The Lord of the Rings - How Howard Shore Makes Us Care

Howard Shore's scores for The Lord of the Rings contain, perhaps, some of the greatest music ever written for film. This music acts as a reflection of the cultures of Middle-earth, it outlines the emotional landscape of the narrative and also acts as a narrator in itself, commenting and supporting the story over 11-hours of film. And at the centre of this, Shore had to write music to accompany the journey of two hobbits, taking them from the Shire, all the way to the fires of Mordor, and back again. The Shire's music undergoes a gradual transformation through the course of the three films. In this essay, I look at how this music changes, what it changes into, and, ultimately, why this makes us care deeply about Frodo and Sam.

VIDEOS IN THIS SERIES
The Lord of the Rings - How Howard Shore Uses Voices: The Lord of the Rings - How Howard Sh...
The Lord of the Rings - How Howard Shore Builds Tension: The Lord of the Rings - How Howard Sh...

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FURTHER READING/RESEARCH
The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films: A Comprehensive Account of Howard Shore's Scores (Book & Rarities CD): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Music-Lord-R...

Judith Bernanke, "Howard Shore's Ring Cycle: The Film Score and Its Operatic Strategy" (From: Studying the Event Film: The Lord of the Rings) New York: Manchester University Press, 2008.

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