Track-by-Track: Soundtrack Discussion and Analysis

[Encaitare]

And so we enter the lovely world of Rivendell, fa-la-la-lally, down here in the valley.

Fortunately there is no silly rhyming, just pretty music.

We have a women's choir and strings, and even a harp which can just be heard underneath them. It all sounds very ethereal. The choir, I was delighted to learn, is singing "A Elbereth Gilthoniel," albeit only the first part:

A Elbereth Gilthoniel,
silivren penna miriel

O Elbereth Star-kindler
(white) glittering slants down sparkling like jewels

Complete lyrics can be found here.

The Rivendell theme is played by an English horn (neither English nor a horn ) at 0:28. I may have said this earlier or in some other thread, but interestingly, the first ascending notes of this theme are repeated in several different pieces. They are almost identical to the first four notes to the vocals in Gollum's Song, and to those in Aragorn's song at his coronation, when he says "sinome maruvan." Just a little something I've noticed.

Then the strings come in with the Shire theme, which is continued by a clarinet. In all this magical, floaty music, the clarinet sounds a little more down-to-earth, fitting with Frodo's meeting with Bilbo and his realization that he misses home more than he ever thought he would. It also sounds sadder than any of the other times we have heard the hobbit's theme, showing how Frodo is changed already.

At 2:06, the Rivendell theme is played by a flute (yay!), segueing once more into a full string version of the Shire theme. These two themes keep slipping into one another; the fate of the hobbits will be decided at Rivendell.