The relationship betwen Music/Singing and Magic

[Eönwë]

Originally Posted by skip spence

Yet the Wizards, most obviously associated with magic, don't sing at all, do they? Why don't Gandalf or Saruman sing?

Well, I would say that since the Ainur are outside the Music, it wouldn't be pulsing through the way it was with Arda itself. I think that this is also why the elves sing more, and their songs are powerful- they are bound to the Music while Men are not, so they feel more connected to it. I don't think that Men in Middle-Earth sing as much as Elves, and this is because they are outside the Music, and can choose their own paths. The Hobbits we see are a special case, and their powerful singing might be because they were following Eru's will, and so maybe they became part of the Music, which is why their songs became so powerful. Or maybe the reason that it was the Hobbits' task to destroy the ring is that they like singing.

I imagine it as a sort of endless music just beyond consciousness as Arda unfolds, and so those that sing (because all songs in Middle-Earth are powerful) just tap into it, at different levels depending on who they are, and can influence Middle-Earth through the music that they are a part of. (I can't really explain it, but it reminded of one Doctor Who episode that seems to have a similar theme, but with only one person feeling the beat of drums. I couldn't find a very good video of it on YouTube, but the first half of this should do)