Track-by-Track: Soundtrack Discussion and Analysis

[Encaitare]

The track begins sounding rather eerie, with the choir and strings slowly building. At this point, Boromir is trying to convince Frodo to give him the Ring, and the choir sings the following (in Quenya):

i tuo...
i macil...
... (a?)staldaron...
marinyë... cor...
i tuo...
i macil...
a lelyat
túrenna...
i tuo...

the strength...
the sword...
... of-the-valiant (?)...
I-live... ring (?)...
the strength...
the sword...
let they go (?)
to-victory...
the strength...

It seems like a little bit of a rough translation, but it corresponds pretty well to what is going on. Boromir truly believes that he can save Gondor by use of the Ring. After this little episode, the strings become dominant for a bit as Frodo tries to run.

The brass solo which immediately follows reminds me of the Minas Tirith theme that we'll hear in RotK, symbolizing Boromir's fierce loyalty to his land. I have not watched FotR in a long time, so I'm a bit rusty on what exactly is going on after this -- battle shots, I imagine. But at 2:07, the Isengard theme returns with the Uruk-hai. It stops at 2:36, but not before delivering three last hammerblows, which further drive home the point that Boromir, our valiant warrior, is being shot down. The choir returns, mournfully backed up by strings:

... i alda helda
i ehtelë lin(d)a.
Manna lelyalyë
Voromirë...
canelya ... dessë si .... mas

... the tree naked
the spring beautiful.
Where-to you-go
Boromir...
your-valour... ?-in now ... ?

For me this is the most emotional track, because in the movie the sound fades until it seems as though everything is happening very far away, and the music covers most of it up. You can hear Boromir's cries, and see Merry and Pippin's distraught faces just by listening.

Gentle brass and strings playing the Fellowship theme end the track; I believe this is played in the movie when Boromir is finally dead.

One thing I'm not so sure about is this: supposedly, the following lines are sung while Boromir is being shot:

Ú-velin i vegil an aegas
egor i bilin a linnas

I-do-not-love the sword for sharpness,
or the arrow for swiftness

This is of course from Faramir's speech in TTT (the book): "...but I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend: the city of the Men of Numenor..." It's a beautiful passage, and very appropriate for what is going on. However, it doesn't seem to be in the track itself. Maybe it's just in the movie?