Music of Middle-earth

Tolkien

Music and song appear throughout Tolkien's legendarium, most prominently in the Ainulindalë, the creation account that opens The Silmarillion. This myth describes the immortal Ainur as children of Ilúvatar's thought, taught the art of music, which becomes the subject of their lives. They sing alone or in small groups on themes given by Ilúvatar, who proposes a collaborative symphony in harmony. The most powerful Ainur, Melkor, repeatedly disrupts this harmony with his loud and vain music.

Scholars have noted parallels between this account and Norse mythology as well as Tolkien's Catholicism, with Eru Ilúvatar resembling God and Melkor resembling the rebellious Satan. The Hobbit contains ten songs, ranging from light-hearted to reflective, including the Dwarves' joking song as they wash dishes and Bilbo's version of The Old Walking Song. The Lord of the Rings includes over sixty poems and songs, an unusual feature for a 20th-century novel.

These verses cover many genres: wandering, marching to war, drinking, bathing, narrating ancient myths, praise, and lament. Brian Rosebury notes that Tolkien's verse is distinctive for its individuation of poetic styles to suit the expressive needs of each character or narrative moment, citing examples such as Gollum's comic-funereal rhythm, the Marching Song of the Ents, the celebratory psalm of the Eagles, the hymns of the Elves, the chants of the Dwarves, the song-speech of Tom Bombadil, and the Hobbits' diverse songs.

Based on Tolkien's works

Tolkien's writings have inspired a vast range of music, spanning classical, jazz, blues, country, new age, heavy metal, opera, and psychedelic styles. In 1988, Dutch composer Johan de Meij finished his five-movement Symphony No. 1 "The Lord of the Rings," with sections named after Gandalf, Lothlórien, Gollum, a journey in the dark, and hobbits. Eight years later, Finnish composer Aulis Sallinen turned material meant for a ballet into his Symphony No. 7, "The Dreams of Gandalf."

Scholar David Bratman says both symphonies focus more on atmosphere than narrative, though de Meij's fourth movement tells a story. He points out that Sallinen's Gandalf movement uses a rising theme built from the notes G-A-D-A-F, derived from the wizard's name. De Meij's Gandalf movement also features a bold, striving melody that later shifts into a swift ride on the horse Shadowfax. In 2025, English composer Paul Godfrey put out a 15-CD recording of his full-cast Lord of the Rings opera, the first such work to receive approval from the Tolkien Estate.

The book's popularity with younger audiences starting in the 1960s led to its themes appearing in pop music. Progressive rock, often called "Hobbit rock," frequently uses fantasy and medieval imagery, whether tied to Tolkien or not. In 1970, Swedish musician Bo Hansson released an instrumental concept album called "Sagan om ringen," which came out internationally in 1972 as "Music Inspired by Lord of the Rings."

Analysis

Bradford Lee Eden calls Verlyn Flieger's book on Tolkien's language and music the key study of how those two elements weave together as core themes in The Silmarillion. Stratford Caldecott, examining Tolkien's mythology through a Catholic lens, argues that the writings resemble a musical composition. Though Tolkien downplayed his own musical skill, Eden points out that his spoken readings and Elvish recitations suggest otherwise.