Track-by-Track: Soundtrack Discussion and Analysis - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

dancing spawn of ungoliant · 01-23-2006, 04:53 AM

Here we have over 10 minutes of lovely motifs bound together. At this point when watching RotK, I usually get a little distracted because I know that the film will end soon. We've been following a 11-hour-long story that began already in year 2001 (What! It's been over four years since FotR came into theatres), and it's quite sad, really, that this is the beginning of the last 20 minutes, or so. It's also the beginning of the many "endings" of RotK - you know, the film could have ended in Minas Tirith turning into a map, the Hobbits returning to the Shire, the last ship to Valinor setting off... Maybe it's a subtle way to remind the viewers that it's soon time to return to RL from Middle-earth. Heh, kind of when your alarm clock goes off in the morning and you don't want to wake up, you hit "snooze" and get to continue sleeping yet for a while before you really have to get up.

This can be heard in the score, too. Although the rest of the film is full of happy moments like the reunion of the Fellowship, the coronation and Sam and Rosie's wedding, we don't see or hear that kind of a spirited joy that we saw at Bilbo's birthday party, for example, but this is much more serene happines that is mixed with melancholy.

We hear Renée Fleming's last solo of Arwen, and as Kitanna said, this is the same theme we heard when we first saw Arwen at Troll Shaw. The lyrics are exactly the same and Arwen's part in this story ends to the same words that it began with. We will not see her again.

One of the most interesting things on this track is that it's not the Tin Whistle anymore that plays the theme when the Hobbits return to the Shire, but the flute. The Hobbits have changed quite a bit and using another instrument here is a nice way to show that.

Here's what Howard Shore tells about Viggo Mortensen's solo: "He sang it when they filmed it and I created a piece to accompany it. Viggo created the melody. This is when Aragorn sings acapella for a few bars and then chorus enters to join him in accompaniment."

So, like Billy Boyd, Viggo got to compose his own solo, too. Great job, I say. The solo is very nice, but he sings it so softly that it's hard to tell whether he's singing it for the people who are gathered to his coronation or if he's singing it to himself.

01-23-2006, 10:18 PM

I've been reading along... wanting to take time to post my own thoughts but not ever doing so. Partly, I tell myself, it's because I'm so busy and I never like to do things unless I can do them properly. But I think, it's a bit of Legolas... for me the grief is still too near. What I mean is, the last few tracks of ROTK hold tremendous emotional power over me and I stand in awe of it almost. I don't know if I can do it justice. I don't know if I can bear a close look.

But so many of you are writing what I'm feeling and I love reading it. I wrote very little of my emotional responses to the soundtrack when doing my website. This track was one rare exception. I wrote a lot of really personal stuff but I'll copy out the part pertinent to Track 17, The Return of the King.

I've been listening to ROTK a lot at bedtime. It swirls in my ears as I fall asleep. Often, I wake up at the beginning of "The End of All Things", perhaps because it has such bombastic opening music. But I think I know it's coming... the end, and my mind needs to take it in. When I list my 'favorite' music from the soundtrack, I rarely list the battle music, or the 'contentious' music. It just doesn't drift up the list. But "The End of All Things" really fits the emotions of the activity on screen so well. My brain sits up and takes notice. Then... it comes. "The Return of the King". It's a long track and it holds, for me, the essence of the goodbyes. It's during this track that we see the last of Gimli, then Éowyn and Faramir, and Éomer... Legolas... and finally, Aragorn and Arwen. It's during this track that we hear the last (bar a few echoed notes) of the Fellowship Theme.

The rest of the soundtrack is sweet. But I've already endured the hardest, the breaking of the Fellowship. I'm resigned now. It will end and I will go on.

For such is the way of it: to find and lose, as it seems to those whose boat is on the running stream.

It isn't often that something evokes a strong emotional reaction and then continues evoking that reaction after repeated exposures. Repetition breeds familiarity, numbness, comfort... whatever. But these last tracks, End of All Things, Return of the King, and The Grey Havens don't lose any of their potency for me. It makes me wonder what it was like for Howard Shore to write, orchestrate and record this music. I wonder if he was as caught up in it as we are. I think maybe he was.

Lathriel · 01-24-2006, 05:15 PM

I love this track. For me it brings smiles and tears. I think the music clearly shows how Howard Shore feels. I can just hear from the music that he is just as reluctant as we are to leave ME.(Especially in the Greay Havens)
At the beginning of the track I have to smile as the flute begins to play.
The Tin whistle is replaced by the flute because it shows that all the hobbits have matured and grown up.
Depending on my moof this track has various affects on me. Sometimes I get all teary,sometimes I just smile, and sometimes it makes me feel really calm after a hectic day. So every time I listen to this track it is a surprise because every time I feel something different.
I really like Viggo's solo because songs are such an important part of this book,it shows the multitude of cultures and traditions that ME has.
Renee Fleming's voice is breathtaking, she has such a mellow voice but at the same time it is also very pure, in other words it fits Arwen well.
James Galway steals my heart as he plays the flute solo and it makes me feel sad.However, when the theme is repeated I have to smile since it reminds me of the happiness that was there at the beginning of the book and now it returns for Merry,Pippin and Sam. As for Frodo,I'm not sure. I know that it is a mix for me. I am happy that evil is destroyed but I am sad because Frodo has to leave.
So as you can see this is an important track for me.

Encaitare · 01-27-2006, 04:26 PM

The track begins with Galway on the tin whistle with the low strings on a pedal tone. Then the music moves into something which hints at the Shire theme; at 0:51 we hear a brief bit of the Fellowship theme mixed in with the Havens music. The sound here is gentle but sorrowful, which reminds me of the tranquil Sea they stand by. Also, I'm pretty sure I hear a harp in there somewhere, which gives it an almost magical feel.

At 2:19, the music is the same as that of the Breaking of the Fellowship and Sam's promise not to leave Frodo. Here we have another breaking, this time of the hobbits' own group, and Sam can't keep that promise anymore.

At 3:22, the Shire theme comes in, with the whistle once more. This develops until 4:40, at which point the music of the Havens/Into the West takes over. Beginning at 5:12, the choir sings:

Quote:

Dartha o nas a thar emyn
Men 'wain egor annon thurin
Ah ae anann erphennin hain
Na vedui cenithon aur wain
I badathon raid yriel
Amrûn n'Anor, Annûn n'Ithil.

Still round a corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.

Since it is sung so quietly, it's difficult to hear how much is sung. But it makes me very, very happy that it's in there because I love that poem ever so much.

By the way, great responses last time, everyone. It's amazing how much a single track of music can affect us so strongly.

01-28-2006, 01:42 AM

Only Amrûn n'Anor, Annûn n'Ithil. is sung at 5:17... in this track anyhow.

The whole thing is sung (in English) in Use Well the Days.

The music that was heard at the Breaking of the Fellowship was named by the group I hung with as "The Wisdom of Gandalf." I think our analysis of it would probably differ from Shore's and I have yet to read Doug Adams' notes on this. But it's actually used in a couple of places. You can read what I wrote here: Wisdom of Gandalf

I have sound files of that final music heard as Sam returns to the Shire that I'd like to share if that's acceptable. I don't share music that is available commercially but this isn't, except on the movie DVDs and I'm going to assume you all have those. But I don't know the policies of this board so I'll ask first. For me, that music was as sweet as anything in the Grey Havens. When that green door closes and the words "The End" come up (you might note that 'the end' is not used in the other two movies) well... it's hard. The words, "I'm back" used to move me to sobbing when I read the book. I'm not sure why. But in that moment in the movie, I am 100% connected to the movies, the books, and my personal relationship to them which is deep. It is bliss.

The End of All Things is filled with dramatic tension and ROTK is emotionally wrenching. I think by time I get to the Grey Havens, I'm spent and the music knows it. It goes easy on us.... not so much in that it's soothing or comforting. But more that it just doesn't demand our souls. I think PJ and HS know that we have to return to the real world soon and they're gently preparing us. (Someone commented on this for the previous track and I totally agree.) When ROTK plays in my ears at bedtime, I usually fall asleep pretty quickly but wake at The End of All Things. I'm there for it and ROTK.. but by the Grey Havens, I'm starting to drift back to sleep. All will be okay. Maybe not right now... but in time. I think it's brilliant psychology.

(Hope this makes some sense. I've been up late on a project and am exhausted. But just can't turn away from a soundtrack post that I can contribute to. Night all.)

Lathriel · 01-29-2006, 02:39 PM

I love this track, even though it makes me very sad. Gently we are taken away from ME just as Frodo is but...Every time I listen to this track my eyes get watery.
Throughout this track it seems like it is delaying the ending. Each time you think it is about to end it goes on for another minute. I don't mind this at all and sometimes it even soothes me.
It is also nice and quiet after all the battle music that dominates over half of the soundtrack.

Encaitare · 01-29-2006, 03:01 PM

Magpie, I don't think sharing that file should be a problem, although you might want to double-check with a moderator just in case.

01-23-2006, 04:53 AM	#1
dancing spawn of ungoliant Mischievous Candle Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: So near to Russia, so far from Japan, quite a long way from Cairo, lots of miles from Vietnam. Posts: 1,234	Some thoughts Here we have over 10 minutes of lovely motifs bound together. At this point when watching RotK, I usually get a little distracted because I know that the film will end soon. We've been following a 11-hour-long story that began already in year 2001 (What! It's been over four years since FotR came into theatres), and it's quite sad, really, that this is the beginning of the last 20 minutes, or so. It's also the beginning of the many "endings" of RotK - you know, the film could have ended in Minas Tirith turning into a map, the Hobbits returning to the Shire, the last ship to Valinor setting off... Maybe it's a subtle way to remind the viewers that it's soon time to return to RL from Middle-earth. Heh, kind of when your alarm clock goes off in the morning and you don't want to wake up, you hit "snooze" and get to continue sleeping yet for a while before you really have to get up. This can be heard in the score, too. Although the rest of the film is full of happy moments like the reunion of the Fellowship, the coronation and Sam and Rosie's wedding, we don't see or hear that kind of a spirited joy that we saw at Bilbo's birthday party, for example, but this is much more serene happines that is mixed with melancholy. We hear Renée Fleming's last solo of Arwen, and as Kitanna said, this is the same theme we heard when we first saw Arwen at Troll Shaw. The lyrics are exactly the same and Arwen's part in this story ends to the same words that it began with. We will not see her again. One of the most interesting things on this track is that it's not the Tin Whistle anymore that plays the theme when the Hobbits return to the Shire, but the flute. The Hobbits have changed quite a bit and using another instrument here is a nice way to show that. Here's what Howard Shore tells about Viggo Mortensen's solo: "He sang it when they filmed it and I created a piece to accompany it. Viggo created the melody. This is when Aragorn sings acapella for a few bars and then chorus enters to join him in accompaniment." So, like Billy Boyd, Viggo got to compose his own solo, too. Great job, I say. The solo is very nice, but he sings it so softly that it's hard to tell whether he's singing it for the people who are gathered to his coronation or if he's singing it to himself. __________________ Fenris Wolf

01-23-2006, 10:18 PM	#2
Magpie Guest Posts: n/a	I've been reading along... wanting to take time to post my own thoughts but not ever doing so. Partly, I tell myself, it's because I'm so busy and I never like to do things unless I can do them properly. But I think, it's a bit of Legolas... for me the grief is still too near. What I mean is, the last few tracks of ROTK hold tremendous emotional power over me and I stand in awe of it almost. I don't know if I can do it justice. I don't know if I can bear a close look. But so many of you are writing what I'm feeling and I love reading it. I wrote very little of my emotional responses to the soundtrack when doing my website. This track was one rare exception. I wrote a lot of really personal stuff but I'll copy out the part pertinent to Track 17, The Return of the King. I've been listening to ROTK a lot at bedtime. It swirls in my ears as I fall asleep. Often, I wake up at the beginning of "The End of All Things", perhaps because it has such bombastic opening music. But I think I know it's coming... the end, and my mind needs to take it in. When I list my 'favorite' music from the soundtrack, I rarely list the battle music, or the 'contentious' music. It just doesn't drift up the list. But "The End of All Things" really fits the emotions of the activity on screen so well. My brain sits up and takes notice. Then... it comes. "The Return of the King". It's a long track and it holds, for me, the essence of the goodbyes. It's during this track that we see the last of Gimli, then Éowyn and Faramir, and Éomer... Legolas... and finally, Aragorn and Arwen. It's during this track that we hear the last (bar a few echoed notes) of the Fellowship Theme. The rest of the soundtrack is sweet. But I've already endured the hardest, the breaking of the Fellowship. I'm resigned now. It will end and I will go on. For such is the way of it: to find and lose, as it seems to those whose boat is on the running stream. It isn't often that something evokes a strong emotional reaction and then continues evoking that reaction after repeated exposures. Repetition breeds familiarity, numbness, comfort... whatever. But these last tracks, End of All Things, Return of the King, and The Grey Havens don't lose any of their potency for me. It makes me wonder what it was like for Howard Shore to write, orchestrate and record this music. I wonder if he was as caught up in it as we are. I think maybe he was.

01-24-2006, 05:15 PM	#3
Lathriel Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Wandering through Middle-Earth (Sadly in Alberta and not ME) Posts: 612	I love this track. For me it brings smiles and tears. I think the music clearly shows how Howard Shore feels. I can just hear from the music that he is just as reluctant as we are to leave ME.(Especially in the Greay Havens) At the beginning of the track I have to smile as the flute begins to play. The Tin whistle is replaced by the flute because it shows that all the hobbits have matured and grown up. Depending on my moof this track has various affects on me. Sometimes I get all teary,sometimes I just smile, and sometimes it makes me feel really calm after a hectic day. So every time I listen to this track it is a surprise because every time I feel something different. I really like Viggo's solo because songs are such an important part of this book,it shows the multitude of cultures and traditions that ME has. Renee Fleming's voice is breathtaking, she has such a mellow voice but at the same time it is also very pure, in other words it fits Arwen well. James Galway steals my heart as he plays the flute solo and it makes me feel sad.However, when the theme is repeated I have to smile since it reminds me of the happiness that was there at the beginning of the book and now it returns for Merry,Pippin and Sam. As for Frodo,I'm not sure. I know that it is a mix for me. I am happy that evil is destroyed but I am sad because Frodo has to leave. So as you can see this is an important track for me. __________________ Back again

01-29-2006, 02:39 PM	#6
Lathriel Ghost Prince of Cardolan Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Wandering through Middle-Earth (Sadly in Alberta and not ME) Posts: 612	I love this track, even though it makes me very sad. Gently we are taken away from ME just as Frodo is but...Every time I listen to this track my eyes get watery. Throughout this track it seems like it is delaying the ending. Each time you think it is about to end it goes on for another minute. I don't mind this at all and sometimes it even soothes me. It is also nice and quiet after all the battle music that dominates over half of the soundtrack. __________________ Back again

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01-28-2006, 01:42 AM	#5
Magpie Guest Posts: n/a	Only Amrûn n'Anor, Annûn n'Ithil. is sung at 5:17... in this track anyhow. The whole thing is sung (in English) in Use Well the Days. The music that was heard at the Breaking of the Fellowship was named by the group I hung with as "The Wisdom of Gandalf." I think our analysis of it would probably differ from Shore's and I have yet to read Doug Adams' notes on this. But it's actually used in a couple of places. You can read what I wrote here: Wisdom of Gandalf I have sound files of that final music heard as Sam returns to the Shire that I'd like to share if that's acceptable. I don't share music that is available commercially but this isn't, except on the movie DVDs and I'm going to assume you all have those. But I don't know the policies of this board so I'll ask first. For me, that music was as sweet as anything in the Grey Havens. When that green door closes and the words "The End" come up (you might note that 'the end' is not used in the other two movies) well... it's hard. The words, "I'm back" used to move me to sobbing when I read the book. I'm not sure why. But in that moment in the movie, I am 100% connected to the movies, the books, and my personal relationship to them which is deep. It is bliss. The End of All Things is filled with dramatic tension and ROTK is emotionally wrenching. I think by time I get to the Grey Havens, I'm spent and the music knows it. It goes easy on us.... not so much in that it's soothing or comforting. But more that it just doesn't demand our souls. I think PJ and HS know that we have to return to the real world soon and they're gently preparing us. (Someone commented on this for the previous track and I totally agree.) When ROTK plays in my ears at bedtime, I usually fall asleep pretty quickly but wake at The End of All Things. I'm there for it and ROTK.. but by the Grey Havens, I'm starting to drift back to sleep. All will be okay. Maybe not right now... but in time. I think it's brilliant psychology. (Hope this makes some sense. I've been up late on a project and am exhausted. But just can't turn away from a soundtrack post that I can contribute to. Night all.)

01-29-2006, 03:01 PM	#7
Encaitare Bittersweet Symphony Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: On the jolly starship Enterprise Posts: 1,814	Magpie, I don't think sharing that file should be a problem, although you might want to double-check with a moderator just in case.