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Howard Shore's The Desolation Of Smaug (Hobbit Part 2)


gkgyver

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Previously I have thought it as a variation on Gandalf's theme, sort of like the music heard in The Prancing Pony.


Yeah now that you mention it you could be onto something.

Or perhaps nothing.

or-nothing-lighting.jpg

Are you suggesting I have nothing down my trousers? I resent that accusation

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Previously I have thought it as a variation on Gandalf's theme, sort of like the music heard in The Prancing Pony.

Yeah now that you mention it you could be onto something.

Or perhaps nothing.

Are you suggesting I have nothing down my trousers? I resent that accusation

It isn't Bilbo's or Gandalf's theme is it? So there is nothing more to discuss about those trousers.

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So back to score. The Quest of Erebor. Was there any confirmation what the opening figure relates to thematically or does it remain a mystery? The opening sounds to me just like a slowed down variant of the Hobbit Skip-beat, which is soon reprised after the title card for the shots of Bree and we see Thorin arriving as Shore re-enacts very faithfully musically the moment from FotR when the hobbits (with their music) arrive to the gate and pass inside the hedge. What do you guys think?

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And I mentioned that the strings in the background almost sounded like the Arkenstone theme (but have since kinda rejected that view)

And that it goes into what sounds like the last four notes of House of Durin before moving to The Shire theme.

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So back to score. The Quest of Erebor. Was there any confirmation what the opening figure relates to thematically or does it remain a mystery? The opening sounds to me just like a slowed down variant of the Hobbit Skip-beat, which is soon reprised after the title card for the shots of Bree and we see Thorin arriving as Shore re-enacts very faithfully musically the moment from FotR when the hobbits (with their music) arrive to the gate and pass inside the hedge. What do you guys think?

I think the Warner Brothers Logos music in both AUJ and DOS is deliberately a unique configuration of notes that is created by taking other themes and playing with them in musical ways I cannot possibly describe, so much so that they sound like new themes to start. When I first heard the AUJ OST I thought "Oh, cool new theme!". Then Doug told us it was a blend of House of Durin and History of the Ring, which makes sense of course, but I don't know the musical terms to describe how you get from those two themes to what we hear in the logos music of AUJ.

I don't think Doug ever posted what the DOS logos music is all about?

And it's another massive dissapointment about BOFA that Shore couldn't completely the trilogy with another unique theme blend, and had to start the score differently than the first two. Blast!

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Except it is a blend of themes in BOTFA, it's the introduction of the new dragon sickness/thorin corruption theme. Which is a variation on Smaug's theme and potentially others things.

I wondered recently whether 2:58 of The Quest for Erebor is a reference to this BOTFA dragon sickness theme. I don't know where it plays in the scene.

Its not totally new, you can hear it in DOS during one of the Smaug tracks on Disc 2.

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What is this dragon-sickness theme you're referring to? Example?

Yes please!

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What is this dragon-sickness theme you're referring to? Example?

Fire and Water 0:53

I always thought it was just another new variant on Smaug's themes rather than a specific new theme. Smaug's themes become Thorin's which illustrates the sickness.

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Dragon Sickness is all over DOS!

Dragon Sickness
DOS 2-04 1:57-2:10
DOS 2-10 0:00-0:20
DOS 2-10 2:00-2:37
DOS 2-10 3:04-3:34
DOS 2-12 0:14-0:24
DOS 2-12 4:05-5:02
DOS 2-13 2:04-2:34

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Except it is a blend of themes in BOTFA, it's the introduction of the new dragon sickness/thorin corruption theme. Which is a variation on Smaug's theme and potentially others things.

I wondered recently whether 2:58 of The Quest for Erebor is a reference to this BOTFA dragon sickness theme. I don't know where it plays in the scene.

Its not totally new, you can hear it in DOS during one of the Smaug tracks on Disc 2.

2:18 Liar and a Thief

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Dragon Sickness is all over DOS!

Dragon Sickness

DOS 2-04 1:57-2:10

DOS 2-10 0:00-0:20

DOS 2-10 2:00-2:37

DOS 2-10 3:04-3:34

DOS 2-12 0:14-0:24

DOS 2-12 4:05-5:02

DOS 2-13 2:04-2:34

So this little motoric ostinato figure in the strings is specifically the Dragon-Sickness motif?

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I'm lost in this conversation, then.

SUH, specific timestamps and a better explanation please!

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Except it is a blend of themes in BOTFA, it's the introduction of the new dragon sickness/thorin corruption theme. Which is a variation on Smaug's theme and potentially others things.

I wondered recently whether 2:58 of The Quest for Erebor is a reference to this BOTFA dragon sickness theme. I don't know where it plays in the scene.

Its not totally new, you can hear it in DOS during one of the Smaug tracks on Disc 2.

2:18 Liar and a Thief

I presume you're referring to 2:23.

No I mean the string melody at 2:18

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0:53 of Fire and Water is that blending of SMaug's A and B themes. I don't think any of Smaug's themes have a unique identity of their own, Shore just choosing which sounds best for the scene

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What is this dragon-sickness theme you're referring to? Example?

Fire and Water 0:53 (four descending notes then the alternating ones)

It also shows up:

5:15 To the Death

2:58 The Ruins of Dale

In the film when Bilbo looks over the Thorin after Smaug dies, the alternating notes play

I think you're really stretching here, or you have your tracks/timestamps wrong. I don't here anything similar in those last two tracks to each other, and neither sounds like the Smaug Theme blend!

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I'm lost in this conversation, then.

SUH, specific timestamps and a better explanation please!

What is this dragon-sickness theme you're referring to? Example?

Fire and Water 0:53 (four descending notes then the alternating ones)

It also shows up:

5:15 To the Death

2:58 The Ruins of Dale

In the film when Bilbo looks over the Thorin after Smaug dies, the alternating notes play

BB Beat me to it!

Except it is a blend of themes in BOTFA, it's the introduction of the new dragon sickness/thorin corruption theme. Which is a variation on Smaug's theme and potentially others things.

I wondered recently whether 2:58 of The Quest for Erebor is a reference to this BOTFA dragon sickness theme. I don't know where it plays in the scene.

Its not totally new, you can hear it in DOS during one of the Smaug tracks on Disc 2.

2:18 Liar and a Thief

I presume you're referring to 2:23.

No I mean the string melody at 2:18

There is no melody at 2:18 of A Liar and a Thief. It's just Smaug's pulsing minor/major chords and strings playing semiquavers.

It's the same melody as at 0:30 of Fire and Water

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I guess I'll just wait for Doug's book, unless you can find it in more tracks that might sound more obvious

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:lol:

Yes this is most confusing.

I can easily picture this becoming a shouting match if we were ever going to get together to figure these things out face-to-face. :P

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