Track-by-Track: Soundtrack Discussion and Analysis

[Encaitare]

Sindarin lyrics:

Naur vi eryn,
lanc i dalaf.
Mathach vi geven?
Nostach vi 'wilith?
Mâb le i nagor,
Bâd gurth vi ngalad firiel.
Dorthach vi mar han?
Dagrathach go hain?


'The woods are burning,
the ground lies bare.
Do you feel it in the earth?
Can you smell it in the air?
The war is upon you,
Death moves in the fading light.
Are you part of this world?
Will you join their fight?'


Word-for-word translation:

'Fire in forest,
naked [is] the ground.
Feel-you [it] in earth?
Smell-you [it] in air?
Takes you [or you are taken by] the war,
Goes death in light fading.
Dwell-you in land this?
Will-make-war-you with them?'

I like how the music starts off low and menacing. It almost has a woodish sort of feel, like the creaking of branches. The voices come in like whispers through the woods. My favorite part begins at 0:54, when the solo instrument is accompanied by the percussion. I'm not sure what the instrument is, though I think it's a double reed, which would be appropriate for the whole wood theme.

Around 2:18 it changes again, with the strings entering and the percussion becoming louder. I'd really like to know what kind of percussion was used in this section, though they might have just been tapping away on wood blocks for all I know.

I'm not sure where all these lyrics come in; I suspect that just a few lines are used. Even so, I like them. I think it's cool how the lines "Do you feel it in the earth? Can you smell it in the air?" mirror Galadriel's opening lines in FotR.