The Themes of Howard Shore's The Hobbit

[KK 3,307]

To be honest, big lists of timestamps of EVERY thmatic appearance is a bit of a superficial way to look at music and its something I hope isn't included in Doug's book. Takes away from the more nuanced moments in the music.

I like Doug's way of writing about every individual cue. Much more informative than a giant list of timestamps I think.

[Faleel 5,357]

But, as it stands now, I still have NO idea what DRIVE OF THE FELLOWSHIP or other certain theme accompaniments/settings sound like

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

But, as it stands now, I still have NO idea what DRIVE OF THE FELLOWSHIP or other certain theme accompaniments/settings sound like

I have no idea what The Heroics Of Aragorn sounds like.

[Faleel 5,357]

I do, its the Brass motif that first starts the Amon Hen battle, and the strings in Aragorn's Return.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Eeehhh...sure.

[Faleel 5,357]

Do I need to point to Mr. Shark's post about variations?

[Barnald 365]

To be honest, big lists of timestamps of EVERY thmatic appearance is a bit of a superficial way to look at music and its something I hope isn't included in Doug's book. Takes from the more nuanced moments in the music.

I like Doug's way of writing about every individual cue. Much more informative than a giant list of timestamps I think.

I see what you mean, but I don't think it would hurt as an appendix. People are unsure about what certain themes sound like and where exactly they appear, so it would be a very useful resource. I don't believe it would take away from how Doug tackles each cue individually, since that will always be the 'meat' of the book.

With that in mind, has anyone already done a similar thing for the LOTR scores?

Happiness is just one click away: http://www.melson.nl/lotr/index.php

Ah, very good. Though I'm dubious about 03:22-03:53 of the Prologue being the Heroics of Aragorn.

[Faleel 5,357]

Can you read music, looking at the pattern of notes made it pretty obvious to me.

Nope!

[Jay 37,369]

But, as it stands now, I still have NO idea what DRIVE OF THE FELLOWSHIP or other certain theme accompaniments/settings sound like

I have no idea what The Heroics Of Aragorn sounds like.

Oh, that's an easy one! You hear it when Aragon is first shown on screen in FOTR, it's in the CR track "Strider". Then it appears after the Fellowship theme as Aragon leads the fellowship into the Great Hall (end of the CR track Balin's Tomb, or the OST track The Bridge of Khazad Dum), and appears again at the end during the Amon Hen battle.

EDIT: You can find the times in my LOTR theme list

http://www.jwfan.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=11861

25. Heroics of Aragorn

FOTR I-13 Strider 1:43-1:48

FOTR II-2 The Caverns of Isengard 0:15-0:44

FOTR II-14 Balin's Tomb 7:44-8:25

FOTR III-5 Parth Galen 4:49-5:56

FOTR III-5 Parth Galen 7:00-7:16

FOTR III-5 Parth Galen 7:32-7:55

FOTR III-6 The Departure of Boromir 1:57-2:26

FOTR III-6 The Departure of Boromir 3:45-3:58

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Incanus 5,715]

Oh, that's an easy one! You hear it when Aragon is first shown on screen in FOTR, it's in the CR track "Strider". Then it appears after the Fellowship theme as Aragon leads the fellowship into the Great Hall (end of the CR track Balin's Tomb, or the OST track The Bridge of Khazad Dum), and appears again at the end during the Amon Hen battle. You can find the times in my LOTR theme list, which is linked to in the main post of this thread.

And it's also basically the second half of the Gondor In Ascension theme.

The Heroics of Aragorn and Gandalf the White (in Fellowship) both connect with the Gondor in Ascension by being derived from the Fellowship Theme and both themes connecting with the heroic Ascension setting of the Gondor Theme when these two characters bring aid to the realm in the time of need. As Mr. Adams in his book so eloquently tells us.

[mstrox 6,651]

I gleaned all of my info on LOTR's themes from Doug's book for a long time, which doesn't have anything in the way of timestamps, as far as I remember. Some of the themes I knew or guessed, but most I didn't - until a few months ago - when I reread the PDFs and skipped around in tracks based on the timestamps.

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[Sharkissimo 1,973]

Tauriel's C Section? Don't give PJ any more ideas...

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Hahaha.

It's because the child is half dwarf....

[Jay 37,369]

I would say that's just part of Tauriel's B Section

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[Jay 37,369]

Well, where else does it appear?

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[Incanus 5,715]

Jason I just looked at the Beorn's theme in your list and I think you are missing one rendition of it in the Disc 1 Track 2, which is basically from 4:10 until the end of the track.

Also Disc 1 Track 4 contains another subtle variation at 1:49-2:08, which quickly takes a dark turn. It underscores the moment Beorn holds the mouse in his hand.

I hear a mournful Beorn's theme variation in 2:24-2:36.

[Jay 37,369]

OK, thanks. Sometime soon I will get to the bottom of this Beorn's Theme stuff.

So then, I didn't note some sections as containing his theme that actually don't?

[Incanus 5,715]

OK, thanks. Sometime soon I will get to the bottom of this Beorn's Theme stuff.

So then, I didn't note some sections as containing his theme that actually don't?

No I don't think so. It is a bit irritating how nebulous it can be in some passages. Shore seems to vary it a lot so there is rarely one set version of it as the melody winds ever upwards and onwards.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

It is a bit irritating how nebulous it can be in some passages.

And boring as well!

[Incanus 5,715]

It is a bit irritating how nebulous it can be in some passages.

And boring as well!

You said it man!

No I actually like the moodiness of the Beorn music but I do wish it was a bit more melodic.

[Faleel 5,357]

I love its first appearance as "we" first see Beorn.

[gkgyver 1,645]

OK, thanks. Sometime soon I will get to the bottom of this Beorn's Theme stuff. So then, I didn't note some sections as containing his theme that actually don't?

I still think the theme is so obvious and ALL over the tracks that you simply can't see the forest for the trees.

Also, I think DoS, with Beorn's theme is a stronger opening than all the repeated Shire music after the AUJ prologue.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

OK, thanks. Sometime soon I will get to the bottom of this Beorn's Theme stuff. So then, I didn't note some sections as containing his theme that actually don't?

I still think the theme is so obvious

Now, now, it's just the fanboy in you doing the talk.

[Incanus 5,715]

OK, thanks. Sometime soon I will get to the bottom of this Beorn's Theme stuff. So then, I didn't note some sections as containing his theme that actually don't?

I still think the theme is so obvious

Now, now, it's just the fanboy in you doing the talk.

Come on! It is so obvious BB! Daa-da-da-daa-da-da-daa...da-da-daa! Come on everybody! Sing along!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

Daa-da-da-daa-da-da-daa...da-da-daa!

[gkgyver 1,645]

OK, thanks. Sometime soon I will get to the bottom of this Beorn's Theme stuff. So then, I didn't note some sections as containing his theme that actually don't?

I still think the theme is so obvious

Now, now, it's just the fanboy in you doing the talk.

No.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[gkgyver 1,645]

On the contrary, it's one of the most thoroughly explored themes in the Hobbit so far. A ton of variations in those 9 minutes.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[KK 3,307]

It's on one of the weakest and least memorable themes in the Middle-Earth films. Say what you will about it and it's effectiveness, but it doesn't hold up to the other themes.

[gkgyver 1,645]

And no one to hear them, except you!

That's not really my fault now, is it?

The memorable quality is debatable, but not the number of appearances and variations. Wilderland is almost the theme on a loop.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Glóin the Dark 1,222]

That's the two-note thingy, right? You can't blame people for not noticing that! That barely qualifies as a theme. The developments on The House Of Beorn do, I'll give you that.

The two-note thingy, the two-chord thingy and the stepwise-ascending melody thingy are the main identifying features. All three are heard together in the first statement.

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[gkgyver 1,645]

And no one to hear them, except you!

That's not really my fault now, is it?

Of course, not. That's Shore's.

Wilderland is almost the theme on a loop.

That's the two-note thingy, right? You can't blame people for not noticing that! That barely qualifies as a theme. The developments on The House Of Beorn do, I'll give you that.

Two note thingy?

Don't talk about a theme you don't even seem to know properly. Beorn's theme is a construct of several things that are heard sometimes together, sometimes separately. The whole thing is heard in the film when Gandalf tells the company about Beorn, and he roars towards the audience.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[gkgyver 1,645]

I did some experimenting with the dwarf themes, and how they could interact or go together with the Dwarrowdelf theme. The mockup is not really refined, hope you look past that:

http://www.file-upload.net/download-8570961/Dwarf-Themes.flac.html

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[Faleel 5,357]

Just curious, is this motif listed (I am sure it is, I just do not know your title for it):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_pvVwJE3qY

0:00 to 0:02 or 0:03

it plays in a lot of the DOS action music.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

That plays a lot in DOS? Where?

[Faleel 5,357]

From memory (with some checking)

1:54 of The Forest River, 1:20 of A Spell of Concealment.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Faleel 5,357]

D'oh! I was using my "extended" (using the game files and such) version for my timestamps oops!

Try 1:54/55 instead

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Faleel 5,357]

It also plays 4 times in AUJ I believe:

In the unreleased cue I linked to above.

Brass Buttons at 2:52 (could just be a coincidence)

The unreleased bit in Brass Buttons as Gandalf takes out the Goblin King.

3:27 of Brass Buttons