Howard Shore's The Battle of the Five Armies (Hobbit Part 3)

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Barnald 365]

Doug Adams @DougAdamsMusic · 12m 12 minutes ago

Oops, slight correction: The new Deluxe #Hobbit score only contains *one* track from #Smaug EE—"Thrain."

Doug Adams @DougAdamsMusic · 13 mins 13 minutes ago

"Dragon-Sickness" is from #BOFA … features one of the new themes, in fact.

So we were right then. Interesting that they should put an apparent film track after the credits now, given the position of 'A Necromancer' on the DoS soundtrack.

[Bilbo 3,709]

And it seems we "shouldn't stress too much" about whether House of Durin is featured or not!

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Barnald 365]

Good old Doug. Reckon he'd be as forthcoming about the Misty Mountains/Company theme?

[Jay 37,374]

the third filù.

What the?

Anyways, it was obvious to me from the first sample that Dragon Sickness was not only all new, but also a concert arrangement / theme presentation. Not sure why anyone would think it's a film cue.

Off to listen to the new samples now!

Grabbing iTMS Preview Tracks the Geek Way

Damn that article is from 2006 and doesn't remotely apply to modern iTunes stuff. I have no idea how to save them directly in modern iTunes Unfortunately, I also have no idea how to record the audio of another program....

Odd that like Amazon Europe, iTunes US only has samples up for the SE OST, not the Standard OST

[KK 3,307]

So we were right then. Interesting that they should put an apparent film track after the credits now, given the position of 'A Necromancer' on the DoS soundtrack.

It hasn't been confirmed it's from the actual film. Could still be a theme suite that was written for the third filù.

Well, KK, I guess it's a tie then.

[Faleel 5,360]

"Thrain" has a microedit.

[Demondm810 399]

Good lord this is amazing. I'd pay 20.00 for the full Sons of Durin right now.

[KK 3,307]

"Thrain" has a microedit.

There are microedits in a couple of cues, like "Thief in the Night".

[Faleel 5,360]

"Thrain" has a microedit.

There are microedits in a couple of cues, like "Thief in the Night".

Yeah, but those are BOTFA cues

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,374]

And my thoughts on the 90 second iTunes US samples from the SE OST:

01 Fire And Water

Too bad we haven't gotten the opening logos music yet in either sample. Wow, Smaug's Theme seems to dominate this track for sure, and it sounds cool and new in this sample. Then we get a really rollicking version of The Politicians of Lake-town cameo! Smaug breathing chords at the end get punctuated by some brass rips.

02 Shores Of The Long Lake

Tauriel/Kili love theme is here, not the Elven Healing, which is odd with the rumors of Tauriel healing a girl. There's a new theme at 0:31! Wow fun pulsing strings after that. Then some more traditional sounding Politicians of Lake-town

03 Beyond Sorrow And Grief (Extended Version)
Sounds really Smaug-y, without using his theme per say....interesting. Dragon Sickness at the very end of the sample.

04 Guardians Of The Three (Extended Version)

Something about this track from the two samples seems weird to me. Can't put my finger on it. Lothlorien Theme and Mordor Skip Beat in play here! A LOT of the Lothlorien theme actually! Where's Rivendell and Gandalf and Radagast?

05 The Ruins Of Dale
Shire Theme returns! Rest of the sample is some martial building up / preparing for war type music. Is that Gandalf's Theme towards the end?

06 The Gathering Of The Clouds (Extended Version)
There's that Thranduil's Theme that sounds like Thorin's Pride thing again! More preparing type music.

07 Mithril
More Dragon Sickness, Thorin must go nuts in this movie. This time we get Smaug's Theme over it. Glad that theme doesn't disappear when he dies. Wow, both A and B themes here.

08 Bred For War
Awesome percussion effects in the beginning! Choral Woodland Realm! Then some awesome, cool new variation of Descending Thirds, really epic!

09 A Thief In The Night

Woodland Realm again! Then that fun Barrels Out Of Bond re-do like in the Amazon sample. Starting to really like what Shore did with that melody here. Sample ends with some nice uplifting music before the Arkenstone Theme begins to play just as it cuts off.

10 The Clouds Burst

We get some Uillean Pipes but not Dain's theme. More Woodland Realm! Theme is everywhere! Wow, martial uplifting Erebor Theme at the end!

11 Battle For The Mountain
This track seems like it's going to be so damn awesome!

12 The Darkest Hour
Love the choral work here. The Laketown/Bard theme theme was went unused in DOS shows up!

13 Sons Of Durin
Damn this is great stuff. Thorin's Theme has never sounded so awesome! Hopefully House of Durin plays in this track too!

14 The Fallen
More Woodland Realm! Who knew this would be such a prevalent theme? A Descending Thirds-ish melody opposes it towards the end.

15 Ravenhill
Wow! Tauriel's Theme sounding like it never has before! It's kind of slower and more martial, less wild and free-spirited. Descending Thirds shows up again in opposition. Sounds like a big fight is happening. Then Tauriel and Kili's love theme enters at the end of the sample playing along with Tauriel's B Theme

16 To The Death (Extended Version)
Still sounds like Legolas Vs Bolg music. By which I mean it not only sounds like the way that fight was scored in DOS, I think that's also what's happening in this track (or at least the part we've gotten samples from anyway. Love the percussion here.

17 Courage And Wisdom
Sad and ethereal choral and string stuff here. Thorin's Theme sounds really nice on the strings.

18 The Return Journey
I dunno what themes are here, everything sounds like the existing themes but morphed and changed kinda. Then The Shire theme shows up, also sounding new and different! Bilbo's Adventure Theme!!!!! Finally!

19 There And Back Again
I think there's some Bilbo's Adventure in here again? Then we get The Shire sounding lovely, some kind of flute/whistle is playing it. The Barrels Out Of Bond theme we heard in the Amazon UK sample isn't here at all.

20 The Last Goodbye

Sounds great!

Lyrics in the sample:

"Many sorrows I've seen

But I don't regret

Nor will I forget

All who took that road with me

Night is now falling

So is this day
The road is now calling
And I must away

Over hill, and under tree

Through lands where never light is shine

By silver streams

That run down

To the sea

To these memories I will hold

With your blessing I will go

To return at last to paths

That lead home

And though where the road bend takes me

I cannot tell

We came all this way..."

21 Ironfoot (Extended Version)

This track is so much fun! It's starts out kind like a more serious version of "Erebor" from the AUJ SE OST, but then gives way to more generally fun music on Uillean Pipes, while still retaining a kind of stoic quality. I hope Dain gets a lot of screen time and his theme is used more than the samples we have so far would suggest.

22 Dragon-Sickness (Bonus Track)
Sounds like a really cool concert arrangement. Arkenstone Theme, what is almost Bard's Theme, and Erebor Theme in this sample.

23 Thrain (Bonus Track / From "The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug" Extended Edition)

Sweet, we get to hear the "awakening" music this time, not just the chase music. Sounds cool. At 0:55 in the sample, we segue from that scene to the later scene where they discuss the ring and stuff... awesome!

[KK 3,307]

10 The Clouds Burst

We get some Uillean Pipes but not Dain's theme. More Woodland Realm! Theme is everywhere! Wow, martial uplifting Erebor Theme at the end!

?

The opening 30 seconds is Dain's theme. This is likely the scene when the Dwarven army prepares for battle (along with the other armies).

[Jay 37,374]

There are microedits in a couple of cues, like "Thief in the Night".

How could you possibly know that?

[Faleel 5,360]

23 Thrain (Bonus Track / From "The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug" Extended Edition)

At 0:55 in the sample, we segue from that scene to the later scene where they discuss the ring and stuff... awesome!

Isn't that Smaug music though?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

There are microedits in a couple of cues, like "Thief in the Night".

How could you possibly know that?

He is Kanadian. He knows Shore's mind!

[Faleel 5,360]

There are microedits in a couple of cues, like "Thief in the Night".

How could you possibly know that?

Obvious edits I guess.

[Jay 37,374]

The opening 30 seconds is Dain's theme. This is likely the scene when the Dwarven army prepares for battle (along with the other armies).

I don't hear the same melody here that I hear in "Ironfoot"

23 Thrain (Bonus Track / From "The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug" Extended Edition)

At 0:55 in the sample, we segue from that scene to the later scene where they discuss the ring and stuff... awesome!

Isn't that Smaug music though?

Yea, I think we're gonna hear music here that was not used in the final EE film - possibly scoring scenes that didn't even appear in the EE film!

[KK 3,307]

The opening 30 seconds is Dain's theme. This is likely the scene when the Dwarven army prepares for battle (along with the other armies).

I don't hear the same melody here that I hear in "Ironfoot"

It's definitely the same melody, playing on those opening pitches. Rhythmically different, to take on a more solemn tone naturally.

There are microedits in a couple of cues, like "Thief in the Night".

How could you possibly know that?

Well...

Obvious edits I guess.

And...

He is Kanadian. He knows Shore's mind!

[Dixon Hill 4,234]

Anyone else hoping the music that plays in Moria when Frodo reveals his mithril shirt is referenced here?

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

"Mr. Baggings, you are full of surprises!"

[Alex Shore 83]

Im the only one who thinks that the mixing sounds horrible?

[KK 3,307]

Not horrible, but might be the weakest of the 6. Sounds more dry and thin than its predecessors.

[Jay 37,374]

DWARF LORDS!!

near the end of Darkest Hour.

I don't hear it. I just hear Lake-town/Bard.

[KK 3,307]

18 The Return Journey

I dunno what themes are here, everything sounds like the existing themes but morphed and changed kinda. Then The Shire theme shows up, also sounding new and different! Bilbo's Adventure Theme!!!!! Finally!

19 There And Back Again

I think there's some Bilbo's Adventure in here again? Then we get The Shire sounding lovely, some kind of flute/whistle is playing it. The Barrels Out Of Bond theme we heard in the Amazon UK sample isn't here at all.

I don't hear that. I'm afraid the theme may have been scratched out altogether, alongside many of its peers from AUJ.

[BloodBoal 7,538]

[Jay 37,374]

In The Return Journey, I'm talking about 0:22-0:35, and then 1:05-1:11

In There And Back Again, I'm talking about 0:22ish

[crocodile 8,020]

Listened to the longer samples. Looks like thematic material reaches some sort of resolution. But Shore wisely doesn't overplay it, as it is not as cataclysmic of a story as Ring trilogy. Plays on a more character, rather than epic, level. That's my impression, anyway.

Karol

[KK 3,307]

In The Return Journey, I'm talking about 0:22-0:35, and then 1:05-1:11

Nah. I think that's incidental music. It is a common rhythmic construct in Shore's work. You hear that dotted quarter-note figure in a lot of places.

In There And Back Again, I'm talking about 0:22ish

I still don't think that's Bilbo's Adventure, but it does sound familiar. Kind of Hugo-like actually.

[Barnald 365]

My first thought was Bilbo's Adventure when I heard The Return Journey too.

[Jay 37,374]

Well, that's a bummer.

Of course, there's still over an hour of music we haven't heard yet

My first thought was Bilbo's Adventure when I heard The Return Journey too.

Yea, I'm not alone!

[KK 3,307]

Well if you guys turn out to be right, I'll be among the first to cheer about it

Listened to the longer samples. Looks like thematic material reaches some sort of resolution. But Shore wisely doesn't overplay it, as it is not as cataclysmic of a story as Ring trilogy. Plays on a more character, rather than epic, level. That's my impression, anyway.

Karol

Definitely. Though you can definitely hear the structural and stylistic similarities to RotK. Just the way he handles building up to the various battle cues.

[Barnald 365]

That bit in There and Back Again you cite Jay is where I was definitely convinced of it.

[crocodile 8,020]

Well if you guys turn out to be right, I'll be among the first to cheer about it

Listened to the longer samples. Looks like thematic material reaches some sort of resolution. But Shore wisely doesn't overplay it, as it is not as cataclysmic of a story as Ring trilogy. Plays on a more character, rather than epic, level. That's my impression, anyway.

Karol

Definitely. Though you can definitely hear the structural and stylistic similarities to RotK. Just the way he handles building up to the various battle cues.

In all honesty, all three scores mirror their LOTR counterparts in some stylistic choices.

Karol

[KK 3,307]

Definitely. And yet they're all quite different. Which is what I loved most about DoS. AUJ was more akin to LotR, but DoS really took liberty with playing around with the Middle-Earth textures while retaining the same sound of the world.

I wonder what Chaac would think of these samples...

[Faleel 5,360]

In The Return Journey, I'm talking about 0:22-0:35, and then 1:05-1:11

Nah. I think that's incidental music. It is a common rhythmic construct in Shore's work. You hear that dotted quarter-note figure in a lot of places.

0:55 is def Bilbo's Adventure.

DWARF LORDS!!

near the end of Darkest Hour.

I don't hear it. I just hear Lake-town/Bard.

Listen to 1:18 of The Dwarf Lords and compare to 1:12 of The Darkest Hour.

[Faleel 5,360]

BTW 0:53 to 0:58 of Fire and Water sounds like that bit of percussive music for the flashflames.

0:56 to 1:01 of Shores of the Long Lake reminds me of the Sanctuary from the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

I just realized, the last five notes of the House of Durin theme show up at the end of Mithril.

[Faleel 5,360]

In case someone wants to mix the two sets of samples together these are the tracks that can be combined correctly:

Mithril
Battle For The Mountain
Sons of Durin
Courage and Wisdom
Dragon-Sickness
Thrain

And you can make a pretty decent sounding mix of Shores of the Long Lake.

[KK 3,307]

The new theme at 0:30 of "Shores of the Long Lake" and 1:09 in "Dragon-Sickness" and is really interesting. Sounds a bit like an extension of Newman's stoic theme from Shawshank Redemption before it becomes its own thing.

[Barnald 365]

Anyone else kind of wish the 90-second samples hadn't appeared so soon after the 30-second ones? I think last year we got the 30-second samples around the 14th November, and then additional 60 and 90-second samples over the next two weeks. In hindsight I preferred this since it staggered it out. But now we'll be lucky to hear more for another 3 weeks, and hearing those samples has only made the wait more unbearable. We've been spoiled!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

LOL, you just cant please some people.

[Barnald 365]

I said we've been spoiled didn't I? What more do you want!?

[Incanus 5,716]

Well after listening to the 90 second samples I am content to wait for the album. It sounds like it will be an AWESOME score.

And looks like the Dwarf Lords theme might have been usurped by this Daín Ironfoot theme. It has that same kind of nobility to it but it certainly sounds a bit more energetic based on the samples.

[Barnald 365]

I suppose we don't yet know if the Dwarf Lords is meant specifically for interaction between the Dwarf lords (i.e. Dain and Thorin), rather than for Dain himself. It's possible Shore always had another theme in mind.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Shore presumably wrote the Dwarf Lords theme based on the script at the time without seeing any actual footage.

[Incanus 5,716]

Shore states on the music documentary of the Desolation of Smaug EE that likes to write his themes well in advance before starting to work on the score so The Dwarf Lords might have been the first pass on the eventual theme for Dain, Thorin and the dwarven armies back in 2011 which then could have easily been changed during the next two years as the film makers reviewed the material they had and what the music had to address and how. I would be glad to see the Barry-esque theme from AUJ times to return but the theme for Daín/Dwarf Lords is more than worthy successor.

[SafeUnderHill 205]

[KK 3,307]

Where? In the 90 second sample?

I doubt it would play there.

[SafeUnderHill 205]