Track-by-Track: Soundtrack Discussion and Analysis

[Aiwendil]

There is another trumpet solo (3:34) which gives us the Hobbiton theme for the first time, and will tie in nicely to track 2.

I love this little trumpet solo; it functions, in a way, to pull one away gently away from the bombastic earlier section toward the Shire. There's what sounds to me like a somewhat distant chord change underneath it (as I recall - I don't have the CD at hand) that is rather nice.

Howard Shore and everyone who worked on the music could have chosen random syllables, and hardly anyone would have known the difference.

As indeed Rosenman did for the Bakshi movie. The use of Quenya and Sindarin for the choral sections was an excellent choice, and I agree that a Quenya translation works best here. I do have a few issues with the "neo-Quenya" and "neo-Sindarin", though - I would have used "Alfirimain" instead of "Ilfirimain", for example. But I doubt that many care about such things.

[Encaitare]

I do have a few issues with the "neo-Quenya" and "neo-Sindarin", though - I would have used "Alfirimain" instead of "Ilfirimain", for example. But I doubt that many care about such things.

Would you care to explain this for a poor confused soul? I'm afraid I don't know nearly enough about Elvish to understand the significance or difference here.

There's what sounds to me like a somewhat distant chord change underneath it (as I recall - I don't the CD at hand) that is rather nice.

Yes, three chords underlie this solo. Since I'm firmly against doing my history essay before dinner, I figured out which chords they were: first, D major. Second (not completely sure about this one) a minor, and third is C major. D has always sounded sounded mysterious to me, then it goes to the fifth of the D scale and makes it minor, in a transition of sorts between musical scenes. Finally, the a chord moves to its relative major, C, giving it the lighter, calmer sound I mentioned in my last post.

Thanks for your response, Aiwendil. Come on, guys, join the fun!

[Sapphire_Flame]

What I love about this track is the choral opening, with the orchestra slowly easing into the background. It really sets the emotional stage for the film, and the rest of the music. In fact, up until the dropoff at 2:11, the choir is the central force of this track.

Another nice bit is the emphasis of the strings at 0:37; a sort of "Hey, look, the title!" piece, but very delicately arranged.

Towards the end of the track, the sound of the music grows a little lighter, with plucked strings (like the next track will use for the far more light-hearted hobbit music) and softer, calmer dynamics. There is another trumpet solo (3:34) which gives us the Hobbiton theme for the first time, and will tie in nicely to track 2.

That is a brilliant lead in. It is a graceful transition into the idyllic setting of Hobbiton and the Shire.

This is a really brilliant thread; thank'ee, Encaitare, for starting this up!

Abedithon le,

~ Saphy ~

[Encaitare]

Thanks, Saphy; glad you've come to join us.

By the way, Aiwendil, I read your essay over on the Tolkien Forum about music in Middle-earth -- wonderful job on that. I really enjoyed reading it.

A note to all readers: you don't have to have any great musical knowledge to post here. You can post your favorite parts of the track, what emotions it evokes in you, why you think it evoked said emotions, the effect you think was trying to be achieved, the relations to the movie events, the tie-in to the cultures we see, etc. All you have to do is have opinions and a sense of observation, which I know we've all got here! And if you do happen to have a more technical knowledge of music, please share it!

[Aiwendil]

Encaitare wrote:

Would you care to explain this for a poor confused soul?

Well, il- was at one point a negative prefix, but later on Tolkien seems to have been using al- instead. Of course, it's very difficult to try to take the massive body of Tolkien's linguistic material and try to formulate a single unified version of either Quenya or Sindarin, so differences of opinion are to be expected.

By the way, Aiwendil, I read your essay over on the Tolkien Forum about music in Middle-earth -- wonderful job on that. I really enjoyed reading it.

Thanks. I think perhaps the number of musical terms that I used scares some away, even if I'm not really saying anything too complicated.

Sapphire_Flame wrote:

Another nice bit is the emphasis of the strings at 0:37; a sort of "Hey, look, the title!" piece, but very delicately arranged.

Yes, this is a very nice little moment, and somehow very evocative (I think) of the sense of ancient history being presented.

Again Encaitare:

first, D major. Second (not completely sure about this one) a minor, and third is C major.

This sounds about right to me. I think it's the D - a change that I was thinking of. Not, in fact, distant at all, but the fact that the A is minor makes all the difference (and is accentuated by the fact that the melody climbs here to a C (the note that makes the chord minor)).

[Bêthberry]

Originally Posted by Encaitare

By the way, Aiwendil, I read your essay over on the Tolkien Forum about music in Middle-earth -- wonderful job on that. I really enjoyed reading it.

A wonderful idea for a thread, Encaitare. Once some of the seasonal hubub slows down, I hope to have time to contribute to this. (And once I've proverbially spread a bit of jam around on other yeasty posts, I can return to 'give a toast' to yours again! Honestly, I dislike that expression, "spread some rep around.' It sounds so crudely suggestive for such a high-minded forum. )

Could either you or Aiwendil provide a link to this essay? Much appreciated ifyou could!

[Encaitare]

The essay may be found hither. Enjoy!

[Kitanna]

Originally Posted by Sapphire_Flame

What I love about this track is the choral opening, with the orchestra slowly easing into the background. It really sets the emotional stage for the film, and the rest of the music.

I totally agree with that. Not only does it open up the movie for us, it sets the stage for just how powerful and moving the rest of the music will be. It's wonderful how Howard Shore uses different instruments to stir up a wide range of emotions for the listener.

Whenever I listen to my FOTR cd I can see the opening of the movie and hear Galadriel's monologue. It's not often I listen to a soundtrack a can see the scenes from the book and movie. Truly wonderful.

[Encaitare]

What I love about this track is the choral opening, with the orchestra slowly easing into the background. It really sets the emotional stage for the film, and the rest of the music. In fact, up until the dropoff at 2:11, the choir is the central force of this track.

The choir is used so much throughout all the soundtracks, probably because it's so versatile. Certain instruments tend to have a characteristic tone to them (for example, it's difficult to make a flute sound angry, or a string bass to sound cheery). Yet a choir can achieve any sort of sound depending on the voicing and the chords. In this case, it definitely does set the emotional stage, and then creates the tension of the battle.

EDIT:

I just received an unsigned rep, which read as follows:

Nice idea for a topic...alas that I cannot participate as I am not as talented in music as you obviously are.

Firstly, thanks for the compliment.

And secondly, no! This is negative thinking! Like I said previously, you don't have to be any sort of musical genius to participate. Music is all about emotion, and in the case of a movie score, it's also about carrying along the story. All you need to know is how the music makes you feel, and how it contributes to the storyline. If whoever sent that rep reads this, please don't be afraid to join in!