Channels, Fall 2017

Page 116 Sulka • J.R.R. Tolkien and the Music of Middle Earth the novel, it is described as “sad and sweet,” and accompanied by a harp. While a harp part is not included in this setting, there are instructions for a guitar accompaniment, and the “sad and sweet” melody was supplied by Tolkien. The melody itself is very similar to a Gregorian chant; it is syllabic, monophonic, and has a range of a fifth. In church music, chant was intended to enhance text declamation, and words were chanted on a single note (often A or C; in the case of this piece, it is C) with small motives marking the end of phrases. 17 These characteristics are clear in “Namárië.” Along with the fact that it is written in another language, an unlearned listener could easily mistake the setting for a Medieval chant, and this helps to reinforce the type of culture that Tolkien envisioned for the Elves. I Sit Beside the Fire While there are seven pieces in the song cycle, only six of them are lifted from Lord of the Rings , and the sixth and final one of these is “I Sit Beside the Fire.” 18 This song is sung by Bilbo Baggins to Frodo Baggins the night before the Fellowship of the Ring sets out on their quest, and is a fitting end to the story of the song cycle. 19 The poetry is reflective, speaking of all the things that one has seen and all the things others will do in the future. The first half is in English, but the language changes to Sindarin (another fictional language from the trilogy) halfway through as Swann inserts a hymn from later on in the first book, “A Elbereth Gilthoniel,” which shows that, having travelled a long way, the traveler ultimately looks to the subject of the hymn for comfort. Swann’s setting of the hymn is to the same music as “The Road Goes Ever On,” effectively providing a fitting end to the cycle while also emphasizing the reflective nature of both poems used within the song – at the end of the cycle’s story, it reminds the listener of what was sung at the beginning of the hobbit’s journey. It also allows the listener to reflect on the idea that even at the end, the road goes ever on with the next generation, which reflects the novels in which Frodo finishes what Bilbo began with the Ring. Conclusion With this cyclic ending, Swann finishes the story he has been telling, and while each individual song is effective in illustrating something unique about the literature Tolkien produced, usually about the cultures he created, the cycle tells its own story as well. Drawing from the larger narrative of The Lord of the Rings , Swann chooses to focus on the theme of travel. Beginning with two walking songs, one about setting off on an adventure and not knowing where it will lead and another about travelling but knowing that one will eventually return home, Swann sets the stage of his story. Treebeard’s song, “In the Willow- Meads of Tasarinan,” then discusses having travelled to many different lands, and how the spring of those lands has turned to winter. From here Swann sets “In Western Lands” 17 J. Peter Burkholder, Donald Grout, and Claude Palisca, A History of Western Music (Eighth Edition) (New York City: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008), 3. 18 Donald Swann and J.R.R. Tolkien, The Road Goes Ever On (Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1967), 25-31. 19 J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring ( Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012), 271-272.