3.40 The Houses of Healing | LotR Score Analysis

An analysis of the themes and letitmotifs of the Lord of the Rings – The Complete Recordings; composed, orchestrated and conducted by Howard Shore. The videos stay true to how the tunes are presented in The Complete Recordings, so all scenes with no or altered music are omitted.

IMPORTANT: The featured sample notations are not necessarily identical (in key, form or time signature) to the relevant music in the tracks. They exist to give a visual cue for the themes, not to be taken literally for every iteration of the theme.

Quotes mostly taken from The Annotated Score and The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films by Doug Adams
A big thank you to A Magpie’s Nest, and the mysterious transcriber M.W., without either these videos might never have been made.

I am not affiliated with Middle-earth Enterprises, the Tolkien Estate, New Line Cinema, Warner Brothers, WingNut Films, Doug Adams or Howard Shore.
All copyrights and trademarks for the books, films, and soundtrack music and lyrics are held by their respective owners.

[sbskinner]

One of the best moments in The Return of the King (movie and soundtrack) is when Pippin finds Merry and takes care of him. I love it because Merry, for most o the trilogy has been looking out for Pippin, now the roles are reversed.

[Andurilflame]

I listen to this song every New Years Day to set the tone of the new year

[Andurilflame]

during dark days like today I listen to this to search for the light at the end of the tunnel

[mateiyu-]

They were right not to use Arwen's song over her vision of Aragorn and Eldarion, I always thought it didn't fit, and the song felt out of place. It works a lot better here. Those perfect fifths are really uplifting !
Now if I'm not mistaken, Arwen's Song getting used for the Houses of Healing meant that there was no more musical room for Asea Aranion (sung if memory serves by Sissel Kyrkjebø), which got transfered to the end credits. I've wondered about the possibility of Asea Aranion making this scene even better than Arwen's Song...!
I certainly love that scene as it is, and the song is quite nice (and feels oddly hopeful given the circumstances of the story at that point), but however much Liv Tyler worked and applied herself, she cannot compete with Sissel Kyrkjebø's voice (which is what makes Asea Aranion one of my favourite Lord of the Rings song - my absolute favourite might be Elizabeth Fraser's lament for Gandalf).

[Andurilflame]

This song in particular is quite powerful because the listener can feel the sadness and despair that Eomer feels after seeing Eowyn wounded, and Arwen(Liv Tyler) provides the vocals with Aragorns actions healing both Eowyn and Faramir. It shows Aragorns connection with both Eowyn and Arwen.

[Andurilflame]

Such A Epic Part Great music great movie great book

[Relics_of_Arda]

I really enjoy Howard Shore's music

[garrettscott]

My brother is returning to Chicago, I am taking down the Christmas decorations, and I am about to give out leftover Valentine cards to some friends... perfect timing...

[thedorklord]

This is probably the most interesting instance of the Orcs of Mordor hint (can we just officially rename it to the History-Threat hybrid?). Instead of being used to underpin the foretold tragic demise of Faramir, or the eternal dominion of Sauron, it is used instead to show how the hobbits have evolved over the movie. All of them are related to Mordor's influence as a physical presence, but this is the only one that sounds hopeful rather than foreboding. It's honestly rather interesting to me that this is the last hint of the History-Threat hybrid.