The Hobbit | |
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Operatic film score cycle by Howard Shore | |
Related | The Lord of the Rings |
Text | J. R. R. Tolkien, Philippa Boyens, Fran Walsh, Howard Shore |
Language | English, fictional languages (Sindarin, Quenya, Khuzdul, Black Speech, Adunaic) |
Composed | 2010 | –2014
Movements | 78 movements (in three parts) |
Scoring |
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The music of The Hobbit film series is composed, orchestrated, and produced by Howard Shore, who scored all three The Lord of the Rings films, to which The Hobbit film trilogy is a prequel series. It continues the style of The Lord of the Rings score, using a vast ensemble, multiple musical forms and styles, many leitmotifs, and unusual instruments.
Shore composed over nine hours of music, featuring many new themes and reprising 50 themes from The Lord of the Rings. The score calls for an ensemble of a symphony orchestra, stage "bands" featuring non-orchestral instruments, multiple choirs, and several vocal soloists.
While not as widely admired by critics as his The Lord of the Rings, Shore's score remained a financial success, peaking in the top ten album charts in multiple countries, and garnering award nominations. The setting of the "Misty Mountains" tune became popular. The score has since been performed as a symphonic piece in four movements for orchestra and soloist. The score and its production were the subject of an hour-long documentary film created for the behind-the-scenes features of The Desolation of Smaug.
With these three scores added to the music of The Lord of the Rings film series, Shore has composed by far the largest collection of themes in the history of cinema, and one of the biggest for any cycle of musical compositions.
Following the style of his music for The Lord of the Rings film series, Howard Shore constructed the score for The Hobbit using many strong recognisable musical themes. The musicologist Doug Adams described these as "an encyclopedic network of leitmotifs: dozens of themes that represented cultures, characters, objects, and dramatic concepts in Middle-earth." [1] Individual themes change and evolve to signal the evolution of characters in the story. For example, Adams writes, the home-loving Bilbo's "Shire" theme starts out with "safe, warm harmonies and cozy melodic contours." The theme then "moves into a new key and exposes Bilbo’s emerging thirst for excitement with leaping intervals and a stout, confident tone" [1] In contrast, the leader of the Dwarves, Thorin Oakenshield, seeking to regain his Kingdom under the mountain of Erebor, has a "proud, compact figure rising in three horn-calls, but remaining stubbornly affixed to its root (A–C; A–D; A–E)." [1] Different again is the Elf-queen Galadriel's theme, an elegant Arabic maqam hijaz played on a woodwind instrument, the cor anglais. This accompanies female voices singing in Elvish Ninque sile mise nár / Nóna silme andané, meaning "A white fire shines within her / The light of a star, born long ago”". [1]
As for The Lord of the Rings, Shore used an immense ensemble, including a symphony orchestra of 94 to 96 pieces; SATBB and boy choirs and vocal soloists; additional instruments to augment the orchestra in select passages, and onstage instrumental "bands". Overall, more than 300 pieces are used.
As with The Lord of the Rings, many soloists performed in all three films. To support the more Dwarf-centric story, the singers of the end-credit songs were all men, contrasting with the female ensemble for The Lord of the Rings. [2] This included Neil Finn, who performed "Song of the Lonely Mountain" in An Unexpected Journey, [3] [4] and later Ed Sheeran and Billy Boyd. Richard Armitage appears as a cast performer in the film itself. James Nesbitt performs a song of his own composition in the extended edition of An Unexpected Journey, while Barry Humphries performs two songs (one of them only in the Extended Edition).
Within the underscore, Shore utilized soprano voices, featuring Clara Sanabras and Grace Davidson, often in conjunction with the music of nature or the Elves. Unlike in The Lord of the Rings, no boy sopranos or young girls were called for in the score.
As with The Lord of the Rings, the scores from The Hobbit were largely vocal works, including choirs and soloists, as well as diegetic music, and songs for the end-credits of each film.
Blunt the knives, bend the forks!
Smash the bottles and burn the corks!
Chip the glasses and crack the plates –
That’s what Bilbo Baggins hates!
Verse 1 of "Blunt the Knives", from
The Hobbit , ch. 1 "An Unexpected Party"
Shore composed "The Valley of Imladris" - a diegetic piece (heard by the characters) for lute, lyre, wood flute and harp performed in Rivendell. It is a recapitulation of a piece of music introduced in the underscore previously as Elrond rides into Rivendell to meet the Dwarves. Shore also composed the horn-call at the end of the Battle of the Five Armies, a statement of the Erebor theme. Sound effects used in Mirkwood and the Treasure Hoard scene, while non-diegetic, were performed by the orchestra and feature on the album.
Other diegetic music was composed by The Elvish Impersonators, Stephen Gallaghar and members of the cast, including the source songs and a "trumpet fanfare" that sends the Dwarves off to the Lonely Mountain.
In The Lord of the Rings original soundtrack releases, several pieces of music were edited out of their film order to create a concert-like program, with concert suites of various themes. With The Hobbit, the original release has been expanded and features most of the music from the film in its chronological order. Some of the pieces of music were edited or even conceived as concert suites:
"The Hobbit in Four Movements" is a symphony program constructed from "A Very Respectable Hobbit", "Beyond the Forest", "Smaug" and "Ironfoot".
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | |
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Soundtrack album by | |
Released | 12 December 2012 |
Recorded | 2012 |
Studio | Abbey Road Studios in London, England |
Length | 1:48:49 (Standard Edition) 2:07:03 (Special Edition) |
Label | WaterTower Music, Decca Records |
Producer | Howard Shore, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens |
Special Edition cover | |
Singles from The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey | |
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Soundtracks for The Hobbit have been released in an extended,two-disc form,offering over two hours of music each,with liner notes by Doug Adams. The music is,for the most part,presented as it is in the film and by the film order,but some pieces were re-edited to create something more akin to a concert program. The music for the trailer of An Unexpected Journey was released for free by New Line.
The soundtrack album for An Unexpected Journey was released on 11 December 2012. [6] It has been released in both Standard Edition and Special Edition,with both coming in a 2-disc format. [7] Shore recorded the soundtrack at Abbey Road Studios and Air Lyndhurst in London. [8]
The soundtrack was performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra,London Voices and Tiffin' boy choir,with the soprano Clara Sanabras,Richard Armitage as a cast performer and Neil Finn for the end credits song.
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "My Dear Frodo" | 8:04 |
2. | "Old Friends" | 4:29 |
3. | "An Unexpected Party" | 3:52 |
4. | "Axe or Sword?" | 5:59 |
5. | "Misty Mountains" (Music by David Donaldson, David Long, Steve Roche and Janet Roddick; [9] performed by Richard Armitage and The Dwarf Cast) | 1:42 |
6. | "The Adventure Begins" | 2:06 |
7. | "The World is Ahead" | 2:18 |
8. | "An Ancient Enemy" | 4:58 |
9. | "Radagast the Brown" | 4:54 |
10. | "Roast Mutton" (Contains excerpts of "Misty Mountains" by Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick [9] ) | 4:03 |
11. | "A Troll-Hoard" | 2:39 |
12. | "The Hill of Sorcery" | 3:51 |
13. | "Warg-Scouts" | 3:05 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "The Hidden Valley" | 3:50 |
2. | "Moon Runes" | 3:20 |
3. | "The Defiler" | 1:15 |
4. | "The White Council" | 7:20 |
5. | "Over Hill" (Contains excerpts of "Misty Mountains" by Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick [9] ) | 3:43 |
6. | "A Thunder Battle" | 3:55 |
7. | "Under Hill" | 1:54 |
8. | "Riddles in the Dark" | 5:22 |
9. | "Brass Buttons" | 7:38 |
10. | "Out of the Frying-Pan" | 5:54 |
11. | "A Good Omen" | 5:46 |
12. | "Song of the Lonely Mountain" (Lyrics and Performance by Neil Finn, [10] music by Finn, Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick [9] ) | 4:10 |
13. | "Dreaming of Bag End" | 1:49 |
The two-disc special edition contains six bonus tracks and six extended tracks.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "My Dear Frodo" | 8:03 |
2. | "Old Friends" (Extended Version) | 5:00 |
3. | "An Unexpected Party" (Extended Version) | 4:08 |
4. | "Blunt the Knives" (Lyrics by J. R. R. Tolkien, music by Stephen Gallagher; performed by The Dwarf Cast, [9] exclusive bonus track) | 1:01 |
5. | "Axe or Sword?" | 5:59 |
6. | "Misty Mountains" (Performed by Richard Armitage and The Dwarf Cast) | 1:42 |
7. | "The Adventure Begins" | 2:04 |
8. | "The World is Ahead" (Contains excerpts of "Misty Mountains" by Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick [9] ) | 2:19 |
9. | "An Ancient Enemy" | 4:56 |
10. | "Radagast the Brown" (Extended Version) | 6:37 |
11. | "The Trollshaws" (Exclusive Bonus Track) | 2:08 |
12. | "Roast Mutton" (Extended Version) | 4:56 |
13. | "A Troll-Hoard" | 2:38 |
14. | "The Hill of Sorcery" | 3:50 |
15. | "Warg-Scouts" | 3:02 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Hidden Valley" | 3:50 |
2. | "Moon Runes" (Extended Version) | 3:39 |
3. | "The Defiler" | 1:14 |
4. | "The White Council" (Extended Version) | 9:40 |
5. | "Over Hill" (Contains excerpts of "Misty Mountains" by Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick [9] ) | 3:42 |
6. | "A Thunder Battle" | 3:54 |
7. | "Under Hill" | 1:54 |
8. | "Riddles in the Dark" | 5:21 |
9. | "Brass Buttons" | 7:37 |
10. | "Out of the Frying-Pan" | 5:55 |
11. | "A Good Omen" | 5:45 |
12. | "Song of the Lonely Mountain" (Lyrics and Performance by Neil Finn, [10] Extended Version) | 6:00 |
13. | "Dreaming of Bag End" | 1:56 |
14. | "A Very Respectable Hobbit" (Exclusive Bonus Track) | 1:20 |
15. | "Erebor" (Exclusive Bonus Track) | 1:19 |
16. | "The Dwarf Lords" (Exclusive Bonus Track) | 2:01 |
17. | "The Edge of the Wild" (Contains excerpts of "Misty Mountains" by Donaldson, Long, Roche and Roddick; [9] Exclusive Bonus Track) | 3:34 |
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [11] |
Examiner.com | A+ [12] |
Filmtracks.com | [13] |
Movie Music UK | [14] |
Music Muse | [15] |
MovieCues | [16] |
Tracksounds | [17] |
Movie Wave | [18] |
The full score was nominated at the 11th Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards, [19] and "Song of the Lonely Mountain" received a nomination for the Houston Film Critics Society Awards. [20] In 2013, the score for An Unexpected Journey ranked ninth out of one hundred in Classic FM's top film scores. The album charted in several countries, reaching the top ten album charts in Korea and the United States. It was awarded a golden record certification in Canada.
Chart (2012–13) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [21] | 45 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [22] | 16 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [23] | 25 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [24] | 54 |
French Albums (SNEP) [25] | 70 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [26] | 14 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [27] | 79 |
South Korean International Albums (Circle) [28] | 8 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [29] | 40 |
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) [30] | 32 |
Polish Albums (ZPAV) [31] | 28 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [32] | 59 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [33] | 28 |
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan) [34] | 52 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [35] | 40 |
UK Albums (OCC) [36] | 61 |
UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC) [37] | 1 |
US Billboard 200 [38] | 30 |
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard) [39] | 3 |
US Top Independent Albums (Billboard) [40] | 3 |
Chart (2013) | Position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [41] | 187 |
US Billboard 200 [42] | 194 |
US Soundtrack Albums (Billboard) [43] | 7 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Canada (Music Canada) [44] | Gold | 40,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | |
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Soundtrack album by | |
Released | 10 December 2013 |
Recorded | 2013 |
Studio | Wellington Town Hall in Wellington, New Zealand |
Length | 1:56:27 (Standard Edition) 2:09:17 (Special Edition) |
Label | WaterTower Music, Decca Records |
Producer | Howard Shore, Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens |
Special Edition Cover | |
Singles from The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug | |
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The soundtrack album for The Desolation of Smaug was released on 10 December 2013 in both Standard Edition and Special Edition. The cover of the Special Edition features the design used for the special edition of the soundtrack for An Unexpected Journey on a purple background. The scoring process was documented in an hour-long feature of the behind-the-scenes footage of the film.
The soundtrack was orchestrated by Conrad Pope and James Sizemore,with Conrad conducting the orchestra. [45] It was performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra,Wellington University Gamelan Orchestra,London Voices and Tiffin' boy choir,as well as featured vocal and instrumental soloists,namely soprano Grace Davidson and singer Ed Sheeran. The latter's Song,"I See Fire",was released as a single.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Quest for Erebor" | 3:23 |
2. | "Wilderland" | 4:56 |
3. | "The House of Beorn" | 3:42 |
4. | "Mirkwood" | 4:27 |
5. | "Flies and Spiders" | 7:51 |
6. | "The Woodland Realm" | 4:26 |
7. | "Feast of Starlight" | 2:49 |
8. | "Barrels Out of Bond" | 1:50 |
9. | "The Forest River" | 4:54 |
10. | "Bard,a Man of Lake-Town" | 2:30 |
11. | "The High Fells" | 2:37 |
12. | "The Nature of Evil" | 3:20 |
13. | "Protector of the Common Folk" | 3:36 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Thrice Welcome" | 3:33 |
2. | "Girion,Lord of Dale" | 3:33 |
3. | "Durin's Folk" | 2:28 |
4. | "In the Shadow of the Mountain" | 2:15 |
5. | "A Spell of Concealment" | 2:51 |
6. | "On the Doorstep" | 7:46 |
7. | "The Courage of Hobbits" | 3:00 |
8. | "Inside Information" | 3:48 |
9. | "Kingsfoil" | 2:25 |
10. | "A Liar and a Thief" | 3:40 |
11. | "The Hunters" | 9:04 |
12. | "Smaug" | 5:24 |
13. | "My Armor is Iron" | 5:16 |
14. | "I See Fire" (Written and Performed by Ed Sheeran) | 5:00 |
15. | "Beyond the Forest" | 5:25 |
The special edition contains one bonus track and twelve extended tracks.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Quest for Erebor" | 3:22 |
2. | "Wilderland" | 4:56 |
3. | "A Necromancer" (Bonus Track) | 2:54 |
4. | "The House of Beorn" (Extended Version) | 4:52 |
5. | "Mirkwood" (Extended Version) | 5:31 |
6. | "Flies and Spiders" (Extended Version) | 9:35 |
7. | "The Woodland Realm" (Extended Version) | 5:14 |
8. | "Feast of Starlight" | 2:48 |
9. | "Barrels Out of Bond" | 1:50 |
10. | "The Forest River" (Extended Version) | 5:10 |
11. | "Bard,a Man of Lake-Town" (Extended Version) | 3:18 |
12. | "The High Fells" (Extended Version) | 3:38 |
13. | "The Nature of Evil" | 3:20 |
14. | "Protector of the Common Folk" | 3:35 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Thrice Welcome" | 3:33 |
2. | "Girion,Lord of Dale" (Extended Version) | 4:15 |
3. | "Durin's Folk" (Extended Version) | 3:04 |
4. | "In the Shadow of the Mountain" | 2:15 |
5. | "A Spell of Concealment" (Extended Version) | 3:22 |
6. | "On the Doorstep" | 7:46 |
7. | "The Courage of Hobbits" | 3:00 |
8. | "Inside Information" | 3:48 |
9. | "Kingsfoil" | 2:25 |
10. | "A Liar and a Thief" | 3:41 |
11. | "The Hunters" (Extended Version) | 9:55 |
12. | "Smaug" (Extended Version) | 6:29 |
13. | "My Armor is Iron" | 5:16 |
14. | "I See Fire" (Written and Performed by Ed Sheeran) | 5:00 |
15. | "Beyond the Forest" | 5:25 |
Chart (2013–14) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [46] | 60 |
Australian Classical/Crossover Albums (ARIA) [46] | 2 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [47] | 29 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [48] | 44 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [49] | 97 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [50] | 51 |
French Albums (SNEP) [51] | 103 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [52] | 25 |
Irish Classical Albums (IRMA) [53] | 7 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [54] | 40 |
Scottish Albums (OCC) [32] | 70 |
South Korean Albums (Gaon) [55] | 84 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [56] | 39 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [57] | 51 |
UK Albums (OCC) [36] | 69 |
UK Album Downloads (OCC) [58] | 46 |
UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC) [37] | 1 |
US Billboard 200 [59] | 39 |
US Independent Albums ( Billboard ) [59] | 4 |
US Top Current Albums ( Billboard ) [60] | 34 |
US Top Soundtracks ( Billboard ) [59] | 6 |
Chart (2021) | Peak position |
Polish Albums (ZPAV) [61] | 48 |
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies | |
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Soundtrack album by | |
Released | 8 December 2014 |
Recorded | 2014 |
Studio | Wellington Town Hall in Wellington,New Zealand |
Length | 1:34:01 (Standard Edition) 1:48:12 (Special Edition) |
Label | WaterTower Music,Decca Records |
Producer | Howard Shore,Peter Jackson,Fran Walsh,Philippa Boyens |
Special Edition Cover | |
The soundtrack album for The Battle of the Five Armies was released on 8 December 2014. [62] Both a Standard Edition and a Special Edition were released. The score was performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Wellington University Gamelan Orchestra as it was for The Desolation of Smaug. The London Voices and soprano Grace Davidson provided the vocal performances. Billy Boyd,who played Peregrin Took in The Lord of the Rings ,wrote and recorded the song "The Last Goodbye". [63]
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Fire and Water" | 5:57 |
2. | "Shores of the Long Lake" | 4:01 |
3. | "Beyond Sorrow and Grief" | 2:50 |
4. | "Guardians of the Three" | 5:14 |
5. | "The Ruins of Dale" | 3:39 |
6. | "The Gathering of the Clouds" | 4:07 |
7. | "Mithril" | 3:08 |
8. | "Bred for War" | 3:19 |
9. | "A Thief in the Night" | 4:14 |
10. | "The Clouds Burst" | 4:12 |
11. | "Battle for the Mountain" | 4:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Darkest Hour" | 5:31 |
2. | "Sons of Durin" | 4:23 |
3. | "The Fallen" | 4:56 |
4. | "Ravenhill" | 5:47 |
5. | "To the Death" | 5:13 |
6. | "Courage and Wisdom" | 5:09 |
7. | "The Return Journey" | 4:16 |
8. | "There and Back Again" | 4:19 |
9. | "The Last Goodbye" (Written and Performed by Billy Boyd) | 4:05 |
10. | "Ironfoot" | 5:03 |
The two-disc special edition contains two bonus tracks and five extended tracks.
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Fire and Water" | 5:57 |
2. | "Shores of the Long Lake" | 4:01 |
3. | "Beyond Sorrow and Grief" (Extended Version) | 4:11 |
4. | "Guardians of the Three" (Extended Version) | 5:47 |
5. | "The Ruins of Dale" | 3:39 |
6. | "The Gathering of the Clouds" (Extended Version) | 5:52 |
7. | "Mithril" | 3:08 |
8. | "Bred for War" | 3:19 |
9. | "A Thief in the Night" | 4:14 |
10. | "The Clouds Burst" | 4:12 |
11. | "Battle for the Mountain" | 4:38 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Darkest Hour" | 5:31 |
2. | "Sons of Durin" | 4:23 |
3. | "The Fallen" | 4:56 |
4. | "Ravenhill" | 5:47 |
5. | "To the Death" (Extended Version) | 7:22 |
6. | "Courage and Wisdom" | 5:09 |
7. | "The Return Journey" | 4:16 |
8. | "There and Back Again" | 4:19 |
9. | "The Last Goodbye" (Written and Performed by Billy Boyd) | 4:05 |
10. | "Ironfoot" (Extended Version) | 6:11 |
11. | "Dragon-sickness" (Bonus Track) | 3:51 |
12. | "Thrain" (Bonus Track) | 3:24 |
Chart (2014–15) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australian Albums (ARIA) [64] | 74 |
Australian Classical/Crossover Albums (ARIA) [65] | 1 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [66] | 35 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [67] | 38 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [68] | 83 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [69] | 43 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [70] | 25 |
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE) [71] | 45 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [72] | 37 |
Far over the Misty Mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day,
To find our long-forgotten gold.
Verse 1 of the "Misty Mountains" song,from
The Hobbit ,ch. 1 "An Unexpected Party"
Allmusic's reviewer wrote favourably about An Unexpected Journey,but noted that the soundtrack was not as "sweeping and epic as that for [Jackson's] The Lord of the Rings",attributing this to the smaller scale of Bilbo's adventure compared to the events of The Lord of the Rings. [11] Examiner.com,however,was very positive,commenting that The Hobbit soundtrack matched the style and tone of The Lord of the Rings,and that the opening for An Unexpected Journey was much better than that of The Fellowship of the Ring. [12] The song "Misty Mountains" became popular among Tolkien fans. [73]
TheOneRing.net described the score of The Desolation of Smaug as "extraordinar[ily good]" with many new themes,noting in particular the Smaug theme which powerfully "dominates the later scenes",and the Tauriel theme which recalled "many a swashbuckling adventure from cinema history". [74]
Howard Leslie Shore is a Canadian composer,conductor and orchestrator noted for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films,most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. He won three Academy Awards for his work on The Lord of the Rings,with one being for the song "Into the West",an award he shared with Eurythmics lead vocalist Annie Lennox and writer/producer Fran Walsh,who wrote the lyrics. He is a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg,having scored all but one of his films since 1979,and collaborated with Martin Scorsese on six of his films.
A Hobbit is a fictional creature created by the author J. R. R. Tolkien.
"Concerning Hobbits" is a piece by composer Howard Shore derived from The Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack. It is a concert suite of the music of the Hobbits,arranged from the music heard in the film during the early Shire scenes,and features the various themes and leitmotifs composed for the Shire and Hobbits;it is intended to evoke feelings of peace. It is also the title of one of the sections of the prologue to The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. Excerpts of the piece can be heard during an extended scene in the 2012 film The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey,where it was tracked intentionally. The piece has become synonymous with the Shire and Hobbiton themes.
The music of The Lord of the Rings film series was composed,orchestrated,conducted and produced by Howard Shore between 2000 and 2004 to support Peter Jackson's film trilogy based on J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel of the same name. It is notable in terms of length of the score,the size of the staged forces,the unusual instrumentation,the featured soloists,the multitude of musical styles and the number of recurring musical themes used.
"A Walking Song" is a poem in The Lord of the Rings. It appears in the third chapter,entitled "Three is Company". It is given its title in the work's index to songs and poems. There is a companion poem near the end of the novel.
The Hobbit is a series of three fantasy adventure films directed by Peter Jackson. The films are subtitled An Unexpected Journey (2012),The Desolation of Smaug (2013),and The Battle of the Five Armies (2014). The films are based on J. R. R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit,but much of the trilogy was inspired by the appendices to his 1954–55 The Lord of the Rings,which expand on the story told in The Hobbit. Additional material and new characters were created specially for the films. The series is a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
Joseph Bruce Letteri is a senior visual effects artist,winner of five Academy Awards,four BAFTA awards and four VES awards. He is the current Senior Visual Effects Supervisor of the Academy Award-winning WētāFX having joined the company in 2001. He has received several awards and nominations as visual effects supervisor,the latest being Avatar:The Way of Water,and previously for War for the Planet of the Apes. He attended Center High School (Pennsylvania) in 1975 and graduated from the University of California,Berkeley in 1981. He gave the keynote address at UC Berkeley's December Convocation on 19 December 2010.
Doug Adams is a musician,author,lecturer,and educator. He is the author of The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films,a book about the music in The Lord of the Rings films.
The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug is a 2013 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh,Philippa Boyens,Jackson,and Guillermo del Toro,based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. The sequel to 2012's The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey,it is the second instalment in The Hobbit trilogy,acting as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
The Hobbit:An Unexpected Journey is a 2012 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh,Philippa Boyens,Jackson,and Guillermo del Toro. It is based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. The Hobbit trilogy is the first instalment in acting as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
"I See Fire" is a song by the English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was commissioned for the soundtrack of the 2013 film The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug,where it was played over the closing credits. The Hobbit director,Peter Jackson,asked Sheeran to write a song for the movie after Jackson's daughter,Katie,suggested Sheeran. Sheeran saw the film,wrote the song,and recorded most of the track elements on the same day.
The Lord of the Rings:The Fellowship of the Ring:Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on 20 November 2001. It was composed,orchestrated,and conducted by Howard Shore,and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra,the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra,the London Voices,London Oratory School Schola choir and multiple featured instrumental and vocal soloists.
The Lord of the Rings:The Two Towers:Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was released on 10 December 2002. The score was composed,orchestrated,and conducted by Howard Shore,and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra,the London Voices,and the London Oratory School Schola. The Two Towers comes in a regular and a limited edition,which was an exclusive to Target in the US. This latter relates contains the additional track "Farewell to Lórien" from the extended edition to The Fellowship of the Ring.
The Lord of the Rings:The Return of the King is the soundtrack for the 2003 epic fantasy adventure film of the same name. The score was composed,orchestrated,and conducted by Howard Shore,and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra,the London Voices,and the London Oratory School Schola. The soundtrack was released on 25 November 2003. The limited edition contains a bonus DVD with the track "Use Well the Days" by Annie Lennox,song texts,photo gallery,and a Lord of the Rings trilogy supertrailer.
Simon Bright is an art director and set decorator who is best known for The Lord of the Rings films.
The Hobbit:The Battle of the Five Armies is a 2014 epic high fantasy adventure film directed by Peter Jackson from a screenplay by Fran Walsh,Philippa Boyens,Jackson,and Guillermo del Toro. It is based on the 1937 novel The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien. It is the sequel to 2013's The Hobbit:The Desolation of Smaug as well as the final instalment in The Hobbit trilogy,acting as a prequel to Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Lego The Lord of the Rings is a Lego theme based on The Lord of the Rings film trilogy directed by Peter Jackson and the novel by the English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. It is licensed from Warner Bros.,New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The theme was first introduced in 2012. The first sets appeared in 2012,to coincide with a release of the video game Lego The Lord of the Rings. Subsequent sets based on The Hobbit film trilogy would also be released and the video game Lego The Hobbit was released in 2014. The product line was discontinued by the end of 2015. Later,the theme was relaunched in January 2023 with three new sets released as the part of the Lego BrickHeadz theme. In February 2023,The Lego Group unveiled a new Rivendell set that released on 8 March 2023 as the part of the Lego Icons theme. Further,a Barad-Dûr set released on 1 June 2024,also as part of the Icons theme.
The music of the American fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings:The Rings of Power is composed by Bear McCreary,with additional music by Howard Shore and other artists. The Amazon Prime Video series is based on J. R. R. Tolkien's history of Middle-earth,primarily material from the appendices of the novel The Lord of the Rings,and is set thousands of years before the novel in the Second Age of Middle-earth. It covers all the major events of the Second Age from Tolkien's writings.
The music of The Lord of the Rings film series,composed by Howard Shore to accompany Peter Jackson's films,exists in multiple recordings. It was heard by cinema audiences in the "theatrical" version,also released on DVD. Three single-disc albums were then released,forming briefer concert-pieces that broadly aligned with the narrative content of each film. Limited Deluxe CD versions contained additional bonus tracks. Extended versions of the films were released on DVD,with additional scenes and their accompanying music. A multi-disc set,The Complete Recordings,covered the entire score of the extended versions of the films on CD. A CD,The Rarities Archives,accompanied a 2010 book by Doug Adams. Finally,Shore edited The Lord of the Rings Symphony in six movements from the score,for concert performance.