By the way, welcome to the Downs, Tennis Ball Kid! :)

[Sharia]

Hi!
Does any one know what the song at the end of FOTR is called? I think it's the first song sung as the credits shows, it's a boy singing, but I don't know who? I love this song but I can't find it (and I haven't got the soundtrack)
Thanks
/Sharia

[Elladan and Elrohir]

Sharia, the song is called "In Dreams" and it is sung by Edward Ross.

I know the track-by-track thread is in full swing and in the middle of ROTK over in the Novice and Newcomers forum (and I heartily recommend it to any who haven't seen it yet), but I figured I'd go ahead and make some comments here, as this is a more general soundtrack thread.

First, these are absolutely phenomenal soundtracks. Howard Shore has absolutely captured the spirit of the movies, and, I think, the spirit of the books. I think FOTR is my favorite soundtrack simply because every track is very memorable, but ROTK is gaining quickly and may overtake it.

Just a word of caution for FOTR though: Heavy on the Black Riders theme. It appears with full choir each time in #3 (The Shadow of the Past), #5 (The Black Rider), #6 (At the Sign of the Prancing Pony), #7 (A Knife in the Dark), and #8 (Flight to the Ford). It may be slightly overused, but I like it and sometimes find myself humming it.

The themes for all the soundtracks are phenomenal. Shire, Fellowship, Isengard, Mordor, Rohan, Gondor, Lorien, Nazgul . . . awesome. My favorite would have to be the Fellowship theme, with the Shire being a close second. The best Fellowship theme tracks are FOTR #11 (The Ring Goes South), FOTR #13 (The Bridge of Khazad-dum), and TTT #5 (The Uruk-Hai). Well, okay, those are the most majestic renditions. There are others that might be considered equally good.

I can't get over how awesome all the music is. The only one that makes me cry (or want to cry; I'm a sixteen-year-old male, after all) is ROTK #17 (The Return of the King), when the Shire theme is played sadly. This is the moment in the movie when everyone bows to the four hobbits at Aragorn's coronation. I wanted to cry when I saw that in the theatre, and I want to cry when I hear it in the soundtrack.

OK, I'll quit raving; you're all bored to tears, I'm sure. My favorite tracks are, not necessarily in this order:

The Bridge of Khazad-dum

The Breaking of the Fellowship

Concerning Hobbits

The Black Rider

The Uruk-Hai

Foundations of Stone

The Return of the King

The End of All Things

The White Tree

The Steward of Gondor

The Grey Havens

The Ride of the Rohirrim

Many Meetings

OK, I could probably go on, but I know you don't want me to. I will just add a word about the three original credit songs. Enya's (May It Be) is beautiful and used to be my favorite. Emiliana Torrini (Gollum's Song) is truly haunting and captures the heart of Gollum. But my favorite is Annie Lennox in Into the West. It's just a wonderful song, and, well, obviously, she makes an awesome delivery. I know some complain because it's a lot different style from the other two, but I think it fits the end of the movie perfectly.

All right, I'll stop now.

[Rhod the Red]

My favourites are the fight scene music of Gandalf and Saruman in The Treason of Isenguard, The Bridge of Khazad Dum, the boy-sung poem at the end of the Breaking of the Fellowship, Evenstar, the slow charge part at the end of the Forth Eorlings, and the departure part of the Grey Havens.