Music in Middle-earth

Heidi Steimel and Friedhelm Schneidewind (editors)

Cormarë Series No. 20

From the Grand Theme that the Ainur played before Ilúvatar at the beginning of the world, to the various songs encountered or sung by the characters of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the world that J.R.R. Tolkien created contains numerous references to song and music. Indeed, musical elements form an integral part of his narratives. It is therefore surprising that, until now, discussion of this aspect of Tolkien's sub-creation has been sparse in secondary literature. The 14 papers presented in this volume set out to address this important gap.

Besides musical references found in Tolkien's own works, the scope of Middle-earth music has over the years been further extended by various attempts to either set Tolkien's song texts to music, or to create derivative musical works. Such creations range from the songs and music of the various films and radio adaptions to such phenomena as Tolkien-inspired Black Metal. Besides the musical refences found in Tolkien's own writings, this volume also looks at these works.

 
A German version of Music in Middle-earth is published in parallel by Edition Stein und Baum under the title Musik in Mittelerde.

 
Contents | Announcements | Errata | Forum | Companion Volume | German version | More

Table of contents:

Foreword

Part A: Creation and Music

"Behold Your Music!": The Themes of Ilúvatar, the Song of Aslan, and the Real Music of the Spheres
Kristine Larsen

Tonality, Atonality and the Ainulindalë
Reuven Naveh

Ainulindalë: Tolkien, St. Thomas, and the Metaphysics of the Music
Jonathan McIntosh

Part B: Music in Tolkien's World

A Speculative History of the Music of Arda
Steven Linden

"Bring Out the Instruments!": Instrumental Music in Middle-earth
Heidi Steimel

The Harp in Middle-earth
Norbert Maier (translated from German by Heidi Steimel)

Part C: Influences of Our World on Tolkien's Music

Music, Myth, and Literary Depth in the "Land ohne Musik"
Gregory Martin

Strains of Elvish Song and Voices: Victorian Medievalism, Music, and Tolkien
Bradford Lee Eden

Sleeps a Song in Things Abounding: J.R.R. Tolkien and the German Romantic Tradition
Julian Eilmann (translated from German by Heidi Steimel)

"They Began to Hum Softly": Some Soldiers' Songs of World Wars I and II and of Middle-earth Compared and Contrasted
Murray Smith

Part D: Interpretations of Tolkien's Music in Our World

An Impenetrable Darkness: An Examination of the Influence of J.R.R. Tolkien on Black Metal Music
Michael Cunningham

Microphones in Middle-earth: Music in the BBC Radio Play
Paul Smith

Elven Music in Our Times
Mira Sommer (translated from German by Marie-Noëlle Biemer)

Making Texts Audible: A Workshop Report on Setting Tolkien to Music
Fabian Geier (translated from German by Heidi Steimel)

Appendix

Embodying the Voices: Documentation of a Failure
Friedhelm Schneidewind (translated from German by Heidi Steimel)

Afterword: Greater Music Still Shall be Made

 
311 pages, Walking Tree Publishers 2010, Cormarė No. 20, Editors: Heidi Steimel and Friedhelm Schneidewind , ISBN: 978-3-905703-14-6.

Cover picture

The cover illustration, Daeron and Lúthien, is by Anke Eißmann.

Announcements

New publication, Music in Tolkien's Work and Beyond (7th October 2019)
Call for Papers, Music and Middle-earth (24th August 2016)
Musik in Mittelerde is published (25th February 2014)
Review of Music in Middle-earth (21st July 2011)
Your chance to win Music in Middle-earth (3rd January 2010)
Music in Middle-earth now available (3rd January 2010)
Interview with Heidi Steimel (December 2009)

Errata

Forum

Would you like to exchange opinions, thoughts and ideas on this topic with other readers and fans of Tolkien's works? You're welcome to read about and discuss Music in Middle-earth on the Barrow-Downs forum, where there is an area devoted especially to this book.

http://forum.barrowdowns.com/forumdisplay.php?f=44

Companion volume

This volume has a companion volume, Music in Tolkien's Work and Beyond, Cormarë Series No. 39, Walking Tree Publishers 2019, ISBN: 978-3-905703-39-9.

German version

A German version of Music in Middle-earth is published in parallel by Edition Stein und Baum under the title Musik in Mittelerde, ISBN 978-3-932683-14-5.

Music in Middle-earth (English version)

 
311 pages, Walking Tree Publishers 2010, Cormarë Series No. 20, ISBN: 978-3-905703-14-6.
 

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