Channels, Fall 2017

Page 112 Sulka • J.R.R. Tolkien and the Music of Middle Earth Importance Joseph Kerman, in his chapter “Epilogue: On Operatic Criticism” from the book Opera as Drama, discusses why a composer would set literature to music . 2 While Kerman is specifically discussing opera, his philosophical arguments can easily be applied to Swann’s work. Kerman argues that music has three uses within drama: to characterize, to cause action, and to create a world. While Tolkien’s original poetry accomplishes the first by showing the audience or reader what a character is experiencing emotionally, the songs in the cycle are not inherently tied to a specific character – someone may listen to the cycle without knowing the literary context. The second use, to cause action, is similarly irrelevant to a discussion of the song cycle as there is no action occurring in a performance other than a type of narration. However, the final use, to establish a world, is very relevant to Swann’s work. As Kerman states, “we may not respond so much to individual moments or sections in an opera as to a total drenching of the action by music of a particular sort.” This is seen in Swann’s song cycle – one may not respond strongly to one of the pieces alone, but when put together, the artistry in each piece combines to narrate an emotional journey to the audience. This is highly impactful, especially when the beginning melody repeats at the end of the cycle in such a way as to define the circular nature of the work. The cycle also helps to more clearly define the world Tolkien created, and for readers of the novels, it may help them in understanding the action and culture within these novels more effectively. It is highly important, then, to see both the impact of individual songs and the effectiveness of the cycle as a whole. The Road Goes Ever On The first song in the collection, “The Road Goes Ever On,” is a setting of a tune that Bilbo sings near the beginning of The Fellowship of the Ring when he leaves the Shire and the Ring in order to go finish his book. 3 After the events of The Hobbit, Bilbo is seen finally leaving his past and starting fresh, and the poetry reflects this clearly: “The Road goes ever on and on, Down from the door where it began.” From the same door he left in The Hobbit , he now leaves for a new life, and later, Frodo leaves on his own journey, and this is seen clearly in Swann’s setting. The song begins with the piano playing a single note which jumps an octave and repeats several times, perhaps evoking the singularity of Bilbo’s journey. 4 As the singer joins in, the piano maintains quarter and eighth notes, as though mimicking the rhythm of steadily walking away from one’s home, as is seen in the literary context. While the harmonic structure is fairly standard, there are some departures from what may be considered normal. For example, when the singer states, “Now far ahead the Road has gone, And I must follow, if I can,” the harmony and melody rise over an octave, emphasizing that the road is ahead and pointing onwards. As the poetry discusses many roads meeting and the traveler not knowing where they will lead, the harmonic changes grow more unstable and change quickly, again illustrating the words of the poem. However, 2 Joseph Kerman, Opera as Drama (Berkley: University of California Press, 1988), 223-226. 3 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ( Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), 35. 4 Donald Swann and J.R.R. Tolkien, The Road Goes Ever On (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1967), 1-3.