Tolkien Tunes
Has there ever been a time when you played/listened to music, and it reminded you about something from Tolkien's legendarium?
This happens to me frequently. This is a piece I played last year (no, it's not me in the video), and it reminds me a lot of the Lay of Leithian, especially this part: Quote:
Apologies if such a thread already exists. I didn't find any such. |
http://forum.barrowdowns.com/showthread.php?t=11078
There was this thread way back but it is specifically classical music. I am not suprised you didn't find it - I only retrieved it because I remembered discussing the Pachelbel "Canon" with Encaitare. I don't know if I can improve on my old selections though I am amused to see what then linked to YoYo Ma playing Vivaldi now gets country music! I do occasionally wonder if I could find a way of slipping Tolkien into "The Warwickshire Lad" as one of the literary greats of that county. |
Thanks, Mith! That thread has some great examples (although I couldn't open the majority of the links :(). Pachelbel's Canon reminds me of ME history in general, on a broad scale, as Elves would see it. I guess I can simplify that by associating it with Elrond. Something ancient, wise, sad but calm and hopeful, etc.
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Thingol and Melian
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I heard this on the radio today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSiTrGCAbt8 Not the best of songs, I know, but hey-ho :D It reminded me of the darkening of Numenor a bit, culminating in the Downfall - especially with the eagle cries at the beginning of the track. I remember it was said of all animals only the Eagles of Manwe approached the Meneltarma.
Also, this for Aragorn and Arwen (at least the first verse): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fnn9JlqqTE4 Faramir Jones, I find that not to be a very Middle Earthy song, but I - I just know what you mean, and now I can't help imagining Thingol with that mic... :D |
Thanks!
Narnangol, I hear what you mean about the first song. The second one, Adele's cover version of a Bob Dylan composition, was certainly nice. It got me thinking of this song, Freddie Jackson's You Are My Lady, as one with sentiments Aragorn, Faramir and Sam would appreciate: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqDkK1K5k4Q
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There is, however, a serious question to be asked: Exactly what did attract Melian to that much younger (by her standards) Elf?:confused: |
Narnagol, your first song is very "Numenorian", if not with the sound-effects of the Eagles and the rushing wind, then the lyrics themselves. "Children of a lesser God", "between heaven and hell", "The Age of Men is over" - all that makes me think of Numenor. But the last one - a bit of Gothmog in the movie. :p
I must say, Faramir , that your first song is a bit unusual for a First-age ME association. But it is defiitely interesting. I get the Aragorn-Faramir-Sam sentiments for the other song, though. Quote:
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I think with Luthien and Beren it was a bit of spontaneity, though. I'm not quite sure about those two. The later pairings seem to have been better-matched, the Man having been acclimatised to an Elven society. |
There's also Findilas giving up her elven admirer(s) for Turin...
Anyways, for something on-topic, this sounds like Grey Havens... And this fits Turin's family. And it fits Gwindor even more. Quote:
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Galadriel55, I like those two songs, and I agree wholeheartedly on 'Yesterday' for Gwindor. It's one of my favourite songs and suits him very well lyrically. |
This Russian song reminds me of the gathering of all the hosts before the Nirnaeth, and the Nirnaeth itself. The music of this version fits particularly well, but the words also kind of fit. The song is about men leaving to join the army, and saying goodbye to the girls. But, contrary to the Nirnaeth, it ends with encouraging words, suggesting that the battle has been won: "Maidens, look! Wipe away your tears! Let the song grow louder, our song"... well, not exactly, but I'm not good at translating.
Also, this song, that I think deserves a full (if poor) translation, sounds like Haudh-en-Ndengin. It goes somewhat like: Grasses swaying above the earth, Clouds [those white puffy ones, not rainclouds] floating like graceful birds; See that one, on the right? This is me, this is me, this is me. And I do not need glory/fame. We need nothing, Me and those floating beside. We would that we lived - that is all the reward, We would live, we would live, we would live... But we are floating on the skies... The [chimeny] smoke above my home's roof Is getting yet whiter and higher. "Mother! Mother!" And you will hear My voice, my voice, my voice; It is still farther and fainter... Away from tears, and away from smiles, The clouds are floating above the world, Their host is not diminished! Clouds, clouds, clouds, And there is no end to them. This pain does not quiet down, Where are you, life-water? O why does war happen? O why, o why, o why, O why are we dying? I'm sorry for taking up so much space and time, and for posting non-English songs in the first place, but these two were nagging at me for a while now. |
There's another Beatles song I think is perfect for Aldarion. I can picture him on the prow of his ship singing to Erendis. ;)
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The anthem of the Númenóreans.
Maybe I just wanna fly / Wanna live, don't wanna die Maybe I just wanna breathe / Maybe I just don't believe I think you're the same as me / We see things they'll never see You and I are gonna live forever. |
These are great, Inzil! I'm sure Pharazon would have approved. :p
And I can totally see Aldarion thinking along the lines of those lyrics... It's funny how much I learned here on the Downs: I haven't read UT yet, but I already know half the stories.... :D |
I've always considered Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull prime candidates for scoring a Tolkien film project. "Dun Ringill", a very eerie and netherworldy tune, would be appropriate for a Numenorean or Elven mariner's theme, as a storm tossed ship traverses the troubled Belegaer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqVl_ZLbL5I The weather's on the change... Lines join in faint discord And the stormwatch brews A concert of kings as the white sea snaps At the heels of a soft prayer, whispered Clear light on a slick palm As I misdeal the day Slip the night from a shaved pack Make a marked card play Call twilight hours down From a heaven home High above the highest bidder For the good Lord's throne In the wee hours I'll meet you Down by Dun Ringill --- Oh, and we'll watch the old gods play By Dun Ringill We'll wait in stone circles `Til the force comes through --- Lines joint in faint discord And the stormwatch brews A concert of kings As the white sea snaps At the heels of a soft prayer, whispered In the wee hours I'll meet you Down by Dun Ringill --- Oh, and I'll take you quickly By Dun Ringill |
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Howard Shore's compositions have always, in my opinion, been perfect for ME. I am sure Tolkien would have been proud of the music that came along with the movies, if not of the movies themselves. But outside of PJ's movies, I would say that the song 'Sleeping Sun' by Nightwish always makes me think of a) the kinslaying at Alqualondë, b) the burning of the ships at Losgar and c) Doriath. The song 'Mononoke Hime', sung by Yoshikazu Mera, has always made me think of the times of peace in Aman, when Fëanor was not outright insane and only had four sons. This is probably because I only heard about Mera while reading 'The Follower' by Ivanneth, but still, it gives me a nice tingly feeling. And I know this sounds very, very silly, but I've always imagined Beethoven's fifth symphony as something that could have been written by Maglor :p God, here comes the crowd with axes and machine-guns... Edit: Sorry, I should have posted some links: Mononoke Hime : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XAyN...6&feature=plpp Sleeping Sun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoDzlUPjhdI Shame on you if you haven't heard Beethoven :D Oh, and one last song (which happens to be my favourite of all time): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XnkVCwePDhg Ignore the video. Here's another one with lyrics (I like the first one's music better): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpjHd1R5JXo It ALWAYS reminds me of the splendour of Númenor :) Makes me cry. |
These are great! Thanks Galadriel! (I don't know either why you took so long to look at this thread. >.< :p ;))
I like the first one - Sleeping Sun - best. They were all great, but this one is just so... right on. |
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Yet another Beatles' song Hello Goodbye for Tilion and Arien. Makes me think of how Tilion always chases after Arien, and how they are opposites but really do the same task...
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I found a thread with the same idea... If the mods feel like merging them, so be it.
But it has some interesting stuff in it, in any case. |
I just found this song today: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=62KtVqvso4M
Totally reminded me of the Silmarillion :) It's called 'The Escapist' by Nightwish. |
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I have a long list of Russian songs to add, but I doubt that many people would be interested, so I'll limit myself to just this one, from a movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jNViGbNI14 It has repeating lines: I will never forget you, I will never see you again. Reminds me of many partings in the legendarium, but mostly Frodo departing ME forever... |
The famous hebrew song Jerusalem of Gold reminds me of the Dwarves of Moria, after they left it. See here for the translation (though the song that I linked is a slightly different version...)
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This one is so obvious I'm surprised I haven't thought of this before. Even the name of the piece fits!
"In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Grieg, aka Bilbo inside Erebor. Can you hear his careful footsteps, his heart racing, and in the end his flight back to the Dwarves? I know that both Tolkien and Grieg were inspired by Scandinavic mythologies, but that's as far as my knowledge goes. I've never studied those mythologies. Maybe someone more learned than myself can make some connection that would link Grieg's and Tolkien's "halls of the mountain king"? |
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Tom Bombadil's ode to all those trying to classify him, with his typical bit of rhymey nonsense. Quote:
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Underneath a sky of red, there's a storyteller sleeping alone. He has no face and he has no name and his whereabouts are sort of unknown. |
Not necessarily tunes that I might find "Tolkienesque", but (and I feel a roight gormless berk in saying this) I've only just heard about The Tolkien Ensemble.
Why was I never informed about this group? Did I miss a memo, perhaps? |
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Which is how I found them. I was looking for the Donald Swan recording and they popped up and I was quite surprised.
And they've been around awhile, too. |
We've discussed the Tolkien Ensemble's music in the past, though perhaps not so recently that you'd have noticed. A search should bring up the pertinent threads.
I suppose the chance of hearing (about) them depends on your location - in Europe, especially here in Germany, they are well known through their popular concert tours. They've played together with orchestras which perform the movie sound track live, at times also with Sir Christopher Lee as narrator. I was privileged to hear their concert in Copenhagen a couple of years ago, and it was wonderful! Christopher Lee's voice is marvelous. The German Tolkien Society (of which I'm an active member) has close connections to the Ensemble - the founding members, Peter Hall and Caspar Reiff, were our guests of honour and played and sang for us at the annual weekend get-together in 2010. And one of our members who specializes in costuming sewed Hobbit and Elvish dresses for the ladies. One more bit of interesting information - the Ensemble has good connections to the Danish royal family. Queen Margrethe permitted the use of her well-known LotR illustrations on the cover of the 4-album box which has all of the songs and poems in the book. Quote:
/end excursion to Denmark |
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if I needed someone to love you're the one that I'd be thinking of if I needed someone if I had some more time to spend then I guess I'd be with you my friend if I needed someone |
Estelyn, we're a wee bit backwards here, in this part of the midwest. ;)
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I've finally got round to listening to the Tolkien Ensemble, and I have to see that they're really good.
Of course, since I saw the films first, I can't shake that music off (but since it's as good as it is, that's not really a bad thing), but I still really like it. I also find the diference in their treatment of "Upon the hearth" quite interesting... |
The first music I heard that was related to LOTR was the Donald Swann compositions, back in the 70's. So I had a tough time wrapping my head around the music in the films.
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBdxQVDlcro
The theme song from a movie. Reminds me of Earendil. Don's ask why; it's just the kind of "feel" it has - soaring, heroic, all that. And if not Earendil, I still think it is Tolkienesque sounding music that's worthy of mention. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVUADDz3JLU This lovely piece (Fantasia on Dargason by Gustav Holst) also deserves mention here in my eyes. From a purely technical perspective I find it awesome that it overlaps the 3/4 time Greensleeves melody with the main 4/4 (2/2? 2/4? not sure) theme. From a more general view, it sounds nice. From a Tolkien perspective, it reminds me of Rosie Cotton. |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sryOCnuj7c
The Winner Takes It All, ABBA. Fits well with Erendis, don't you think? She could be addressing Aldarion, or Uinen. Or both. |
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