The most Tolkien-Oriented music you make

[mark12_30]

Nuru: totally love your sig...

That master list I mentioned earier, in very rough draft form, ishere. There is another list (MUCH shorter) that I intend to learn...

[Nurumaiel]

Helen,
Yes, it's an altogether grand song, and one of my favorites. However, to get back on the subject...

That's quite a long list! I wish you the best of luck with the songs you shall learn. Any idea what you'll do for tunes? I would find it quite fascinating to, rather than applying tunes from other songs to Tolkien songs, actually compose your own tunes. Maybe I can try a bit of that today. I always did want a tune for the Lament for Boromir.

While we're on the topic of learning Tolkien's songs, here is a site that has the words to verses in LotR, which can come in handy. Much easier than flipping through the book, I think! However it does cause a bit of a problem while trying to compose a song for the tune if you're not quite sure of the situation alreayd. Does anyone know of a site that has not just the verses from LotR but all Tolkien's works?

[mark12_30]

Nuru! Hi! Good to see you!

The list I posted is a list of (mostly) songs that people have performed WITH tunes. The second column is the CD author (or in some cases, the fact that its an MP3 I got online somplace, either a sample or a freebie, as is the case for the Donald Swann collection.)

If you're curious, I could make a list of the CDs that I bought to asssemble the list. There are a few more on order.

More later, must catch the bus! Good to see you, Nuru!

The distilling-down (which I am in the process of) involves choosing, when there are multiple versions, which version I feel is the most Tolkienish/ MiddleEarthy. (And by the way, that I'll be able to sing myself. Half of the Tolkien Ensemble stuff- nope, no can do.)

[mark12_30]

Musicians might be interested in a thread I started in Novices and Newcomers called Middle-Earth Music Reviews. Oddly enough no one has reviewed the Soundtracks yet! Feel free to do so. I'd also like to see reviews of music BOOKS there. Hmm, think I'll go add a format for that one too...

Who has been playing what these days? I'm about to go sit by the woodstove with a Pennywhistle and figure out a few tunes. Dragoneyes, I'll start with Concerning Hobbits...

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 6:38 PM January 23, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[Orominuialwen]

I'm very glad to have found this thread! I play the violin and a bit of the mandolin (I don't own one, though). I have the FotR piano sheet music and Gollum's song. I've also taught myself to play the Rohan theme from TTT, although it's in the wrong key. I can also play the Gondor theme from RotK (it's closest to what you hear on The White Tree). Has anybody ever heard of the band Bare Necessities? They play English Country Dance music, which is mostly from the late 1600's to the early 1800's. One song they play, called The Ragg, is very Hobbitish.

[mark12_30]

tifo, Arwen, Nuru, Peony, AND Dragoneyes, (And Imladris if you're checking) I had fun with the Pennywhistle (tinwhistle) last night, and got thru May It Be, Concerning Hobbits (what I remembered, I played the choir-boy version) and Into the West. I couldn't remember enough of the Rohan theme to keep it going more than a line or two. I'd better learn how to hum it, and then try again...

Dragoneyes, to do some of those you do need the second octave on the Recorder. It's shrill; but it's there. Easier on a Pennywhistle! But if you love the Recorder it's worth learning. Peony, can you help with that? Do you have fingerings for the second octave of the Recorder? (I need 'em too)

Orominuialwen -- Bare Necessities is a WONDERFUL band. They played at the Concord contradance (at least once that I remember-- eh, that was 1986 or so) and Peter (the Piano player) absolutely hynotized me with his Pennywhistle playing... (tune is running thru my head now...) he looked like an elf, but he definitely played like a hobbit. Yes. Great band.

Violin and mandolin-- nice! I fiddled too, back in the '80s. Scottish. I was convinced that Scotland was the closest thing to Middle-Earth. (I think the Highland Fling and the Foursome Reel would be instinctive for any hobbit, don't you?)

Peony, you said that the piano is not very Middle-Earthish. While I'd agree with that, I think it is VERY Tolkienish. It is the ultimate Edwardian Drawing Room instrument. Just look at Tolkien's delight in Donald Swann's work-- he LOVED it. To some of us it sounds inappropriate to M-E but I think we forget that was the style Tolkien grew up with. My grandparents played music like that! All the time!

So, in one sense, it may not be particularly elvish, the piano; and yet in another, I think the denizens of Middle-Earth would have taken to it like a duck takes to water. I certainly wouldn't be shy about playing ME music on the piano. One of my favorite peices by Tolkien Ensemble is their version of Luthien, "The Leaves were Long, the Grass was green." Drawing Room piano. Magnificent. Even thought its accompanied by piano, it still sounds to me like it's from Rivendell with Aragorn singing...

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 2:37 PM January 24, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[mark12_30]

Amateur online guitar chords (Wheee!) for:
into the west
may it be

[Aiwendil]

For any that are interested, I recently wrote an essay on the music of Middle-earth for an event hosted by one of the guilds over at The Tolkien Forum.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 3:28 PM January 24, 2004: Message edited by: Aiwendil ]

[mark12_30]

Essay, Aiwendil? You mean book?? I'm printing it out so I can snuggle up to the woodstove with it. More later! Looks fascinating.

[Aiwendil]

Hmm . . . I guess it is a bit lengthy. I must say it's not the best thing I've ever written. I think I had some interesting ideas, but I wrote it in a hurry and it's thus a bit disorganized. Nonetheless, it was fun.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 9:33 PM January 24, 2004: Message edited by: Aiwendil ]

[mark12_30]

Aiwendil: to be blunt, I thought your essay was spot-on, brilliant, canonical, and over the heads of most of us. Thank God you included the musical glossary at the end. (Put it at the beginning!)
Seriously, for maximum impact, I'd add a set of links, with soundbyte-samples of each style of music you are referring to. Bach I know, but who is Palestrina, and what does his work sound like? It took me a moment to sort thru Polyphony, Homophony, and monophony; once I knew Poly- and Mono-, but Homo- threw me for a complete loop.

Anyway, more to the point: Tolkien's world DOES emphasize loss of grandeur and sophistication, leading to decay and simplification. I thought you supported your arguments brilliantly; a magnificent essay. Are you interested in producing a simpler version for the rest of us to grasp, while leaving the sophisticated original intact?

[Aiwendil]

Cross-posting, alas.

I'm glad you liked it. I became aware of what you point out as I was writing it: that it requires more knowledge of music theory than I had at first thought, and that it would benefit from an accompanying library of musical examples. Unfortunately, I don't know of any suitable online libraries, and I don't have webspace to put up the examples myself. But perhaps it would be worthwhile for me to search the internet for suitable clips.

Anyway, thanks for enthusiastic response! The reception at TTF has been lukewarm - due, no doubt, to my inability to avoid using so much music theory terminology.

[mark12_30]

Does Amazon have any Palestrina CDs? They usually have clips for a few of the cuts at least. You could get some chant clips there too; also Bach; and maybe whatever else you needed.

Faure's Requiem is BLISS, and strikes me as very Middle-Earthy indeed.

Do you think the Anulindale sounded anything like Handel's Messiah? [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] Or perhaps Beethoven's Ninth, w/ Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee... plus counterpoint?

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 9:53 PM January 24, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[Aiwendil]

Amazon is a great idea - I never thought of it. If I get a chance later, I'll add some relevant links.

I think that parts of The Messiah are very appropriate for the Ainulindale. I mentioned Bach a lot and Handel not at all, but that's only because Bach's style epitomizes late Baroque counterpoint in a way that Handel's doesn't. But of course their styles are very similar.

Beethoven's ninth symphony is something that I've often thought sounded like the music of the Ainur. I didn't mention it in the essay because I have no basis for that belief at all; it's just a personal fancy. But if you think the same thing, perhaps there is something to it. The first two movements of the symphony in particular suggest Creation to me.

[mark12_30]

I think the reason Ode to Joy/ Ninth reminds me so much of the Ainulindale is that it's so thunderously powerful and at the same time so harmonious. It's not muddy (like Brahms), it's good "clean" classical (I like my triads, thank you) and yet it's not (watch this) homophony (wow, I used it); there's a bit of counterpoint-ish stuff going on. So it's woven music, still, but harmonically clean and *so* thunderous. Musical power at its best.

I love Tchaikowsky; it's full of elvish dances, and some hobbit-dances too (especially Sleeping Beauty) and his Waltz of the Snowflakes could have been sung by elves; but none of his stuff ever struck me as Ainulindale-ish...

Do you know "The Cygnets" from Swan Lake? Sometimes elves dance that, sometimes dwarves. [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

[Aiwendil]

I've added links to pages at Amazon with relevant samples, as per your suggestion. Thanks again.

I agree about Beethoven's ninth. Beethoven managed to be Romantic (and revolutionary) while still retaining the Classical ideals, and that combination makes for some pretty good music. And you're right, it's not just homophonic. As a matter of fact very few works are strictly homophonic - but the earlier pure Classical style was generally rather highly homophonic. Beethoven was, as a matter of fact, never fully comfortable with full-fledged contrapuntal writing; for him it was hard work and did not come naturally. But the work paid off. In the 4th movement of the Ninth Symphony, for example, there are two fugues (a fugue is a rather rigid, complex form of polyphonic writing). Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has got to be one of the greatest things produced by humanity.

I can indeed imagine some bits of Tchaikowsky as "Elvish", though certainly not all of his stuff. It's been a while since I've listened to Swan Lake, though.

[mark12_30]

Aiwendil, thanks for putting those links in! As soon as I have time to check them all out, I will. And I'm looking forward to it.

Before I read your essay I was hoping it wasn't like others I'd read, which went for over-simplification... VERY glad to see I was wrong!

I'm going to make one more suggestion... which won't be easy for you as a writer but would make it much esasier for the reader, I think. How about providing an opening point-by-point thesis declaration?

In doing so, you would be laying your roadmap early, and declaring your destination; which always feels like you are giving away your thunder-- but actually makes your thunder much more understandable by the time you get to it. In addition, an opening thesis declaration would allow you a good place for earlier definitions of polyphony, homophony, and monophony which would make the *entire* thesis much more readable.

With that structure firmly in place, I'd start recommending the essay to everyone I knew that was Middle_Earth-Music inclined! In some manner, it belongs in the Middle-Earth Music Reviews; in a way, it's a review of everything out there. Hmmm, food for thought.

Anyway-- Please, Aiwendil, please seriously consider such a revision... If you like, I'll very gladly help you construct the thesis paragraph. I've become a big fan of your ideas and I would like them to be easier to understand-- and I think they really can be.

(And then post the WHOLE THING here.) (And send it to TheOneRing.net too.)

Can you tell I like it?

Let me know if I can assist you with a succinct opening thesis paragraph. I'd be thrilled.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 8:12 AM January 27, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[mark12_30]

Dragoneyes and other Recorder-meisters: Since Concerning Hobbits **must** be playable on a Recorder, and the perky parts required a few more high notes than I knew the fingerings for, I wanted a recorder fingering chart.

(I have a pennywhistle chart already: Pennywhistle: for the second octave, just blow harder...)

Soooo--- Yesterday I bought a recorder that came with a handy fingering chart. Thrills! The gist of it is this: for the second octave, the fingerings are pretty similar to the first octave except for the thumbhole (on the back at the top.) To get most of the second octave you just slide your thumb 1/3 to 1/4 of the way off the hole. In other words you let a little teeny bit of air out of the thumbhole-- not much at all-- just 1/4 of the hole. And then you blow harder.

Try it when you're alone, because it's challenging at first (squeeeee-honk) but once you get it it's not bad. The main thing is 1/4 opening under the thumb, and then breath control; for high notes the breath has to push more from your gut, like singing high notes. Both come from your abdomen...

So anyway, buying the recorder was worth it just for the fingering chart-- and now I have an extra plastic recorder anyway. ($3.99-- music has never been so cheap! Everyone should have one at that price.)

So, Middle-Earth Recorder-Meisters, both current and aspiring, I will try to post a complete fingering chart one of these days. (what's elvish for Meister, I wonder...?)

Next question: We've got Guitar players, piano players, flute/pennywhistle/recorder players... brass-players... We need elvish names for 'em all. I guess the flute/whistle/recorder players can be honorary Daerons. Any harpists out there?

Incidentally, a quiet, unassuming, not-bad-little-beginner's-harp can be easily made from two-by-fours, nails, screw-eyes, a couple of rods, and some heavy fish string (hundred-pound test is best, but whatever.)

harp

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 8:51 AM January 27, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[Imladris]

Aaargh!!!! I should have visited this thread a long time ago. Thanks to mark 12_30 for telling me about it. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]

So, I play the piano and I can probably still play the flute a little bit...

The poem about Nimrodel is my favourite piece of poetry by Tolkien, and I wanted to start composing a piece for it...but where to begin? I've only had a beginners music theory class and I have no idea what to do for the different themes (Nimrodel and Amroth).

Where can one find a penny whistle? The instrument sounds fascinating.

[mark12_30]

I can hear the strains of Concerning Hobbits across the internet now... Imladris, most decent music stores carry Pennywhistles, if they carry acoustic instruments at all. They should be around ten bucks or less; if the store charges more than that, you gotta wonder about the store.

I like Oak (in D) or Generation, here (or here. Whatever brand you choose get it in the key of D. I've got an oak D and a Generation D. I also have a Generation in G, because it's little and therefore cute (and shrill too.)

But there are lots of different brands.

In terms of composing your own themes for Nimrodel and Amroth (what a WONDERFUL idea)--improvisation can be a good place to start. Just get alone with your instrument, make stuff up as you go, and see what happens. Whiel I was at it, I'd pray for inspiration too (God is good at stuff like that.) [img]smilies/wink.gif[/img] [img]smilies/cool.gif[/img]

Here's an interesting page: Sessioneer Web Site, Click on the lefthand menu and look for "Tin Whistle Guide." Looks like lots of good info there. Way more than I know!!!

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 9:50 PM January 27, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[Imladris]

Many thanks, mark 12_30 for the info on the penny whistles and the advice for Nimrodel and Amroth...I shall be alone for two hours tomorrow.... [img]smilies/evil.gif[/img]

On a side note, on the first page you told us to mention a song that reminded you of ME. Well, Edvard Grieg wrote a song called In the Hall of the Mountain King . Now besides it being an awesome title, it instantly brings to my mind the image of Thorin Oakenshield. The song itself is amazing: it starts off softly with a lilting pattern. Slowly the same theme repeats with a base towards the middle and some cellos or fiddles before it surges into a powerful burst of music with drums. The same soft theme is there, but it's like thunder in the distance underneath the soft theme. It ends in a collage of drums. This reminds me of dwarves: I can see them delving in a deep mountain hammering metal and stuff....the only problem is I think the piece was used in Fantasia so occasionally a wizard crowned Mickey Mouse interferes. [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

[Aiwendil]

mark12_30: Hmm . . . I thought I had actually made my intent clear fairly early on in the essay. The thesis is basicly:

Perhaps we ought to imagine the music of Middle-earth as declining through the ages, so that the songs of Gondor are but echoes of the songs of Numenor; and those are but echoes of the songs of the Eldar in Aman. If we view the music of Middle-earth in this way, the situation becomes the reverse of the one we were considering above. Perhaps it does not represent the time at which polyphony was overtaking monophony; perhaps it represents the time at which polyphony was giving way to monophony, declining into monophony. Perhaps the evolution of music in the Renaissance ought to be thought of as the rediscovery of techniques and practices that were lost with the decline of Men and the departure of the Elves.

I suppose that, with the alteration of a few pronouns that lose their antecedents out of context, that could serve as an opening thesis declaration.

Did you have something different in mind? I'd be happy to hear your suggestion.

[mark12_30]

That is a good starting place, although there is much in your essay that is not foretold in that paragraph. I will look at it some more tomorrow.

The thesis is your opinion, your interpretation of the facts; that's a given. You needn't reiterate that it's your opinion. SO take out all the "perhaps'es" and replace them with a firm If-then statement, in which the "Then" has three parts. I;m thinking of something like this:

The culture of Arda begins in complexity and progresses through decline to simplicity. If we assume that the music of Middle-Earth follows the same pattern, then (first point) The Third Age represents the time at which the polyphony of the first and second age was declining into monophony;(second point) the First Age is then a decline from the music of the Ainur; and (third point) the evolution of music in our Renaissance ought to be thought of as the rediscovery of techniques and practices that were lost with the decline of Men and the departure of the Elves.

That would do for a three-pointthesis, but your essay contains omre than this thesis introduces...

More thought needed. Good night!

[mark12_30]

mark12_30: Hmm . . . I thought I had actually made my intent clear fairly early on in the essay.

Yes; and no; it's woven in with a lot of introductory discussion which would be okay for a book, but not for a paper of that length, I think. (English majors & proffs, feel free to chime in here.) You want your first paragraph to present a simple summary of your overall thrust, and then bluntly announce your main points.

Your opening paragraphs are detailed, rich with material but too intricate (IMO) for an opening paragraph. That kind of intricate material belongs more in the body, I think. Maybe it's a fourth point. Or maybe it's the first point you argue... (point one) "To date, popular conceptions of M-E music ignore Tolkien's overarching theme of initial sophistication followed by slow, poignant decay." Follow with other three points discussed earlier... THen your supporting material in the first several paragraphs becomes the first main paragraph of the body.

However that still leaves out some material you have in there. Alas, I must now get to work. More at lunchbreak I hope!

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 7:51 AM January 30, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[The Barrow-Wight]

I'm moving this to Novices and Newcomers where to be with the other music topics. It will be deleted from this forum soon.

[mark12_30]

Esty has suggested that the thesis discussion may not hold interest for everyone involved on this thread. I see her point, and yet, since the forums are all about learning to write, I had been hoping that others had gotten interested in the thesis concept. Am I kidding myself? If so Aiwendil and I can continue offline. So please let me know if anybody besides me and Aiewendil are following this thesis development?
[img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]
[img]smilies/rolleyes.gif[/img]

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 10:27 AM January 30, 2004: Message edited by: mark12_30 ]

[Orominuialwen]

mark12_30, I'm sort of following the thesis discussion, although I don't understand a lot of it. I'm so glad you've heard of Bare Necessities! Nobody outside of my ECD and other folk dance friends seem to have heard of them. I've seen them live once (they're coming back here again in March, I think) and I own one of their CD's. Every time I hear The Ragg I want to get up and dance the Springle-Ring. For any of you who haven't heard The Ragg, it can be found here. So do you do contra dance? I have been dancing for most of my life, and in addition to contra and ECD, I also do Irish Ceili, which has very Hobbitish-sounding music.

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 11:04 PM January 30, 2004: Message edited by: Orominuialwen ]

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 11:06 PM January 30, 2004: Message edited by: Orominuialwen ]

[mark12_30]

Orominuialwen, I'm delighted that the thesis discussion interests you-- please, if you have questions, ask them!

Dance... don't all elves? Oh, yeah, I'm a hobbit. Well, they dance too.

Oh, my, yes, although I haven't had many opportunities in quite a while; but in my younger days... Scottish Country (as in RSCDS) and Highland; and some dabbling in Irish Step, English Country (love those elegant running waltzes) and Contra. Oh, and Irish House polkas are fun too...

Nuru and I were trying to write a Springle Ring (composed of Scottish and Irish steps) but the thread got closed. * pout! sulk!* [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

I love the section in The Hobbit where it describe the elves in Rivendell dancing on Midsummer's eve by the river's edge.

I had invented a few elvish dances at one point; now what did I do with them? One copy of them can be found in The Seventh Star, in Aman's congratulatory party.

My high school yearbook quote (Twenty-five years ago!) was:

"Tinuviel was dancing there
To music of a pipe unseen
And light of stars was in her hair
and (in her) raiment glimmering."

[mark12_30]

I'm considering buying the music books for Howard Shore's stuff; now I need answers? Those of you who have the books: what keys are used? Is it If the keys are too bizarre (who invented E-flat, anyway?) I doubt I'll get them. I'm hoping for lots of D and G and maybe some A and E. C would be okay. You know: Pennywhistle keys, Fiddle keys...

Copies of The Road Goes Ever On have arrived: the new British black-covered version with the CD; and an old 1978 pink copy I bought on ebay...too bad it smells like cigarettes. It'll have to air out in the garage for a few months.

The only other songbook I have is The Starlit Jewel; plus a few amateur (but good) tab/chord-charts I found online. See links above. I'm wondering how the chords for the "Tolkien Ensemble" stuff iare going to be... I'll be "tabbing" those myself, it looks like (just for the chords.)

[Imladris]

I think I have the books you are talking about. Most of the songs are not in weird in keys.

However, Aniron (Theme for Aragorn and Arwen) (FotR) is difficult...I think it's in the key of E flat... (I'm having a major brain drain here -- there's four flats).

The Prophecy is very difficult with a bunch of chords and accidentals. I never play it.

In Two Towers:

There are a few songs that are very repetitive and that I don't play. They are Isengard Unleased and Forth Eorlings . But there are no difficult keys in that one.

I highly recommend these books...I play in them all the time. Unfortunately they don't have a lot of the songs and themes (example: they don't have "Concerning Hobbits" and to my brother's disgust no Ringwraith themes).

I hope these are the books you are speaking of?

Cheers!
Istawen

[mark12_30]

Yes, those are the books. Thanks for the reviews! Do you use them for piano or flute? ...or violin? [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img]

Gee, could I talk you into reviewing the books in the Music Review section? Please? Just follow the format in the first post.

[Imladris]

I play them for piano, though they'd probably be good for flute too, especiallyt the elvish versions... [img]smilies/biggrin.gif[/img] Actually, the Rohan part in TTT would sound excellent on violin!

Enjoy! I think they are worth the money. Unfortunately, RotK probably isn't out yet. [img]smilies/frown.gif[/img]

*scurries to music review section* [img]smilies/tongue.gif[/img]

[Orominuialwen]

Let's see...
Aniron is in E flat major, like Imladris said. It doesn't turn out well on the violin at all. It's definitely more of a vocal than instrumental piece.
In Dreams starts out in D major, and then halfway through switches to E major.
The Prophecy I believe is in A minor, but it has lots of accidentals.
Lament For Gandalf is also in A minor I think, with quite a few accidentals as well. It works very well as a duet (my friend and I did it on the violin -- very nice)
Many Meetings is in C major. It's got a whole lot of slurs to.
May It Be is in A major. It sometimes can be a bit difficult because it is a more vocal than instrumental piece, but it works much better than Aniron.

Those are all the pieces for FotR (unfortunately no music for Concerning Hobbits or The Bridge of Khazad Dum, which are two of my favorite pieces.

I don't have all the music from TTT, only Gollum's Song(I have no time to go and buy the rest [img]smilies/mad.gif[/img] ). It is A minor with lots of accidentals.

Hope this helps!

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 4:36 PM February 03, 2004: Message edited by: Orominuialwen ]

<font size=1 color=339966>[ 10:56 PM February 06, 2004: Message edited by: Orominuialwen ]

[Nurumaiel]

I also do Irish Ceili, which has very Hobbitish-sounding music.

I must agree with you there, Orominuialwen, and add that many of the Irish dances I learned struck me as very Hobbitish. As I rose to more advanced levels of dancing I began learning solo dances, but what group dances I did learn I very much enjoyed... and I must say it was a thrill regardless listening to the music.

I had invented a few elvish dances at one point; now what did I do with them? One copy of them can be found in The Seventh Star, in Aman's congratulatory party.

Helen, I'll be sure to check up on that! Any suggested music for the dancing of it?

But forgive me for getting off topic..... I'm supposed to be discussing music, not dancing.

A friend of mine has the sheet music from the movie and I was able to look through them... they looked entirely grand, and I would love to get my hands on them, yet then again it might be great fun to figure it out myself, especially as you say there is no Concerning Hobbits!

In terms of composing your own themes for Nimrodel and Amroth (what a WONDERFUL idea)--improvisation can be a good place to start. Just get alone with your instrument, make stuff up as you go, and see what happens. Whiel I was at it, I'd pray for inspiration too (God is good at stuff like that.)

Helen, I agree heartily with your last sentence, as well as everything else. Unfortunately (or, rather, I consider it a very fortunate thing though it's hard to compose music in silence) the house I live in is bursting full with children and it's difficult to find a quiet place to sit and play. As soon as all this snow melts (which it is doing), the woods will no doubt welcome me.

Meanwhile, however, it isn't too bad a thing for me to be taking tunes I already know and applying them to Tolkien's verses. I gathered together all the songs and poems from the LotR and sat in front of the papers for awhile, taking one song at a time and humming through as many songs I could remember I remembered. I started late into the night, however, I only got one song figured out... The Lay of Luthien and Beren fits quite well into the tune of The Foggy Dew, though I wouldn't venture to say it was perfect. The tune for the latter song can be found here , and while I wouldn't say it is exactly music, the midi does portray the tune well enough.

Must run now!

[mark12_30]

What is everyone working on lately?

The Lay of Nimrodel has been haunting me (because of the new Gondor RPG) and I'm quite fond of the version by Tolkien Ensemble. I really should pull it together on guitar (and then, harp... and whistle. Gee, i wonder if i could mix them all & come up with a decent track.)

[mark12_30]

Here is the most amazing page of Tolkien Filk I've **ever** seen: Tolkien Filk

Some of the songs are funny, satirical, absurd, what not. But there are enough carefully-word-smithed songs... well, just go there. Check out all the links.

Some truly amazing things have been done with "The Sound of Silence", "Fire and Rain", "In My Life", and even numerous Evanescence songs.

No, Really. Would I make that up??

[mark12_30]

Amazon has the RotK sheet music book! I just ordered it (plus the other two.)

amazon!


This site you purchase a download that you print out yourself. They seem to have lots of good LOTR sheetmusic. I'd much rather have the bound book, though...
musicnotes

[Elennar Starfire]

Recently, I bought a cd by Loreena McKennit, and the 4th track, I think, (relatively new...can't remember the title) sounded like what those elves were playing. The track had a Turkish sufi feel, which was exotic enough.

Might it have been The Mummer's Dance? I absolutely love that one! It plays quite nicely on the recorder, and I expect on the whistle as well, I shall have to try it.

So, in one sense, it may not be particularly elvish, the piano;

Having heard my friend play Aniron on the piano, whilst singing, I am inclined to disagree...

I can play Gollum's song on the recorder, but not on the whistle...darn accidentals!

Daeron plays Uilleann pipes, in my mental picture.

[Elennar Starfire]

I found a lovely tune, Tabhair dom do Lámh. Very Hobbitty.

[mark12_30]

I LOVE THAT TUNE! I must have had Boys of the Lough copy, long ago when LPs were around. Thanks for bringing that up. Wouldn't it be great as a jig? So do youthink the Springle Ring is a jig or a reel or ...?