LotR Inspired Music

Have you listened to your LotR soundtracks over and over again? So much that they’re almost worn out? Then maybe you should look into some LotR inspired music. Most music stores have a small selection available and you can’t really go wrong with any of it. From heavy metal to gothic to orchestral, there’s something for every LotR fan.

The Tolkien Ensemble is probably one of the most well known LotR inspired music groups. They have three albums out with the last one featuring Christopher Lee. Each album has a large variety of poems and songs from Tolkien’s works set to music. Instead of just reading what characters sing in the books, you can actually hear it. One of my favorite tracks is the “Song of Beren and Lúthien” sung by Strider. The words are lifted right off the page and set to a beautiful and musical story. The Tolkien Ensemble really captures the emotion of Tolkien’s works and has the listener’s imagination from the very beginning. All of the tracks on their albums accomplish this, whether they’re sung or spoken, or about Elves or Men.

Another amazing piece of music is Symphony No. 1 composed by Johan de Meij. This orchestral piece takes you through the places of Lothlórien and Moria and also tells the stories of Gandalf, Gollum, and the Hobbits. The first movement brings out the wise and noble Gandalf and then goes into a wild and fast Shadowfax theme. Next is the movement about beautiful and mystical Lothlórien where Galadriel’s mirror is portrayed. The third movement goes into Gollum and features the saxophone. Just like Gollum, the music of this track shows multiple personalities. The fourth movement is about Moria and captures the Fellowship’s journey through the dark. The fifth and final movement features the light and carefree Hobbits and then takes us to the end of the LotR trilogy at the Grey Havens. The symphony ends on a peaceful note, but leaves a powerful image in your mind.

For those of you looking for a much shorter version of the Silmarillion, then Blind Guardian is for you! Their album shortens this ever long and confusing book into just 65 minutes of heavy metal music. Even if that’s not your style, give it a try. It’s really quite good and interesting!

The Elbereth Orchestra (featuring David Arkenstone) put together an album of Middle-earth inspired music. This album musically portrays LotR beautifully. Traditional orchestral and ethnic instruments are used along with a full choir. The music ranges from a Hobbit-like dance track to mystical Lothlórien to Aragorn and Arwen’s love story.

Andy Street brings us a completely different album. His LotR music is in New Age, Celtic, and Gothic styles. It’s really quite fitting! All the musical styles are appropriately used and not overly done. This is not my favorite CD since I’m not a big fan of gothic and new age music, but it has its good moments.

Many are fans of Enya’s song “May it Be” featured in Fellowship of the Ring, but did you know that that is not the only LotR song they have done? Though not made for the LotR films, Enya’s Shepherd Moons album features a lovely track simply called “Lothlórien”. It’s a beautiful song that’s truly fitting for this realm of Middle-earth.

There is a lot more LotR inspired music out there that I have not reviewed in this article. Check out your local music store or favorite online store and see what you can find. Our very own LHH section of the site has some excellent music reviews, too.

by TheLadyArwen