Musical instruments in Middle-earth

[Estelyn Telcontar]

I am currently researching the topic of instrumental music in Tolkien's works. I find very little satisfactory material; the most various instruments are actually mentioned in The Hobbit, played by the Dwarves, and even there Tolkien writes not much that is specific.

The Elves do play instruments, but aside from a few references to harps and flutes (were there Elvish trumpets too?), I haven't located more. The Hobbits play the toy instruments at the Long-Expected Party; aside from that, I can't recall any other references. Of Men I remember only references to trumpets in Gondor and horns in both Rohan and Gondor (Boromir's horn, more a signal than a musical instrument).

Do any of you remember more references, or have you found something obscure, well-hidden in HoME, that I haven't yet discovered? I'd appreciate any help you can give!

[Rumil]

Hi Esty,

From The Man in the Moon stayed up too late-

The ostler has a tipsy cat that plays a five-stringed fiddle

From The Sea Bell-

I heard a sea bell swing in the swell

pipes, voices, horns on the hill

From The Last Ship-

Flutes there were and harps were wrung,
and there was sound of singing,
like wind-voices keen and young
and far bells ringing

with harp in hand they sang their song

In Elvenhome a clear bell
in the high tower is shaking

So the first two were allegedly written by Bilbo and Frodo respectively, showing that the hobbits were aware of bells, fiddles, pipes and horns. The Last Ship was likely Gondorian, mentioning flutes, harps and bells in association with the elves.

I guess we have seen most of these except the bells with the Dwarves at Bag End.

I am however intrigued by the elvish pipes, most likely they were pan-pipes or flutes of some sort, but could they just possibly be bagpipes??!!

I'm sorely tempted by -

"I'll take the straight road and you take the curved road and I'll get to Valinor before you."

Many apologies,

Rumil

[Aiwendil]

There is an interesting reference in HoMe I to the instruments played by the 'Teleri' (i.e. Vanyar), 'Noldoli' (Noldor), and 'Solosimpi' (Teleri), respectively:

Vanyar - 'congregated harps'
Noldoli - 'viols and instruments'
Teleri - pipes

I cannot recall the exact quote, nor do I have the book at hand, but if you want to take a look, it occurs during the procession of the Elves to the festival in Valimar.

For what it's worth, I wrote something on music in Tolkien's Legendarium some time ago, which can be found here.

[Rumil]

I knew I'd seen a thread on this in the dim and distant past-

music thread

though I'm not entirely convinced by Saucie's claim of Gandalf's Hammond Organ proficiency!

Cheers,

Rumil

[Legate of Amon Lanc]

Interesting thread! I have maybe one or two more tokens to show.

Then the voices of the Ainur, like unto harps and lutes, and pipes and trumpets, and viols and organs, and like unto countless choirs singing with words, began to fashion the theme of Ilúvatar to a great music;

In other words: How could you forget that? Note the organs, mainly. Not that it proves that organs actually existed in Middle-Earth, but on the other hand... what would then be written in the original of Ainulindalë?
Just to make it complete, it was already spoken about trumpets; but to remind us, the trumpets are mentioned at the same place also in negative context:

The other had now achieved a unity of its own; but it was loud, and vain, and endlessly repeated; and it had little harmony, but rather a clamorous unison as of many trumpets braying upon a few notes.

And now for a change, from the goblin song in the Hobbit:

Hammer and tongs! Knocker and gongs!

I'm not sure if we can take "gongs" as given, but if not here, then surely at the very end of the Two Towers:

Sam heard a burst of hoarse singing, blaring of horns and banging of gongs, a hideous clamour.

From both of these, it seems like gong is an Orc-instrument. Orcs are generally shown as liking percussions. And that's of course not speaking of the famous "drums in the deep".

[Bêthberry]

I seem to recall some people were entertained by the musical fruit in the movies, but somehow I doubt if Esty would include the movies in her definition of "Tolkien's works".

[mark12_30]

Rusty here: the three greatest musicians were ... um... Maglor was it (? the one who went mad & sang by the seashore ever afterwards), and Daeron who played the flute, and likewise Tinfang Gelion (Flautist.) Seems plain that TOlkien favored flutes and vocals.

Have you checked out Aiwendil's essay on music in MIddle Earth? It is the best treatment I've seen yet.

Aiwendil's essay