Channels, Fall 2017

Channels • 2017 • Volume 2 • Number 1 Page 113 the rhythm remains the same, always marching forwards – even in the face of uncertainty, one must keep walking. From these instances, one can see that Swann paid very close attention to the words of the poem when setting them to music. Upon the Hearth the Fire is Red The second song, “Upon the Hearth the Fire is Red,” is entitled “The Walking Song” within the context of the Lord of the Rings movies. In the novels, this poem is used when the hobbits are walking through the Shire and hum a walking song. According to the novel, “Bilbo Baggins had made the words, to a tune that was as old as the hills, and taught it to Frodo as they walked in the lanes of the Water-valley and talked about Adventure.” 5 As this is a walking song, like the last, Swann’s portrayal of the poem is similar in many ways, though this piece is far more upbeat. The rhythms in the accompaniment again consist of mostly quarter notes, which gives the impression of constantly walking forward, and Swann uses word-painting much like he did in the first song. 6 This can be seen when the poetry states, “A sudden tree or standing stone / That none have seen but we alone,” and the tempo slows and modulates from D Major to A Minor for several bars. The similarities between the first two songs are important to note; through the poetry and the music set to it, Tolkien and Swann are defining a new genre of music – the walking song. As these are songs meant to be heard within the universe of the novels, they provide evidence for the idea that Middle Earth has its own thriving music history, and add strong examples for Kerman’s idea that music may help define a world. Swann’s portrayal of “Upon the Hearth the Fire is Red” doesn’t seem to follow the conventions of the book at first glance. The piece is playful, and for a piece that is meant to sound “as old as the hills,” it fails to follow enough conventions of older styles – including Troubador songs and formes fixes – to give that impression to modern listeners. However, it does follow many of the conventions of folk music, something that is often considered culturally old even if it is not from the beginning eras of music history. As mentioned in the above quote, Bilbo taught the song to Frodo by way of oral tradition, one of the main ways that cultures pass on their folk music. Swann’s portrayal of the song as strophic and monophonic, with a chordal accompaniment, also follows the conventions of many folk tunes. 7 A far different portrayal is shown in The Return of the King , when Pippin sings the final stanza of the poem, and the song, this time set by Howard Shore, is used as the background to a battle scene. 8 The film setting of the poem sounds much like a Gregorian chant. Starting with a jump of a fifth, the movie version begins primarily on one note, but as it progresses, the melody is mostly stepwise. As in Gregorian chant, most of the phrases resemble an arch, and as a hint to modern listeners, the recording has an echo-like quality 5 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring ( Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), 76. 6 Donald Swann and J.R.R. Tolkien, The Road Goes Ever On (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1967), 4-10. 7 "Folk Music." Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia (2016): 1. 8 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, directed by Peter Jackson. (Los Angeles: New Line Cinema, 2003), DVD.