Thoughts on the next step

With the Fall of Fingolfin now shipping, I've once again started to look ahead to what's next for me with The Silmarillion Symphony. I'm still working on Beren and Luthien, which is a major project of its own.

Today however I would like to offer something different. This may best chance for readers and fans to give a little input on the project as a whole. So I have some questions for my readers and supporters.

1. Is there a style you're desperate to see employed in the music?
2. Is there a particular instrument that really signifies a part of Middle-Earth to you?
3. Is there a specific musician we should contact to have play on an album?

While some of this is rather off the cuff, I would love to see some of your opinions in the comments below.

You can hear and purchase the music at silmarillionsymphony.bandcamp.com .

The Fall of Fingolfin

Discussing the Music Part 5: The March of the Fallen King

This post is the final 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. 

And now we’ve made it to the final piece in The Fall of Fingolfin album - The March of the Fallen King. This is a sorrowful piece, written like a funeral pomp.

In The Silmarillion, there isn’t much said about Fingolfin’s burial. Only that his son Turgon buried him on a mountain above the secret city of Gondolin. So my piece is very much a thought on how Turgon’s march up the mountain upon hearing the news would’ve felt. Slow, sad, and surreal. One can also take the tack that the elves of Turgon’s house in Gondolin, along with the family present there, would’ve carried the King’s body slowly, mournfully, up the mountain to finally bury their fallen king. 

Thus, the instrumentation is rather sparse - the piece is really written for a small ensemble - a few strings, two horns, and some woodwinds. I suppose the music could also be interpreted by this part of the book:

"Great was the lamentation in Hithlum when the fall of Fingolfin became known, and Fingon in sorrow took the lordship of the house of Fingolfin and the kingdom of the Noldor…” (The Silmarillion, pg. 154)

Thank you very much for reading this series. It’s been a joy sharing this commentary on the music with you. I do hope you’ll share these posts with the Tolkien fans around you, and the music as well.

To get this album for yourself, click here.

Discussing the Music Part 4: The Fall of Fingolfin

This post is part four 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. 

“And Morgoth came.” (The Silmarillion, pg. 153)

And so we being the title track. This track was actually a speed writing exercise when I began it in early 2015. This track is all about the single combat between Fingolfin and Morgoth.

It begins with a large low bass note, some high strings, meant to signify Morgoth’s mammoth size. There is also a horn call, echoing in the mountains, with a trumpet response, which is a miniaturized arrangement of Fingolfin’s heroic theme,

 In the book, Tolkien describes it like this:

“And he issues forth clad in black armour; and he stood before the King like a tower, iron-crowned, and his vast shield, sable unblazoned, cast a shadow over him like a stormcloud. But Fingolfin gleamed beneath it as a star; for his mail was overlaid with silver, and his blue shield was set with crystals; and he drew his sword Ringil, that glittered like ice.” (The Silmarillion, pg. 153) 

More music comes in, this time with repeated strings patterns, to depict how I see this combat going down - somewhat in an encircled pit. You can almost get a sense of the stage being set for this fight. I see this introduction sort of as Morgoth and Fingolfin staring each other down, somewhat trying to intimidate one another. Then another theme emerges - the heroic theme. This is Fingolfin’s theme, filled with a sense of heroism mixed with doubt. 

After that, we have more staring and little bits of sparring going on - Morgoth’s main theme has not come in yet. Then a repeat of Fingolfin’s theme. We have some string parts that for me signify the shrieks of the orcs as their master is wounded. It says in The Silmarillion:

“Then Morgoth hurled aloft Grond, the Hammer of the Underworld...Many times Morgoth essayed to smite him, and each time Fingolfin leaped away, as a lightning shoots from under a dark cloud; and he wounded Morgoth with seven wounds, and seven times Morgoth gave a cry of anguish, whereat  the hosts of Angband fell upon their faces in dismay…” (The Silmarillion, pg.154)

After the shrieking, we get Morgoth’s theme - with a contrabassoon and bassoon along with pizzicato strings, giving a sense of mischievousness about what’s about to happen. Morgoth has eventually tired the King out, and the King has tripped into a pit (made by Grond). The heroic theme, now in full force, has changed - the doubt is taking over, as the hero must surely die. Yet Fingolfin has one last strike as Morgoth bears down upon him with his shield:

"But the earth was all rent and pitted about humanoid he stumbled and fell backward before the feet of Morgoth; and Morgoth set his left foot upon his neck, and the weight of it was like a fallen hill. Yet with his last on desperate stroke Fingolfin hewed the foot with Ringil, and blood gushed forth black and smoking and filled the pits of Grond.” (Ibid)

So died Fingolfin. It is said that Morgoth broke the body of the King, and would’ve throw it to the wolves, but the Lord of Eagles came, marred Morgoth’s face, and took the King’s body to Gondolin. There he was buried. 

To get this album for yourself, click here.

Discussing the Music Part 3: Rochallar

This post is part three 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. 

This week I’ll be discussing the third piece on the album - Rochallar. Rochallar, if you are familiar with The Silmarillion, is Fingolfin’s 'great horse’. In this part of the story, Fingolfin is coming to grips with what evil has wrought all around him, and that his people have been decimated. So he decides to ride forth alone and challenge Morgoth to a duel. More on that later.

The way the piece is arranged is almost in a two scene format. The first section of the piece, which is in 3/4, is a sort of introductory part. In my mind, Fingolfin is enraged, and is preparing his glorious horse for his ride to Angband. I sort of picture his son Fingon entreating him not to go, understanding that this cannot possibly end well and of course not wanting to lose his father. You can almost picture the end of section one with Fingolfin riding through the gates, and Fingon watching from the walls.

The second section of the piece switches to an aggressive 7/4, depicting the intensity what’s said in the book:

“He passed over Dor-nu-Fauglith like a wind amid the dust, and all that beheld his onset fled in amaze, thinking that Orome himself was come: for a great madness of rage was upon him, so that his eyes shone like the eyes of the Valar.” (The Silmarillion, pg. 153)

The piece continues from there, and beings a final crescendo as Fingolfin arrives at Angband. I imagine he would’ve commanded Rochallar to return home at a certain point, although the book does not tell us what became of him. The piece ends with a series of accented sforzandos, and some horns calls, meant to represent Fingolfin’s smiting of the doors of Angband and the sounding of his horn:

Thus he came to Angband’s gates, and he sounded his horn, and smote once more upon its brazen doors, and challenged Morgoth to come forth to single combat. (Ibid)

At the very end of the piece, after the horn calls, a distant, echoing drum sound. This is Morgoth walking forth slowly from his subterranean throne - from Fingolfin’s perspective.

To get this album for yourself, click here.

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).