Discussing the Music Part 2: Sons of Finwe, Sons of Beor

This post is part two of a five part series on my latest album, The Silmarillion Symphony Ep 2: The Fall of Fingolfin. To start with part one, click here. To listen to the music, head over to silmarillionsymphony.bandcamp.com and buy The Fall of Fingolfin.

In this week's blog, I want to discuss the second piece on the album - Sons of Finwe, Sons of Beor. This piece is special to me, in that I've actually had the main theme sketched out since 2014 when I started this whole enterprise. When I was in piece selection mode for The Fall of Fingolfin, this was one I wanted to have on the album because of its epic yet doubtful style. As this piece follows 'Sudden Flame' on the album, it's meant to show the somewhat misguided valour of the Elves in their fight against Morgoth.

The way the text reads really doesn't show too much in favour of the Elves in this fight. I must confess - I needed a little brightness in the program, and I think a bit of alliteration on the plot. A sort of hypothetical adventure into how the Noldor would've fought back. These are First Age elves who have seen the Light of the Trees. These people can fight.

Seeing as the Elves are beaten rather severely in the Dagor Bragollach, the end of this piece is once again the Noldor looking upon their fallen comrades, their cousins and even their brothers.

Also in this part of the book, Men fight and die alongside the Elves. It is in this battle where Barahir (remember Aragorn's ring in Lord of the Rings?), a man, rescues The King of Nargothrond, Finrod Felagund from certain death. Finrod gives Barahir a ring (hence the name 'the Ring of Barahir') and swears an oath of friendship to help his kin when the need would arise.

In sum, here we have a piece that is meant to show the best of Elven bravery and honour, ill-fated though it was.

To get this album for yourself, click here.

Discussing the Music Part 1: Sudden Flame

So the new album is doing well. I'm enjoying all the feedback I'm getting from all over the world. I thought I'd start a little series talking about the music from The Fall of Fingolfin. Today is track one - Sudden Flame.

The music begins with some familiar material - it's a modification on my "Music of the Ainur" theme with some strings and a choir. The choir was a late addition to the score, meant to tie this album to the last.

As far as plot - the piece is meant to narrate the first couple pages from the chapter "Of the Ruin of Beleriand and The Fall of Fingolfin" from which the album derives its name. In this chapter, we have the Noldorin elves considered launching an offensive against the besieged forces of Morgoth. The majority of them were happy with the state of affairs at the time so in the end, no plans of Fingolfin (the High King) or of the Noldorin royalty came to fruition. And there was piece for a time. 

A short time. For Morgoth, the Dark Enemy had been readying a force to break the siege that had lasted almost four-hundred years. In the winter night, suddenly "great rivers of flame" burst forth from Angband. (You hear this in the piece when the low string and percussion hits are played.) Thus begins the Battle of Sudden Flame (or if you like, the Dagor Bragollach).  This is the first time we see dragons in Middle-Earth, as Glaurung the "father of dragons" is first revealed, complete with an army full of orcs and Balrogs.

As the music continues, you have war drums consistently playing throughout the second half of the piece, symbolizing (in a sense) that the flames of war and the forces of evil are in fact overwhelming the Elves. At the end of the piece, we hear a short reflective piece, where one can picture the Elves counting their slain and mourning their losses. 

Below, we have some artwork called "Sudden Flame" by Darlene Dunn. This image became the covert art for The Fall of Fingolfin (click here to purchase).