Howard Shore carefully brought the text of The Lord of the Rings to life in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy, choosing instruments and melodies that the people of Middle-Earth could have created for themselves. No theme shows this better than the one that speaks for the people of Rohan, from the clever selection of a Hardanger Fiddle to the rhythmic elements that evoke the beloved horses of the Rohirrim.
Just two episodes to go before our 150th Episode celebration! This time you’ll hear:
– A tribute to James Earl Jones, who had a bigger impact on children’s literacy than you might realize!
– What we are reading now. Chloë is enjoying The Misadventures of Max Crumbly and T.Q. is cracking open a comic book for the first time in years with The Ultimate Spider-Man Vol. 1: Married with Children.
– How composer Howard Shore adapted the text of The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, carefully choosing instruments and crafting a melody to create a musical voice for the Hobbits and The Shire in Peter Jackson’s film trilogy.
There are videos for two show segments:
Activity: Explore Musical Storytelling
This activity could be done in a music class or a literature class. Have students select a piece of music composed for a film which they feel effectively interprets the plot or characters of a piece of literature. Students should research the instrumentation of the piece and form theories about why the composer selected certain instruments to do certain jobs in the song. Encourage students to consider as many elements as possible. Is the song accurate to the setting of the story? Does the rhythm match anything that is happening with the plot or characters? Are there any diagetic elements to the music? Have students share their findings with one another through essays, discussion, or presentations.
This is the first episode in a series about how Howard Shore’s film score for the Lord of the Rings film trilogy drew directly on the text of the book, supporting the story at all times.
There’s also a bit of show business to attend to, including some great conversations I’ve been having with listeners, our upcoming 150th episode, and whether or not listeners prefer a regular release schedule on a certain day or a looser schedule that puts out episodes when they feel relevant.
There’s a video version of the section of the show about Tolkien that you can watch here:
In this episode, I reference some musical experiments that I did based on Tolkien’s lyrics. I carefully reading the text of The Hobbit and tried to come up with musical arrangements that matched the text as closely as possible. You can listen to these experiments and download free sheet music here:
The drama around Snow White, the troubled remake of Disney’s 1937 masterpiece, is unfortunate because it really was unnecessary! Just a little bit of familiarity with the folktale published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812 could have spared the filmmakers (and some outspoken actors) a lot of time and trouble. Also in this episode, you get your last chance to ask show hosts anything! We’ll be having a mailbag party for our 150th episode.
There is also a video version of my thoughts on the Snow White drama, which are included in this episode:
I also had the pleasant surprise of seeing the new trailer for War of the Rohirrim, an upcoming film based on the legend outlined in the appendix to The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Here’s my reaction to that:
This little video wasn’t long enough to be a regular episode, but I felt it was worth explaining that the TV show Rings of Power isn’t worth getting upset about because it’s not actually an adaptation at all. It has a lot more in common with what happened when me and my cousin played with action figures back in the day . . .
Peter Jackson is getting the band back together to make movies about . . . finding Gollum?? For real? Will these films be any good? Will this be another case of a filmmaker trying and failing to recapture the magic? Find out what I think about the prospects for these new films. Check out the video version to witness a perfect reenactment of what happened when I went to see The Phantom Menace in 1999, complete with butterfly hair clips.
This year three major films are coming out which are based on books written for children, and one more is coming out that is based on The Lord of the Rings, which many teenagers love. But are these adaptations going to be any good?In this episode, I take a look at the upcoming films Harold and the Purple Crayon, Paddington in Peru, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Will they be good? Can these stories be adapted well to the screen? What mistakes should the filmmakers avoid?
I offer my best guesses in answer to these questions, and I’ll be curious to see how much I get right.
Audio versions of children’s books can be a great way to keep up on “reading” when you don’t have time to sit down with a book. I listen to lots of audiobooks and prefer to hear authors reading their own work. However, voice actors can also give amazing performances, bringing characters to life in a way that really does justice to the author’s work.
My favorite performances of books children will enjoy are:
Matilda by Roald Dahl, read by Kate Winslet
Charlotte’s Web and The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White, read by the author
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, read by the author (Note: good for teenagers, not younger kids)
The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, read by Andy Serkis
Activity: Record your own Audiobook
Kids can have a lot of fun recording their own audio versions of their favorite stories. Any kind of story can be recorded, from a family memory to a well-known folktale. Students can adapt a longer tale, or just record part of it. Children can also try their hand at adding sound effects, experimenting with different objects to produce the right sound. Recordings could be done in a very simple way, using a phone or laptop to record audio in a single take, or you could try a more ambitious project involving editing, multiple audio tracks, and sharing the final result with others.
This is the last of a three part series on the songs in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, covering the Hobbit, Human, and Goblin songs in the book. Tolkien wrote many wonderful lyrics in his books, but left behind no official melodies. However, it’s possible to examine the text to get an idea of the instrumentation, rhythm, performance style, and setting for a song.
By following clues in the text, I have come up with tunes for the two songs Bilbo sings when trying to distract giant spiders away from his dwarf friends. I have also written a fuller piece as a musical experiment to reproduce the sounds described in Chapter 10, where the people of Lake-town sing “The King Beneath the Mountains” to celebrate the return of the dwarves to the Lonely Mountain. I gave myself the following rules to follow:
The song is sung by a large group of people, with more joining in as the song goes on
The only instruments used are fiddles and harps
The song is spontaneous and sung with great excitement in a group that is spread out in a large space, so the rhythm will not always be exact and the harmonies will not always lock perfectly
There is shouting during the song
People of all ages sing the song
The mood should be joyful and excited
The meter is 4/4 as the lyrics are written with iambic feet.
Here are the results in an audio track. I have also put the song on YouTube to make it easy for parents, teachers, and readers of The Hobbit to find it.
This is just one possible interpretation of the music. Parents, teachers, and young readers can all have fun writing melodies for Tolkien’s lyrics in The Hobbit, and I would love to hear what you come up with!
Mentioned in the episode is the music of From Wilderland to Western Shore, which is a very well done album of Tolkien’s songs performed in a modern bluegrass style. Check them out!
Here is free sheet music for this arrangement. You can find more songs from The Hobbit and other books on my music page.
Tolkien’s lyrics in The Hobbit usually have smooth rhythm and excellent use of alliteration and rhyme. But Goblin lyrics change patterns frequently and are intentionally harsh sounding.
Have students examine one of the three Goblin songs in The Hobbit, and as a group come up with a performance of the lyrics. Find unusual percussion items that make sharp, clashing noises to use. Try growling, shouting, croaking, or using other sounds that usually aren’t used in music. Share the results of your musical experiment with an audience if you can!
Dwarven songs in The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien feature 4/4 time signatures, rich instrumentation, and deep male voices singing in harmony. Although Tolkien never wrote any music for his song lyrics, it’s possible to imagine possible melodies based on his descriptions of the music.
Unlike the happy, lilting jigs and waltzes of the Elves, Dwarven songs are richly ornamented, develop slowly, and describe real world events in intricate detail. Their songs can be silly, hopeful, or sad, revealing that Dwarves feel deeply and are more sensitive than one might at first think. The songs sung by the Dwarves tell of their love of lavishly beautiful things, their long memories, and their quest to reclaim the homeland and treasure that was stolen from them.
I have written some music to go with the lyrics of “Under the Mountain Dark and Tall,” trying to create something that matched what Tolkien described. These were the musical requirements based on what I read in Chapter 15 of The Hobbit:
Maximum of 12 musicians
4/4 time signature as this matches the rhythm of Tolkien’s chosen poetic meter
I can only be sure that the musicians know how to play fiddles, harps, drums, clarinets, flutes, and viols and so should choose from among these instruments
The song is “warlike”
All singers are male with deep voices
Tolkien says the song is much like “Far Over the Misty Mountains” in Chapter 1, which is slow in pace, adds instruments and voices gradually, and evokes the imagination
The music should take advantage of the acoustics of a large, cavernous space
I was limited to using mainly software-generated instruments and my soprano voice, so the result isn’t ideal but I think it at least gives listeners one possible interpretation of Tolkien’s words. If any male singers wished to perform this song I would be happy to hear that as it would make for a better musical experiment.
Here is the audio for “Under the Mountain Dark and Tall” as well as a link to a video on YouTube:
Sheet Music for “Under the Mountain Dark and Tall” words by J.R.R. Tolkien and music by T.Q. Townsend
Choose one of the four dwarven songs written out in The Hobbit. The traits of each song as described in the book are written below. Songwriters may choose to follow these traits closely or follow their inspiration in a different direction. This activity would work well as a songwriting exercise in a music class but should only be offered for extra credit in a literature class. New songwriters may find it useful to recite the lyrics out loud with the desired rhythm, then begin singing out notes that seem to fit.
Chapter 1: “Chip the glasses and crack the plates”
Group singing: Thorin Oakenshield, Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur
Poetic meter: trochaic tetrameter
Musical time signature: 4/4
Instrumentation: Medium sized male choir, possibly dishes or hand and foot movements used as percussion
Chapter 1: “Far Over the Misty Mountains Old”
Group singing: Thorin Oakenshield, Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur
Poetic meter: iambic tetrameter
Musical time signature: 4/4
Instrumentation: Small male choir with fiddles, flutes, drum, clarinets, viols, and harp
Chapter 1: “Far Over the Misty Mountains Old” (Reprise)
Group singing: Thorin Oakenshield
Poetic meter: iambic tetrameter
Musical time signature: 4/4
Instrumentation: Male solo a capella
Chapter 7: “The Wind Was on the Withered Heath”
Group singing: Thorin Oakenshield, Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur
Poetic meter: iambic tetrameter
Musical time signature: 4/4
Instrumentation: Small male choir singing a capella
Chapter 15: “Under the Mountain Dark and Tall”
Group singing: Dwalin, Balin, Kili, Fili, Dori, Nori, Ori, Oin, Gloin, Bifur, Bofur, and Bombur
Poetic meter: iambic tetrameter
Musical time signature: 4/4
Instrumentation: Small male choir with harps and other instruments
In this episode, I take a look at the upcoming films Harold and the Purple Crayon, Paddington in Peru, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim, and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Will they be good? Can these stories be adapted well to the screen? What mistakes should the filmmakers avoid?
