The New Road

LOTR Score

I've been listening to the Lord of the Rings score. It's an amazing piece of work. Think of a score like Williams' Star Wars, there are three major themes. The LOTR score has a theme for each film, then a score for almost ever major character of group; Sauron, Sauramon, Gandalf, Frodo, Sam, the Ring, the Hobbits, the Uruk-Hai, the Orcs, and the list goes on and on.

The number of themes and how recognizable they are is amazing, but I don't think it is the most amazing part of the aspect of the score. What blows me away is the way that the story is told so clearly and in so many layers within the score.

Take the lighting of the signal fire in Return of the King. Originally I thought this sequence was gratuitous. I did like the music though and I initially accepted the sequence mainly as a gracious bow to the score because there were only images and sound for at least a minute. After some careful listening I have found that the score itself tells the story of the union of two cultures as a remarkable dance.

The sequence starts with the Gondor theme (regal trumpets when played passionately) played in a submissive and almost searching tone. Gandalf's choral theme then enters, followed by the a shadow of the furtive motion theme in strings. Here he is presenting that Gondor is listless, feeling alone against a sea of enemies. Reaching out in a small way towards it's old allies. It's been a long time. We are in trouble. Will you help us?

The Gondor theme played in bass to start starts to bring in some of it's Regal horns. Confidence starting to appear but the call becomes even stronger and more furtive. We have our act together. But we need you now of all times.

In the next segment the Gondor theme is brought to the full and the intense push of the strings complements. We may yet win but we need your help now.

In the final segment the regal Gondor theme is intermixed with the equine theme from the Rohirrim. This combines with the furtive tremolo strings of the request line. This amazing section which combines the three themes in a magnificently powerful statement tells the full story. You were never alone and never will be. We are on the way.

So even before the scene where Theoden says they will ride to Gondor the score has already told the story. Beautiful.

It all serves one of the main themes from the full set of films which is friendship. The friendship between Frodo and Sam, Gandalf and Bilbo, Legolas and Gimli, and even Rohan and Gondor.

Oh, yeah, did I mention that Lord of the Rings should win the Oscar for best score?