The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - Musical instruments in Middle-earth

William Cloud Hicklin · 01-31-2008, 02:28 AM

The organ is in fact very old- the name comes from the Romans (organum), who got the instrument from the Hellenistic Greeks (the traditional inventor was Ctesibius of Alexandria, 3rd century BC). There are organs still in existence that date from the early 1400's- that's earlier by a century than fiddles and viols, and 300 years older than the clarinet.

Still, the Music says that it was the *voices* of the Ainur, *like unto* various instruments, not that such instruments were actually present. This doesn't necessarily mean that the Ainur opened their mouths and viol-sounds came out: it's a simile, rather like saying "Bob Dylan's voice is like unto a toad being sandpapered to death."

01-31-2008, 02:28 AM	#31
William Cloud Hicklin Loremaster of Annúminas Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 2,301	The organ is in fact very old- the name comes from the Romans (organum), who got the instrument from the Hellenistic Greeks (the traditional inventor was Ctesibius of Alexandria, 3rd century BC). There are organs still in existence that date from the early 1400's- that's earlier by a century than fiddles and viols, and 300 years older than the clarinet. Still, the Music says that it was the voices of the Ainur, like unto various instruments, not that such instruments were actually present. This doesn't necessarily mean that the Ainur opened their mouths and viol-sounds came out: it's a simile, rather like saying "Bob Dylan's voice is like unto a toad being sandpapered to death." __________________ The entire plot of The Lord of the Rings could be said to turn on what Sauron didn’t know, and when he didn’t know it.