Introduction | Fellowship of the Ring | Two Towers | Return of the King | Notes and Links

The Fellowship of the Ring

1.) The Prophecy

The choir sings in Quenya:

Hlasta!
Quetis Ilfirimain:
Corma turien te
Corma tuvien
Corma tultien te
Huines se nutien.
Tercáno Nuruva.
Tuvien Corma tultien te
Huinesse nutien
Corma turien te Corma.

In English, their words are:

Listen!
It speaks to those who were not born to die:
[One] Ring to rule them [all]
[One] Ring to find [them]
[One] Ring to bring them [all]
[And] in the Darkness bind it
[The] Herald of Death
to find [One] Ring, to bring them [all]
[And] in the Darkness bind it
[One] Ring to rule them [all], [One] Ring

And so it begins.

Of course, this sounds as any properly menacing prologue should! The most important parts of this track come into play late. There is a theme that is associated with both GOLLUM AND THE RING, as opposed to just Gollum or the Ring (which are other themes), and it plays at 02:17. It's hard to give that theme a good name, but it "Gollum and the Ring" is close enough for our purposes. (Apparently not on the soundtrack for the first film is the RING HISTORY THEME, which plays over the emobssed "Lord of the Rings" logo on all three films, in the strings. It'll come up later.)

At 3:34, a lone trumpet plays a sort of muted, sad version of what we will come to know and love as the HOBBIT THEME.

2.) Concerning Hobbits

00:05: the HOBBIT THEME plays in a nice, pastoral flute. At 00:28, we begin with SHIRE MUSIC. 2:16 brings us back to the HOBBIT THEME, once again in the flute. These are themes that will come back often over the course of the next ten hours of film.

3.) The Shadow of the Past

00:15: We hear, once again, the theme previously called GOLLUM AND THE RING, but now we can tell why the name is perhaps inappropriate. The music represents one of the kinds of influence the Ring can have. This theme, sad and distant, lasts until almost the 01:00 mark. At 01:13, we've got the MORDOR music full-on, as some of the component themes -- those for BARAD-DUR and the NAZGUL (the angry choir, plus the basoon stuff that starts around 01:52, and again after the 2:00 mark) -- make themselves known. Listen for that continuous, relentless percussive beat underneath: it sounds like armies marching, and in TTT it's paired with a visual of marching armies as well.

At 02:16 the music mellows out once again into the theme with which it began, and at 03:16 that's the music of the NAZGUL insinuating itself.

4.) The Treason of Isengard

At 00:06, the RINGCALL begins: the Ring sings its temptation, its shiny allure. We will hear this over and over in the trilogy. It's one of the themes to listen for when watching the film, because it clues you into plot and character psychology instantly.

There's a kind of beat in the percussion from 00:50 until 01:06, roughly. It's not really part of a known motive, but if you listen carefully it's a kind of pattern that comes up somewhat frequently in these scores. There are patterns aplenty in Shore's work. The HOBBIT THEME sounds at 01:26, in a haunting horn call. At 01:39, we hear the FELLOWSHIP THEME for the first time, but only a glimpse of it, subdued and quiet in the horn and oboe; it won't be complete until later when the Fellowship is.

At 02:00, do you hear the FELLOWSHIP music get seriously *bent*? That's Mordor music playing underneath it, and at 02:20, we've gone straight into NAZGUL music which, at 02:55, expands and picks up the chorus.

5.) The Black Rider

00:08 -- SHIRE music, as Merry and Pippin burst on scene. It's a frantic variation on track #2,as we can now hear. Here's a nice little hobbity interlude, as they run through the cornfield and fall onto the road.

However, this track has it's name for a reason. The NAZGUL THEME starts building a little after the one-minute mark, and that's what we've got for the rest of the track. It's a good presentation, working in all the aspects of the NAZGUL music. (The choir is singing in Andunaic, by the way). This is music that plays as Frodo instructs the others to, "get off the road, quick!"

6.) At the Sign of the Prancing Pony

Mostly this is Bree music, which I don't bother to qualify as its own theme because it never comes back. Some of the things we hear in relation to Stider do pop up again, but it's not so much a theme as it is a couple of well-placed leading tones. 01:35 brings a good and solid restatement of the NAZGUL music around again, which lasts until roughly 2:40. At that point, we meet a sudden shift into 5/4, and it's hello, ISENGARD MUSIC, which is possibly the most distincive theme to pick out simply because of that uneven meter (ONE two three ONE two ONE two three ONE two -- it feels unbalanced, even if you don't know what 5/4 means. And anyway, you do now. Go ahead, count along with it; it's easier than you think).

7.) A Knife in the Dark

NAZGUL music right off the bat. At 1:38, that uneven ISENGARD meter returns, this time specifically with the melody we'll associate with the Uruk-Hai (01:46 - 01:50 is the first statement of that phrase). At 02:16, a boy sporano starts singing the theme I can only think of as "Nature's Revenge," although it actually shows up in a few other situations, once in each film. It conects to Treebeard and to Gandalf later on. The ISENGARD music picks up again at 02:46 and lasts until 03:14. I think, personally, that the jangling chains are a very effective way to communicate badguy music!

8.) Flight to the Ford

This track begins as Frodo, fading, has a vision of Arwen. The text, which is part of the Lay of Leithan, comes up three times total in the films; Aragorn sang it once already, in the extended cut of this movie, and we'll hear it in ROTK. This music itself does come back for Arwen, at a much, much later point in the story (think weddings), which makes it a theme that unites Aragorn and Arwen. However, the sound of a quiet, solo female voice is what we will come to associate with Arwen throughout.

Of course, after picking up Frodo she's getting wildly chased by NAZGUL. The music slowly builds to incorporate their sound, and at 02:31 we're give a full statement of their theme.

9.) Many Meetings

This track begins immediately with the RIVENDELL THEME (also associated with Elrond, what with him being lord of Rivendell and all). The theme here is not so much the choir of elvenly voices as it is the string (and, after the 00:30 mark, oboe) pulse underneath, rhythmic and repeating, undulating up and down. Then at 00:41, surprise! the HOBBIT THEME plays (with a bit of SHIRE music dropped in), as the four hobbits, plus old Bilbo, all reunite. At 02:06 the RIVENDELL theme returns, this time in the flute. At 02:27, we're back to the HOBBIT theme.

10.) The Council of Elrond

This one, again, starts with the RIVENDELL music, in the mid-to-low strings. Enya sings "Aniron" for us, which isn't a thematic element particularly, though it is a very pretty love song, and incorporates nicely into the Rivendell atmosphere.

02:29 brings a familiar-sounding theme, as we hear the FELLOWSHIP starting -- slowly -- to form. Woohoo, an axe, a bow, and a sword! HOBBIT music plays at 02:54 and SHIRE music enters at 03:06 as Merry, Pippin, and Sam figure out what's going on and join in, and 03:18 brings us our first full and official blast of the FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, complete with crash cymbal. Hurrah! The Fellowship is complete, and so their theme is also, completely orchestrated and fleshed out as wholly as it can be. Note also the triumphal tone, as something is settled and they prepare for the Quest.

11.) The Ring Goes South

At 00:25, a sad vatiation on the HOBBIT music kicks in, followed by a bold horn statement of same at 00:51. At 01:15 we've got the whole FELLOWSHIP cresting the mountain, one by one (one of my favorite shots and one of my favorite musical cues as well).

12.) A Journey in the Dark

Moria's just plain creepy, not to mention evil, and the music makes no pretense of being otherwise. At 01:21, the music tells us just who, exactly, Frodo feels is following them, by presenting us with the music that associates GOLLUM AND THE RING.

This music is primarily describing a place -- in this case, Moria. The music which accompanies the abandoned underground city of Dwarrodelf is, indeed, impressive, but just as in the case of Bree above does not constitute a significant theme, simply because we never return to this place.

13.) The Bridge of Khazad-Dum

00:01: The FELLOWSHIP flees for their lives with their own theme playing, in about as bold and dramatic a fashion as you could ask for. At 00:18, we slip back into the 5/4 meter. It's not a statement of the Isengard music, but I think that Shore put these orcs in the same meter (as with, by the way, the advancing army at the Siege of Minas Tirith, two films along) to draw a subconscious connection. When we hear something in 5/4, we know it's up to no good, and generally wants to kill our heroes.

Not much in the way of motive statements in here, but the music of the Balrog chase is fantastic. It's worth watching the Extended Edition DVD special features just to see the Maori football team in the recording studio, laying down the guttural chant in the chorus. Brilliant. Anyway, Lo! Our erstwhile fellowship has made it down the stairs, sans dwarf-tossing, and at 03:37 that statement of the FELOWSHIP THEME tells you so, as they run towards the bridge.

Of course, you can hear the moment Gandalf's gone over (but in case you can't, somehow, it's at 04:41). *sniff*

14.) Lothlorien

Right from the beginning, this track introduces us to the LOTHORIEN music, which is by proxy Galadriel's music. It gets a little confusing, because throughout this track the elves of Lorien are singing a lament for Gandalf, and so we don't know until the theme pops up later, in the next film, that this music necessarily represents Lothlorien, Galadriel, and the Galadhrim. But, well, there you have it.

At 02:34, the Lament properly begins:

In gwidh ristennin, i fae narchannen
I Lach Anor ed ardhon gwannen
Calad veleg, ethuiannen.
Mithrandir, Mithrandir! A Randir Vithren!
Ú-reniathach i amar galen
I reniad lín ne môr, nuithannen

15.) The Great River

This track starts with a version of the FELLOWSHIP theme, but you can hear how echoing, small, and sad it sounds. The Fellowship has, after all, lost one of their own; they now carry the burden of grief as well as being a smaller group, bereft of a leader. We didn't have that complete Fellowship very long at all. At 00:51, there they go down the Anduin.

At 01:27, we reach the Argonath (the two statues of the great kings). The text in the choir is, Et Eärello Endorenna utúlien. Sinome maruvan ar Hildinyar tenn' Ambar-metta! If it doesn't sound familiar yet, you're in for a treat two films from now. By using those words as Aragorn reaches the Argonath, Shore et al. are handing us the story on a silver platter.

As we sail by the Argonath (01:53), the music we hear is the RING HISTORY music. Again, as in the beginning of each film, it represents something mysterious and lost in the Ages -- in this case, Númenor.

16.) Amon Hen

00:02 -- RINGCALL, as the Ring sings to Aragorn. Luckily for all of us, he resists the temptation.

In the meantime, at 01:06 we're back into 5/4, and this time it *is* related to ISENGARD, because the Uruk-Hai are yelling "find the halflings!" At 2:10 is when the low brass get to wail on the actual ISENGARD music. But then, tragedy strikes, in the form of great ugly black arrows. Hitting Boromir.

What plays at 04:28 (until the end of the track) is my favorite musical cue in the entire trilogy. That sad, sad horn solo, that runs to the end of the track, is all we have left of the FELLOWSHIP THEME with the group utterly broken. In the film, it plays after Boromir has died, as Aragorn stands up, shedding a tear, after kissing his brow, and covers the transitition to Frodo standing on the shore, with the ring, shedding a tear of his own. Even when writing about it vaguely academically like this, that brief passage makes me tear up.

It's also worth noting, and one of my favorite bits of trivia, that the text in the choir at this point is drawn from the book The Two Towers, from a line spoken by Faramir, Boromir's younger brother: "I do not love the arrow for its swiftness, the sword for its sharpness, or the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend." I do not know into which language the text has been translated, but if I had to guess, which I do, I would go with Sindarin. [I may be wrong, though, so don't quote me on that.]

17.) The Breaking of the Fellowship

Shore has created a sound with the opening of this track that really does inspire images of water, appropriately enough. At 01:30, Sam's gone under but -- yay! -- Frodo pulls him out.

02:04 brings a very faint echo of the SHIRE music, and at 02:15 the HOBBIT THEME takes off properly, in a beautiful solo that sounds to me to be a wooden flute (like a recorder or an Irish flute of some kind). This, of course, is more music for Frodo and Sam.

I'd swear that the music at 03:06 is a recurring theme, but I can't seem to identify it. If you can, let me know. I'll give you credit and a cookie and feel less like a dumbass. But anyway, at 03:35 we've got the FELLOWSHIP theme again, as the three hunters decide to take off and rescue Merry and Pip.

04:39: The HOBBIT THEME plays over, "I'm glad you're with me, Sam." And then that boy soprano sings that gorgeous, "In Dreams," which *is* the HOBBIT theme, with words (in the film, it's shifted to play over the end credits, after "May it Be." Because I listened to the soundtrack before I saw the film, this screwed with my head). It has the FELLOWSHIP theme in the middle, around 06:11.

18.) May It Be

"May It Be," is its own separate kind of song, although if you're really keyed into the harmony lines you catch a bunch of the same chords and ideas that we've heard before, but nothing so clear as an actual motive. Well, not until after the song, at any rate, where at 03:31 we've got the HOBBIT theme and then the FELLOWSHIP theme in close succession.