Microphones in Middle-earth...the BBC Lord of the Rings

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I've recently been listening to the BBC recordings with a completely different aspect in mind. Those who know me won't be surprised that it involves the use of music - music as a narrative element, more specifically. I first listened to the whole German radio play, which uses music completely differently and has a style that is totally divergent from that of the English version.

I really like Stephen Oliver's compositions for the play. He manages to use instrumental music quite sparingly, mostly for introductions and transitions, and keeps it brief there. It rarely underlies narrative and dialogue, leaving the words to work their magic on their own. Most importantly, the melodies he wrote for numerous poems are frequently memorable and enjoyable to sing along, an aspect that is sadly missing in the German version, which has rather nondescript melodies.

For those interested in this aspect, there will be a chapter on the music of the BBC dramatisation in the upcoming book on music in Middle-earth, written by a musician who knows it well, having performed in the Cambridge Society's production of it.