I read a letter from Tolkein a while back, and it said that there were two different types of magic. Regular magic that is performed by the Valar and Maiar, and elvish magic which more resembles art as apposed to the traditional type. The bad guys also perform magic (they are Valar or Maiar), but it is fundamentaly different than elvish magic. That is why Galadriel is confused by what Sam calls magic (she wonders why the devices of the enemy are called the same name as her 'magic').
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