The Horn of Buckland - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

Inziladun · 07-20-2009, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Mouth of Sauron

Sorry, but I don't buy that.

I think 2 distinct horns were required to provide 2 distinct "calls to arms". And JRRT messed up by asking us to believe that Merry carried the Horn of Buckland around throughout the whole adventure.

Why must that be the case? As Esty said, military buglers are required to know many different calls, the meanings of which are readily distinguishable by the trained ear.

Estelyn Telcontar · 07-20-2009, 10:53 AM

Mouth, what you say about different horns being needed for different calls to arms has no basis in either musical or military history. Would a horn player in battle have carried two different horns to play, one for attack and another for retreat? That would have been illogical and impractical.

The passage I quoted earlier is very clear - he blew on the horn of Rohan, then changed the note, not the instrument. Read the words that are written there - no other proof is needed.

Rumil · 07-20-2009, 01:30 PM

Hi all,

I think Esty is quite right, and indeed we know the Horn-call of Buckland

Quote:

AWAKE! FEAR! FIRE! FOES! AWAKE!
FEAR! FIRE! FOES!
AWAKE! AWAKE!

As blown in response to Fatty Bolger's waning of Nazgul invasion. It can't be specific to a particular horn as-

Quote:

Far away answering horns were heard. The alarm was spreading

Which makes sense as otherwise only the owner of one horn could blow the alarm, which is silly!

So to me the tune went something like 'Bwa, wa, wa, wa, Bwa, wa, wa, wa, Bwa, Bwa' (you can tell I'm not a musician huh?

). Sounds a little reminiscent of a British fox-hunting call to me, anyone??

07-20-2009, 10:53 AM	#2
Estelyn Telcontar Princess of Skwerlz Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: where the Sea is eastwards (WtR: 6060 miles) Posts: 7,500	Mouth, what you say about different horns being needed for different calls to arms has no basis in either musical or military history. Would a horn player in battle have carried two different horns to play, one for attack and another for retreat? That would have been illogical and impractical. The passage I quoted earlier is very clear - he blew on the horn of Rohan, then changed the note, not the instrument. Read the words that are written there - no other proof is needed. __________________ 'Mercy!' cried Gandalf. 'If the giving of information is to be the cure of your inquisitiveness, I shall spend all the rest of my days in answering you. What more do you want to know?' 'The whole history of Middle-earth...'