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J.R.R.Tolkien was known to his contemporaries first and foremost as an eminent Medievalist and professor of the English language. While the languages and histories he created for the different beings that populate his Middle Earth are deeply informed by his academic pursuits, he did not provide a similarly stringent system for the music of his elves,dwarves, men and hobbits. However, music plays an important part in his fictional universe. Readers of “The Silmarillion” - the book that details the history of Middle Earth and Valinor before the events described in “Lord of the Rings” - will remember that the Tolkinean universe is in fact created through music: it comes into being through the song of the Ainur, the Angel-like beings that take the place of Gods in Tolkien’s world.

Among the musical instruments that are mentioned in Tolkien’s writings, the harp takes pride of place. Played by elves, dwarves, and men – though not, as far as current evidence goes, by hobbits! – it is easily the most popular and widely distributed music instrument in Middle Earth. But what did the music sound like that Thorin’s dwarves played in Bilbo’s cave, right at the beginning of “The Hobbit”? Or the lament that the Lady Galadriel sang, accompanying herself on a harp, as the Fellowship of the Ring was leaving Lothlorien? Or the festive music that the harpers of Gondor provided at King Elessar’s wedding? These things are open to speculation, and musicians have come up with their own solutions, ranging in style from the plainchant-inspired melodies that Tolkien himself suggested, to heavy metal music and such 20th century classics as Led Zeppelin’s “Battle of Evermore” or “Stairway to Heaven”.

So in my own travels in Middle Earth, where do I begin? Well, I suppose playing the harp is a good start. The film music that Howard Shore wrote for Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” movies has inevitably been setting a standard - well-researched as well as eminently creative and beautiful, his soundtrack has become an instant classic, and I have adopted several of his songs in my programme. And if proof is needed that they are authentically Middle Earth, I can confirm that they work extremely well on the harp!

Another lead might be the musical cultures of the people on whose languages Tolkien molded the phonetics and grammar of his Elven languages Quenya and Sindarin. Celtic languages such as Gaelic and Welsh were a major influence in their creation – but so was Finnish, the odd one out among the European languages. Finnish is closely related to Estonian and also to Hungarian, but not to any of the other Indo-European languages generally spoken in Europe.

The Estonian folk tunes that I present in my programme also have strong personal connotations – I found them in a book on Estonian folk dance (written in Estonian, alas!) which has come down to me on my mother’s side of the family. Their style is similar to that of much Scandinavian and Northern European folk music, and they mix very well with some German dances from the early 18th century – the “pop music” that a J.S. Bach would have been familiar with.

The Neapolitan toccata I present at the beginning of the programme may be a less evident choice – but with its strange and twisting harmonies and sudden outbursts it provides a fitting prelude for “Gollum’s song”. The Spanish and African-inspired dance music sets a festive mood fitting, perhaps, to a wedding in Gondor – their use of ostinati patterns has inspired much Baroque music, as well as substantial sections of Howard Shore’s soundtrack, as can be witnessed in his beautiful Elven song, “Evenstar” – as well as in my own creative speculations on what the music of the Elves might have sounded like.

Celtic music has often been the first choice of musicians trying to create Tolkien’s musical universe, and it cannot be missing in my programme, either. New Zealand, of course, has its own Celtic heritage – and for many people all over the world, New Zealand has become almost synonymous with “Middle Earth”. The soundtrack that Michael Nyman wrote for Jane Campion’s “The Piano” uses Scottish folk tunes quite extensively, as can be witnessed in the beautiful and soaring “The heart asks pleasure first” – which should thereforehave its place on my short itinerary through Middle Earth.

programme notes: Asni

last updated: 27 August, 2008