But in case you just came in...

The first part of my review of TTT:EE can be found here: Part One

For the second part, see: Part Two

For part three: Part Three

For part four: Part Four

And part five: Part Five

Remember of course that this is a first draft, and contains the mistakes of a first draft. Thanks to those who have taken an interest so far and have made (correcting) observations. They are most heartily appreciated, and will continue to be. Thanks also to Marilynn, Jelle, Kurt and the others at SMME who have to been open to discuss some of the points below. All errors are naturally my own.

I still have to go through this and put bold type around the timestamps. At the moment I'm a little tired, so I might leave it at that.

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PART SIX: THE STORY TO DATE
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All this music has led to this. The Battle of Helm’s Deep is the pay-off of nearly 180 minutes of music composed for The Two Towers: Extended Edition. In the space of slightly more than 25 minutes of original score, Shore gives us one epic moment after another, all of it building to the film’s triple climax. As the Riders of Rohan save the day at Helm’s Deep to the thrilling fanfares of Shore’s single best piece of action music for the trilogy (‘Forth Eorlingas’), the ‘avalanche’ predicted by Gandalf sweeps away the fires of Isengard to the second of two powerhouse choral extravaganza’s composed for the film (‘Stone Breaks, Ground Shakes’ – the first was ‘Foundations of Stone’). Against these action climaxes we have third part-action-part-emotional climax as Frodo places his quest in its greatest danger yet. (This third climax is only part dealt with in this part – the cue accompanying Sam’s speech is the first cue analysed in the forthcoming part seven.)

Of course, before the climax comes the build-up to that climax. Among the three stories, the musical development of Frodo’s story is probably the least interesting. While in the previous section of the film this story thread provided Shore with opportunities to extensively showcase both his Gondor toolbox in ‘Brother of Boromir’ and ‘Sons of Denathor’ (to run dangerously close to mixing metaphors and pathetic fallacy), his material for Gollum (in ‘The Forbidden Pool’ and ‘Smeagol Betrayed’), and the Ring’s seductive power (‘Faramir’s Test’), this section of the film offers less than five minutes of that story. In that five minutes, no previously established themes are reprised, not even the Ringwraith Revelation, though a better opportunity for an appearance of that theme could not be conceived than the appearance of the Nazgul in Osgiliath.

The Treebeard-Merry-Pippin story thread initially appears musically uninteresting in this section. The humorous deliberations of the Entmoot are used to punctuate the major episodes of Helm’s Deep, and as the scenes of the latter are heavily scored, this leads to a more minimalist treatment of the Ent scenes. Things pick up in ‘Part of this World’, as Merry challenges both the Ents and Pippin to imagine the logical consequences of Saruman’s aggression. Here we have an interesting performance of the Shire, yet another reprisal of the ubiquitous Wickenstein Oboe phrase (named for the moviemusic.com poster Wickenstein), and yet another repeated phrase that suggests itself as a motif. Of course the major cues of interest for the Ents come towards the end of the section. As the Ents overcome their appeasement tendencies and reclaim their better natures, Shore treats us to a vigorous reprise of the Nature theme, a theme that while previously has been kept in the background of the films, now stamps itself all over the climax of this film in ‘Last March of the Ents’ and ‘Stone Breaks, Ground Shakes’.

Of course the story that calls the most attention to itself, and dominates the music throughout this part of the film, is the Battle of Helm’s Deep. Shore’s intent here appears to be dual. The first is to aid the film’s delivery of information about what is happening. Helm’s Deep is a battle at night, shot with a touch of the chaotic (a recurring characteristics of Jackson’s action scenes on the whole). It is a kind of little war with many theatres of action, parries and thrusts by both sides. That is, there is a lot for the viewer to absorb under the visual circumstances. Shore draws our focus to what we are meant to see. If the Elves are undertaking a maneuvre that puts the Uruk-Hai on the defensive, then Shore’s music will tell us that. If the Three Hunters or the Riders of Rohan or Gandalf are saving the day, Shore’s music will tell us that. If the Uruk-Hai have the upper-hand, he will tell us that too. One thing I’ve tried to draw attention to throughout what follows is how Shore does that through use of the toolbox of motific material and orchestration he has established to date.

Shore’s second intent is to aid the film’s emotional impact at every point with music, either by its presence or absence. So, not only must we know that the Uruks are advancing over the field of battle – we must feel threatened by it. Not only do we learn that the Elves are putting themselves on the line for the Rohirrim, we are moved by the sacrifice of those who were not born to die. And I could provide a third illustration, but that would be bordering on empty rhetoric, so I’ll just get on with it.

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PART SIX: THE BATTLE WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR
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TITLE LENGTH

63. Hornburg Haka [1:30] ** #
64. The Whites of Their Eyes [2:52] **
65. Fire Undoes Stone [1:10] *
66. The Deeping Wall Breaks [1:41] *
67. Part of this World [1:54] *
68. Lament for the Eldar [1:13] **
69. Defending the Keep [1:42] **
70. The Hornburg Breached [1:17] **
71. Travelling South / Osgiliath Burns [2:01] *
72. A Wizard Should Know Better [0:07] *
73. Last March of the Ents [1:30] **
74. The Nazgul Cometh [0:53] *
75. Ride out with Me [1:53] *
76. The Turning of the Tide [4:24]**
a. Forth Eorlingas [1:57] **
b. Stone Breaks, Ground Shakes [2:20] **
c. The Nazgul Goeth [1:07] *

Total length [25:11]

Approximate total released music: 5:31.
Approximate total unreleased music: 19:40.

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CUE-BY-CUE ANALYSIS
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63. Hornburg Haka [1:30] ** #

00:58:39 Three note ascending woodwind phrase over strings as the first drops of rain fall on the defenders of Helm’s Deep.
00:58:49 The three ascending notes are repeated by woodwinds as the strength of the enemy forces becomes apparent.
00:58:58 The three ascending notes are repeated a third time.
00:59:07 On the fourth repetition of the three notes, a flute plays another phrase in contrast as we see the frightened women and children in the caves. I’m not certain, though I have a feeling this part of the cue was composed for the extended edition – I only remember the later shot of the women and children in the caves in the theatrical edition. The light string underscore is bolstered as the deeper strings and low brass work into the action as we see shots of Uruk-Hai drawing near.
00:59:24 We hear low brass and strings play a driving rhythm as Aragorn instructs the Lorien elves in the finer points of Fellowship diplomacy. (I love Aragorn’s remarks on the rules of engagement here – they really give the impression that the battle we’re about to see observes no Geneva Convention.)
00:59:43 Oboe soloist states one of the Rohan battle motifs, this one making its first appearance in the score as we again see what the Last Alliance are fighting for – the women and children in the Glittering Caves of Aglarond. This beautiful motif, which is usually heard in a more strident form, can be found on the album track ‘The Hornburg’ (2:52-3:00).
00:59:50 The cue rounds out with a repeated ascending phrase as the two forces continue the face-off in the dark. In this section we also have Gimli and Legolas’ famous exchange about whether Legolas should find Gimli a box to stand on…
01:00:09 … the cue ending on an uncertain bit of string writing just before the Uruks begin their Hornburg Haka, rhythmically driving their pikes into the ground in unison.

Considering the action on screen, this largely unreleased cue is surprisingly restrained in content. If anything it reminds me (particularly the opening section) of some of Charles Ive’s writing. The slow accumulation of the ascending woodwinds, the deep strings and low brass establishes a pungent atmosphere of tension. Shore is telling us in this cue what we see happening on screen – pleasantries are being exchanged and the ice is about to be spectacularly broken. All that remains is to find out exactly how this skirmish is going to formally kick off.

Shore is also telling us in this cue what the battle is about. Jackson and his co-authors explain on their DVD commentary that without the cross-cutting between the Rohan refugees in the Glittering Caves and the starker situation before the Deeping Wall, the reason for the conflict would not be so vividly realised. The battle would not be so justifiable if there were not helpless innocents whose lives were at stake here. Shore takes his cue (yes, bad pun intended) and makes the appearance of the women and children in the caves the emotional centre of his scoring. The brief appearance of one of the Rohan battle motifs (actually derived from the Rohan theme) as stated for oboe at 00:59:43 achieves this nicely.

64. The Whites of Their Eyes [2:52] **

01:00:53 Deep strings heard as the first Uruk falls dead.
01:01:04 Ascending brass phrase over a pounding timpani rhythm as the frenzied Uruks charge forward, and we hear Theoden say: ‘So it begins.’ This section of the cue can be heard in the album track ‘The Hornburg’, 3:03-3:14.
01:01:11 As the Uruks charge forward, Aragorn orders the archers on the wall to fire, and Legolas gives his pointers on Uruk demobilisation, we hear a brass statement of the complete Lothlorien theme over the same timpani rhythm and a string ostinato. In what follows the first volley of arrows are let loose. This section of the cue can be heard in the album track ‘The Hornburg’, 3:14-3:55.
01:01:52 The ascending brass phrase from 01:01:04 is reprised as we see the shot of the Elves firing from behind the Deeping Wall, before panning over the wall to reveal an entire line of Uruks cut down by the volley. All the while the timpani rhythm is maintained, giving continuity to the piece. This section of the cue can be heard in the album track ‘The Hornburg’, 3:56-4:07.
01:02:01 Brass variations on the ascending phrase as the firing continues, with the Rohirrim adding their volley. We hear the first Wilhelm scream as a Lorien elf is shot by crossbow, and strangely falls forward over the Deeping Wall barricade onto the Uruks below.
01:02:15 Fast percussive beat leads into the familiar Isengard 5/4 percussion rhythm as the Uruks bring forth their ladders and plant them at the base of the Deeping Wall. The percussion here sounds more metallic than the timpanis between 01:01:04 and 01:02:01, with the familiar Isengard anvil sound.
01:02:22 The six note Isengard brass melody sounds for the first time in the battle as the first ladders are raised towards the Deeping Wall.
01:02:45 Brass builds as we the hand-to-hand combat with the first orcs that reach the Deeping Wall. Shots of Aragorn, Haldir, Legolas and Gimli fighting.
01:03:08 A choral statement of the Fellowship battle motif, last heard in the unreleased cue ‘On the Trail of the Uruks’, as we see shots of the Three Hunters fighting on the walls. The motif specifically appears as Gimli immobilises the ‘man component’ of a Berserker Uruk (assuming that Saruman had not desexed his army).
01:03:22 The fast percussive beat from 01:02:15 returns as the brass intermingles statements of the Isengard brass melody and the Rohan battle motif (heard at 00:59:43 in the previous cue), as we see The Three Hunters in combat, leading into…
01:03:32 …that classic tracking shot along the Deeping Wall with ladders in various stages of hitting the wall. From this point on, the music in this cue can be heard in the album track ‘The Hornburg’, 4:07-4:30.
01:03:40 The last percussive beat is heard here as we make the transition to Fangorn Forest …
01:03:45 … and the brass fades as Treebeard announces his decision: the hobbits are most definitely not orcs.

This partially released cue, the first major action cue of Helms Deep introduces us to most of the devices Shore uses to communicate which side is making their move and who has the upper hand at any point. As in any leitmotific score, good use of action-oriented versions of well-established themes for the participants is one way to aid the viewer’s orientation. So a thunderous brass version of the Lothlorien theme serves well for the segment of the battle when the Elves have the strategic advantage – when the Uruks must run to the foot of the walls and set up ladders. The Isengard theme returns when the Uruks get a foothold in their enemies’ defences by placement of the ladders. As the Fellowship fights the Uruks along the walls, the Fellowship battle motif returns. The cue ends with a brief surge of the Rohan theme being drowned out by the Isengard percussive meter – the implication confirms what we see onscreen – the Uruks have the upper hand at this point.

One thing that can be heard clearly in this cue is the differing types of percussion Shore associates with the two combatants. The Free Peoples (Elves, Dwarves and Men) are always associated with the more organic sound of timpanis. So as the Uruks run over the Deep straight into the defenders’ firing lines, the percussion is of this type. The Uruks of course already have a familiar percussive device – the metallic percussion, in particular the skewed 5/4 meter of the Isengard theme. As the ladders dig in at the base of the Deeping Wall, the metal percussion takes over and dominates the rest of the cue. This simple musical dichotomy – between the metallic meter of the forces of industry and domination and the timpani rhythms of the Free Peoples – is a recurring device throughout the battle.

65. Fire Undoes Stone [1:10] *

01:05:12 Martial four note percussive ostinato opens this cue as we see Gimli cleaving some Uruk-Hide (bad orc pun intended – you have to say it out aloud to a friend and claim it as your own to really appreciate how bad it is).
01:05:17 A malevolent brass phrase begins over the ostinato as Gimli continues to dispatch Uruks in hand-to-hand combat…
01:05:23 …which is reprised as we pan from the Deeping Wall to the causeway leading up to the Hornburg.
01:05:28 Strings enter with a driving six-note ostinato as the Uruks advance up the causeway in a Roman army-like formation. The ostinato continues under the brass writing as Aragorn directs the Lorien Elves to fire on the Uruks on the causeway.
01:05:40 Wary strings as Theoden counts his chickens before they hatch and challenges Saruman’s wizardry – ‘Is this all you can conjure Saruman?’
01:05:47 The martial four note ostinato that opened the cue briefly returns before the malevolent brass phrase at 01:05:17 is stated for trombones and tubas as the Uruks place charges in the sluice gate under the Deeping Wall.
01:06:03 The action in the music reaches its peak as the Uruk Torch runner races forward to the string ostinato heard at 01:05:28. The ostinato builds in intensity with brass accompaniment as Legolas attempts to shoot down the Torch runner…
01:06:23 … the music ending as the Uruk’s body flies, along with torch into the gap in the Deeping Wall. The explosion is preceded by a moment of silence to make way for the sound effects.

A personal favourite of mine among the unreleased cues, this action cue has the kind of drive that people normally look to someone like Jerry Goldsmith, or more recently Brian Tyler for. (Note to those who like scores in the motific vein – you really can’t go past Tyler’s recent score for the miniseries Children of Dune. It is an excellent effort – well worth your money.) Barring ‘Forth Eorlingas’, which is more an emotional climax than an action one, this cue is Shore’s best action cue to date. There are no familiar themes here to draw out the material – the percussion ostinato, string ostinato, and brass melody featured here are unique in the score. They build to a memorable climax. Note that throughout this cue, the percussion is of the metallic type. Shore communicates by this that we are witnessing a part of the battle in which the activity is dominated by the twin Uruk strategies of destroying the Deeping Wall and bringing down the Doors of the Keep.

66. The Deeping Wall Breaks [1:41] *

01:06:49 Deep strings as we briefly see a shot of an unconscious Aragorn, and Theoden looks dumbfounded at the sudden turn of the tide.
01:06:51 Brass phrase (not unlike the one at 01:05:17) sounds as the Uruks make for the gap in the Deeping Wall, while the water only pours through the gap now… (indeed even if the physics of that weren’t unusual, you’d have to wonder why the creek wasn’t completely blown away in the blast)… At the same time, the Uruks push a battering ram through their causeway forces…
01:07:11 … who, after losing a few members of their company (ingloriously falling off the side of the causeway), push the ram against the Hornburg doors. The music is a little unclear in this section… meandering brass over an ostinato that could have come directly out of Holst’s Mars. We also see the Uruks pour through the Deeping Wall, drawing close to a reawakened Aragorn.
01:07:39 A 4-note brass fanfare sounds as Gimli leaps off the Deeping Wall on top of the Uruks to save Aragorn. The fanfare is repeated as Gimli duels with some Uruks.
01:07:48 Brassy material as Aragorn orders the Lorien Elves to fire into the Deeping Wall gap, followed by the ‘arrow’s point-of-view’ shot.
01:07:56 Pounding timpanis build underneath a brass statement of the Lothlorien theme as Aragorn leads the Lorien Elves in a last charge into the Uruk pikes. (This is not a complete statement of the Lothlorien theme as in the previous cue.)
01:08:07 Brief non-thematic brass material as the chargers hit the Uruk ranks and a few on both sides are dispatched.
01:08:10 As Legolas does his skateboard trick in defence of Gimli, a brass strident version of the complete Fellowship theme is performed, the first complete statement of the theme since the cue ‘On the Trail of the Uruks’. A low brass statement of the Fellowship theme prelude follows as we see an aerial shot of the Lorien Elves doing battle with the Uruks…
01:08:30 … ending as we make the transition back to the Entmoot.

Some material from the previous cue opens this cue as the Uruks take advantage of the big hole left in the wall and begin the ramming of the Hornburg doors. The malevolent brass and metallic percussion of the early section of this cue lets the viewer know who is in charge of the battlefield. Just as the heroes swiftly regroup and setting about doing heroic things, so Shore’s music suggests a regrouping of the Free Peoples. Another strident statement of the Lothlorien theme over pounding timpanis accompanies the defence of the breach in the Deeping Wall, and Legolas’ heroics are appropriately score with a statement of the Fellowship theme that sounds like it could have come from a comic book adaptation. As we leave the battle to return to the Entmoot, a solemn statement of the Fellowship theme prelude communicates that the Free Peoples are again dictating terms on at least part of the battlefield at this point in the battle.

As an unreleased cue there is a lot to look forward to in this piece of music. Aside from the statements of the Lothlorien and Fellowship themes (the latter receiving its first statement in the Battle incidentally), the incidental underscore – largely consisting of brass writing – is finely crafted.

67. Part of this World [1:54] *

01:08:50 The ‘oboe motif’ (which I still call Wickenstein’s oboe motif since it was Wickenstein who brought it to my attention) is stated as Treebeard lectures Merry on his presumption. This is the first time the oboe motif has appeared since the Dead Marshes cue ‘Famished’.
01:08:59 The oboe motif is reprised a second time as the above action continues.
01:09:05 The oboe motif is reprised a third time with soft string underscore.
01:09:21 The Shire A theme is stated for soft strings, with a hint of the folk elements of that theme, as Pippin tries to talk up the positive side of not going to war with Isengard.
01:09:40 As Merry explains to Pippin that no corner of the world will be safe from the Fires of Isengard, we hear a reprise for strings of the soft descending motif previously heard in the cue ‘Lost in Emyn Muil’ (Disc One, 00:06:33).
01:10:11 Low brass takes us back to an aerial shot of the battle behind the Deeping Wall…
01:10:14 … leading into a sad string elegy set to images of weary Elves fighting the Uruks. (This string music slightly recalls the cue 'Helm's Deep', particularly the motif in that cue that some call the 'Helm's Deep' motif - see disc two, 00:14:08, or the album cue 'Helm's Deep', 1:45-2:10.)
01:10:34 The V-note motif that appears in a number of themes in the trilogy as we see a weary Aragorn acknowledge Theoden’s plea for them to withdraw to the Keep. This is probably a brief reference to Aragorn’s theme. We also see Gimli’s very obvious body double dragged away by two of the Lorien elves who seem to know how to carry a dwarf, if not toss one.
01:10:39 Strings and brass writing as he calls to Haldir to retreat to the Keep…
01:10:44 … ending the cue.

An unreleased highlight, this cue is largely dramatic in nature and offers a respite from the relentless action of the previous three cues. Merry and Pippin’s storyline has been unscored in its two previous scenes, and now as the Entmoot concludes with the Ents electing in favour of appeasement Shore’s music speaks of disappointment and the inevitability of war. It is not the destruction of Fangorn that is mourned though, it is the destruction of the Shire, which Merry expects is the likely consequence of the Ents’ decision. We hear a nice statement of the Shire theme here, augmented with some of the folk elements that haven’t been heard since the hobbits left the Shire about six hours of screen time ago. The oboe motif appears again, not once but three times, underscoring Merry’s frustration at the Ent’s decision. I still haven’t decided what this motif is for, though it has appeared previously in this score and twice in the previous film. In this score, it was last heard in ‘Lost in Emyn Muil’.

In another interesting musical choice, Shore reprises the soft descending string phrase heard in the same cue as Merry explains to Pippin why ‘there won’t be a Shire’. This music may be intended simply to accompany scenes where hobbits seem to face immovable challenges. In the earlier scene, Frodo and Sam were lost in Emyn Muil, and before the appearance of Gollum that was a considerable obstacle to their quest. In this later scene, Merry and Pippin are about to be left alone on the borders of Fangorn by a parliament of walking furniture, and it obviously puts them no closer to presenting a threat to Saruman’s army (which they saw just before the cue ‘Breath of Life’). The exact purpose of this motif, and even if it is a motif and not just connecting material that Shore has returned to, may not be known for some time. Does anyone know if this phrase appeared in FOTR:EE?

As we return to Helm’s Deep, the dramatic tone of the cue is maintained. The strength of the Lorien Elves is spent by their defence of the Deeping Wall gap. Their numbers have dwindled and their sacrifice for Men is mourned by a beautiful string passage. Whatever your attitude to the appearance of the Elves at Helm’s Deep, you have to acknowledge that the musical opportunities presented by that narrative change make it well and truly worth it.

68. Lament for the Eldar [1:13] **

01:10:55 Deep string note as Haldir falls to the ground…(This can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 0:01-0:02.)
01:10:57 … leading into Elizabeth Frazier’s extraordinary Lament for Haldir, based on the same melody as the Lothlorien Lament for Gandalf from FOTR. (This is the first time this tune has appeared since the relevant scene in FOTR.) Images of the death of those who neither disease nor old age could diminish accompany this piece, while a chorus underneath at 01:11:15 suggests the Lothlorien theme. (This can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 0:03-0:37.)
01:11:30 Frazier’s voice fades and horns rise as Aragorn lets go of Haldir… (This can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 0:38-0:44.)
01:11:35 … a strident brass passage as Aragorn escapes the Deeping Wall on a ladder. (This can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 0:45-0:54.)
01:11:46 More brass writing as the Hornburg Gates are burst by the battering ram. (This can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 0:55-0:58.)
01:11:51 An unreleased snippet of brassy music here as Theoden tells his soldiers to draw their swords. (Indicating that the King is expecting resistance at the gate!)
01:11:59 Ascending brass fanfare leading up to a superb trumpet trill, as Aragorn and the remaining Elves escape to the back gate of the Hornburg in another memorable shot. (Sidenote: I remember thinking when I saw the film – they even got the back gate right!) (This can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 0:59-1:08.)
01:12:08 …whereupon the cue ends.

The first 35 seconds of this largely released cue (there are 5-6 seconds of unreleased material at 01:11:51) make it one of the favourite cues for many in the trilogy. In the Lament for Haldir, as much a lament for all the Eldar slain at Helm’s Deep as for their leader, we have a reworking of the music and lyrics of the Lament for Gandalf in Lothlorien in FOTR:EE. The lyrics can be found at SMME: Haldir's Lament
The use of Elizabeth Frasier adds greatly to the continuity of the lament with FOTR, and it marks her second appearance in this score in the ‘grieving role’, having previously appeared in the brief excerpt of the ‘The Missing’ (not to be confused with the recent James Horner score for the film by Ron Howard).

One thing that makes this use of vocals interesting is that it highlights how little use of choir Shore has made so far in this battle. Throughout Return of the King, from the Osgiliath fort skirmishes to the epic battles on the Pelennor Fields and the Black Gate, choirs and solo vocals are used frequently, raising the conflict to the same epic scale as the Battle which opened the Prologue of Fellowship of the Ring. It signals something about the importance of the Battle of Helm’s Deep in the scheme of things. While the Free Peoples could afford no other outcome than unambiguous victory on this rainy night, the forces involved are decidedly minor compared to those other conflicts.

The rest of the cue returns us from the emotional atmosphere into the heart of the battle as the Uruks take charge of the battlefield, pursuing Aragorn back to the Keep and bursting the Doors of the Hornburg. Brass drives most of the action here, which while non-thematic, is memorable to be sure. The trumpet trill that closes the cue is an exciting device that Shore will use in ‘Stone Breaks, Ground Shakes’ to great effect.

69. Defending the Keep [1:42] **

01:12:52 Quiet violin/viola meanderings as Aragorn and Gimli take position by the gate of the Hornburg.
01:13:09 Interesting ascending string phrase as Gimli realises the distance between him and the Uruks pounding on the doors. The phrase is repeated until…
01:13:21 …a flute plays the first couple of notes of the Rohan theme as Aragorn prepares to throw Gimli over to the causeway…
01:13:30 … as Gimli lands we hear a strident brass statement of the Fellowship theme prelude…
01:13:34 … the last couple of notes stressed by the horns as Aragorn leaps over after his friend…
01:13:36 … and we seen an overhead shot of the two of them cleaving Uruk helms to a partial brass statement of the full Fellowship theme.
01:13:45 Ascending brass phrase (last heard in the FOTR album track, ‘The Bridge of Khazadhum’, 0:17-0:20) as Theoden and his men working at repairing the doors.
01:13:48 The descending Isengard-Rohan battle motif last heard at the beginning of ‘Warg Battle’ (disc two, 00:10:52) is stated for brass as the Uruks raise their launchers.
01:13:51 Brief brass phrase as we see Theoden and his men repairing the gates.
01:13:54 The battle motif from 00:10:52 is referenced as we again see the Uruks load their launchers (giant crossbow devices) with the ‘arrows’ that launch their ladders. (This can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 1:10-1:13.)
01:13:58 Brass phrase as Aragorn and Gimli batter away before the Hornburg doors and the first ladder is launched by the Uruks (who could teach many an army a thing or two about precise ballistics).
01:14:03 Growling brass as the second ladder is launched.
01:14:07 The battle motif from 00:10:52 is reprised a third time with the last couple of notes strained as the Uruks pull on the ropes attached to their giant arrows... (This can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 1:14-1:20.)
01:14:15 … raising giant ladders loaded with Uruk-Hai. As we see the ladders raised from the underneath, the Isengard theme is stated with brassy gusto. This can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 1:21-1:30.
01:14:24 Brass variations on the Isengard theme as the fighting on top of the Hornburg battlements is seen. Legolas takes aim at the third of the giant ladders and fires… (This can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 1:30-1:38.)
01:14:34 … the rope severing as the music stops. The ladder dangles in the air for a moment, in an (unintentional?) reference to the ladder-swinging finale of the comedy epic ‘It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad World’.

If that isn’t enough detail for you on what’s happening in this partially-released cue then you really do need to get out more. I’m sorry, but it’s true – even I think it’s enough and it’s probably obvious by now that I need to get out more. Anyway… on with the cue notes.

The scope of the battle’s action is now confined to the Hornburg. As Aragorn and Gimli make one last heroic gesture to hold the Uruks at bay, the complete Fellowship theme is used to great effect. It does little to hold back the sea of foes, and Shore reprises a descending brass phrase he used in the cue ‘Warg Battle’ to accompany the Uruks’ preparations to storm the heights of the Hornburg from the top. It proves to be the decisive act in the battle, and the return of the clanging metallic percussion and the Isengard theme signal this well. Incidentally, I believe that in this cue we have the last statement of the familiar Isengard brass melody in the trilogy’s music as it stands to date. A variation on the brass theme appears in Return of the King with the 5/4 percussion meter as the Witch King’s forces are led out to war from Minas Morgul, but otherwise it is not heard again. We are likely to see one more appearance by it in ROTK: Extended Edition in the parley with Saruman. Hopefully for its final appearance Shore will invert the theme somewhat to show the pathetic state of the fallen Saruman.

70. The Hornburg Breached [1:17] **

01:14:42 The cue opens with fast string writing surrounded by swirling brass as Theoden tells Aragorn and Gimli to get to safety.
01:14:55 The 3 note V-phrase, that ubiquitous triplet of the trilogy, appears as Legolas calls out to Aragorn and Gimli from the battlements. The phrase is repeated as he throws a rope down to them.
01:14:59 Brass phrase as Aragorn and Gimli are seen to push off from the causeway, holding onto the rope.
01:15:02 An epic style swelling of orchestra as Errol Flynn – no, Aragorn and Gimli, are pulled up the wall to the battlements. The music here seems to be related to the Fellowship theme. At 01:15:06 the V phrase is heard again…
01:15:08 …followed by ascending brass as we see the Rohan soldier who is skewered by the giant crossbow arrow.
01:15:27 Low brass over strings as the gates are broken, Theoden orders everyone to ‘pull back’, and we are treated to the panning shot that takes us from the broken gate, Uruks pouring in… (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 1:38-1:47.)
01:15:37 … to the upper levels of the Hornburg, where a retreat is called to a brass statement of the Rohan theme, leading nicely into a brief brass statement of Aragorn’s theme as we see him organising the retreat, followed by a final statement of the Rohan theme ending on a low note …… (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 1:47-2:09.)
01:15:59 … and the cue ends on the transition to Fangorn.

As the battle appears lost, we are given one final epic orchestral surge for the rescue of Aragorn and Gimli. It is a lovely bit of writing that for some reason makes me think of Basil Poledouris – in any case it is far too short and the scene should probably have been extended to let Shore go on for another 15 seconds or something… they could’ve made the rope break or something, which would increase the tension and sense of desperation… Aragorn and Gimli could fall past the Causeway into the little creekbed, only to find a rather tense scene as various Uruks feasting on the dead of both sides find living meat fall into their laps… then Legolas could’ve waited until the third ladder grip landed, run down the rope with elflike agility, and on the taut cord done a bungee jump, bobbing down under the causeway just in time for Aragorn to be saved from a swinging scimitar. Gimli would be left alone with the orcs, curse the friendship of the Elves, and then look around embarrassingly and suggest humorously that he was too small and wiry to make a good meal. At this point the Uruks would rush him as one, and Legolas could suddenly swing back down in time to save the dwarf. While on the rebound from the bungee jump, Gimli would say: “I guess you couldn’t cope without me”. To this Legolas would reply: “If nothing else I’ll never get another chance to… TOSS A DWARF”, and pitch Gimli over the Hornburg walls as they come flying up. The flying dwarf would take out three Uruks about to separate Theoden’s rectum from his sternum, and on recovering would argue with Legolas whether credit for the three fallen Uruks belongs with the ‘tossed’ or the ‘tosser’. Anyway, from this little manifesto on how to improve the film, you can probably see why they wouldn’t let me film it if nothing else.

Most of the rest of the cue is made up of brass fanfare style phrases as the retreat is sounded and the various heroes head for the exits. The last brass passage nicely mixes statements of the Rohan and Aragorn themes. The use of the solo brass instrument reminds me of a western… (it probably doesn’t help that I’m playing a compilation CD-R of Poledouris’ Lonesome Dove and Quigley Down Under while writing this). The tradition of a mounted cavalry communicating advance and retreat signals through the use of a bugeller (sic.) is familiar to anyone who knows their westerns, and I suspect that Shore is referencing it here at the end of this cue, if only unconsciously.

There is a lot about his score for the Rohan story that makes me think that Shore regards this story as his opportunity to score a Western, if one dressed up in medieval trappings. The Rohirrim are people scattered through small towns and semi-feudal financial relationships, as often observed in westerns (e.g. Lonesome Dove). Their military is based on the cavalry, so iconic in the cinematic tradition of the West (e.g. She wore a Yellow Ribbon). The tension is between people who want to preserve their way of life, and an industrial megalomaniac who wants to bind the land in the steel cords of technology (Once Upon a Time in the West). And the story leads to a desperate shoot-out in the middle of a rainy night (Unforgiven for the rainy night, every other Western for the shootout), where the people of Rohan are effectively saved again and again by a couple of mysterious wanderers who use their fighting skills for the sake of good and lift the spirit of the people to fight for what is rightfully theirs (e.g. Paleface, Shane, The Magnificent Seven). Tellingly, it’s the cavalry (Eomer’s) that saves the day. Even if the Rohan story didn’t suggest something of the West, Shore’s music does anyway. There is something about the Rohan theme that makes me think of Copland’s beautiful Western themes – in its various forms, it is the theme for the people, the place, the cavalry of Rohan. And there is a soft unassuming pastoral love theme – associated with Eowyn – which has something of the life of the West in it too. I’m not saying this the only way to look at Shore’s music for Rohan – that would be simplistic to say the least. But ignoring it I think takes away one possible dimension that the composer adds to the film. And the point I was making in case it’s been forgotten is that in this scene, the brass calls of the Rohan theme are calls to retreat in the classic Western tradition.

71. Travelling South / Osgiliath Burns [2:01] *

01:16:04 Low woodwind writing as Treebeard explains to Merry and Pippin where he will leave them. (Apparently the venerable ent thinks that the two of them will somehow scale the Misty Mountains on their own, which doesn’t make much sense to me, as they are… very small.)
01:16:17 Ascending string/woodwind phrase as Pippin calls Treebeard to a halt.
01:16:27 Ascending bassoon phrase as Pippin justifies the southern path.
01:16:46 As Treebeard expresses confusion at Pippin’s plan (that beautiful line: ‘Well that doesn’t make sense to me…’) we hear music similar to the brass writing when Eomer tells the Three Hunters that he left none of the Uruks alive (specifically 00:33:40 on disc one).
01:17:00 Sort of a heroic passage for strings and brass as Treebeard turns south and finds it equally worth talking about, while Pippin is quietly chuffed at the way he has begun to turn the tide. We hear the v-phrase just before…
01:17:20 … the shift to the Gondorian action. A repeated ascending horn phrase over low percussion as Faramir’s troops see Osgiliath burn.
01:17:46 The music gathers a little of the urgency on screen as Faramir rushes his company along despite Frodo’s urgent protests. (Elijah Wood’s scream ‘Faramir! You must let me go!’ here feels very real.)
01:17:54 The subdued string/brass material continues as we make the transition back to the southwest borders of Fangorn, where Treebeard makes his hilarious remark about the field mice that ‘tickle me awfully’…
01:18:05 … the music ending with Treebeard’s sharp intake of breath as he sees the ruin of the forest.

This unreleased cue is a nice respite from the battle. There is not a great deal that can be said about this one, save that the thematic material for the Ents doesn’t appear to be referenced overtly in the Treebeard scene, and that it is the first we have seen of Frodo so far in this section of the film. The general oppressive atmosphere of the music in the Frodo scene contributes to the darkest-hour feeling in the air. Not only is Rohan defeated, but the Ring will go to Gondor. If there is any hope, it comes from Merry and Pippin – we don’t know yet what Pippin has in mind yet, but in Shore’s music for the scene there is the hint that it will come to good.

72. A Wizard Should Know Better [0:07] * [01:18:32]

01:18:32 As Treebeard says ‘a wizard should know better!’ and roars, a serious string chord (with a hint of brass) plays…
01:18:39 …ending the shortest cue in the film even as it begun.

I promised myself I wouldn’t find a way to ramble on for pages about this one. Sorry for anyone who considered this cue the reason why they love film music.

73. Last March of the Ents [1:36] **

01:19:16 Deep strings and low timpani beat begin as Treebeard finishes saying ‘…with rock and stone!’ (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 2:09-2:17.)
01:19:22 A boys choir begins a statement of the Nature theme as we see the Ents move out from the edges of Fangorn. (Fortunately they like travelling south too!) The brass writing here is nice, as is the constant light percussive rhythm. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 2:17-2:58.)
01:20:01 Ben Del Maestro’s solo performance of the lyrics of ‘The Ents’ over pounding timpanis (to the melody of the Nature theme) as an adult choir continues its intonation of the Nature theme. The camera tracks around the Ents as they begin their ‘last march’ towards Isengard. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 2:59-3:14.)
01:20:18 Deep strings and brass as we see images of the Siege of Osgiliath. Frodo, Sam and Gollum led through the ruined city.
01:20:29 Interesting string phrase as we see a wide shot of Osgiliath, one of the best constructed sets in the trilogy.
01:20:34 Brass phrase as we see the shot of riverside combat.
01:20:48 More strings as Faramir’s second-in-command steps forward saying that ‘the orcs have taken the eastern shore.’
01:20:52 … closes the cue.

While the dour brass/string rumblings effectively continue to lower the spirits of everyone watching the Osgiliath scenes, there isn’t much for the reviewer to describe here. FAR MORE INTERESTING is the first half of the cue, as the ‘avalanche’ predicted by Gandalf begins to take its course. I will say more of the purpose of the Nature theme in my notes on ‘Ride out with me’ below. If the theme however represents ‘Nature’ or the ‘Reclamation of Nature’ (as Howard Shore says via Paul Tonks in another thread here at moviemusic.com), then its use here makes perfect sense as the Ents (the closest to an embodiment of Nature as you’re likely to find in any literature, fantastic or literal) march on the industrial force that is Isengard. It sets a beautiful parallel with the moment in FOTR when the Moth (who I always suspected lost his home as a result of Saruman’s denuding of the landscape) came to Gandalf’s aid. That was no less a blow against the power of Saruman than the one he is about the feel now.

It is also makes perfect sense of the use of the Nature theme to accompany Merry and Pippin’s escapades in FOTR (when they distract the Uruks pursuing Frodo at Amon Hen) and TTT (see the cue ‘Dinner Debate’, where Merry and Pippin hear the Huorns communicating with each other in Fangorn). Shore knew that the second film would climax with this scene when he wrote the Nature theme. He knew that it was the moment when Merry and Pippin stepped out to be captured by the Uruks at Amon Hen that the un-hasty revolution of Fangorn began. That revolution was almost guaranteed by the Uruks taking them right to the edge of the forest inhabited by their worst (though they don’t know it) enemy, whereupon we heard the Nature theme again. Two small stones starting an avalanche indeed!

Adding to the conviction of the performance of the Nature theme in this cue is the song ‘The Ents’, which is stated for both choir and solo boy soprano. A translation of the song’s Sindarin lyrics can be found in album liner notes of the TTT album, or can be viewed at the following website: The Ents

74. The Nazgul Cometh [0:53] *

01:21:56 Synthesized strings and female vocal begin this cue as we hear the sound effect of the flapping wings of the Nazgul’s winged steed and Frodo’s face transforms into something out of The Exorcist. Faramir hears the Nazgul shriek and calls out its name in turn.
01:22:12 Threatening brass phrase over driving strings as the Nazgul is seen flying overhead (fantastic shot of the Nazgul over the ruined city, kudos to WETA, a good rehearsal for their great ROTK Nazgul effects). Faramir rushes Frodo to the safety of a nearby ruined building.
01:22:32 Quieter brass/string variations as Frodo is hidden in said nearby building.
01:22:38 Brass as the Nazgul flies over Frodo’s position in the ruined building…
01:22:42 …continuing as we see an overhead shot of Helm’s Deep, with the banners of the White Hand raised from the flagpoles and Uruks rushing a battering ram towards the doors of the Great Hall.
01:22:49 The music ends as the battering ram is brought up against the doors.

This unreleased cue is largely interesting for what it does not contain – the Ringwraith Revelation, in either instrumental or choral forms. Neither do any of the ostinatos associated with the appearance of the Black Riders appear – the Descending Third motif, the Circling Melody, the Skip-Beat Ostinato/ Danger Arpeggio (the former is a more appropriate name that was suggested to me over at SMME). Instead what we have is an effective mixture of musical sound effects and threatening brass/string writing. The passage heard at 01:22:12 is reprised in the later Nazgul cue ‘The Nazgul Goeth’.

75. Ride out with Me [1:53] *

01:23:09 Sad horn writing as we see the despair in the caves – including the only shot of Eowyn in the last 20 minutes of the film.
01:23:54 As Aragorn says: ‘Ride out with me!’, a boy choir begins a statement of the Nature theme.
01:24:10 Boy choir reprise of the Nature theme over a rising timpani beat as Gimli says ‘The sun is rising’ and Aragorn recalls the promise of Gandalf.
01:24:48 Full orchestra swells in a statement of the Nature theme with a boy soprano solo as we see an overhead shot of Gimli running up the tower towards the Horn of Helm Hammerhand. Meanwhile Theoden gives a brief but memorable reading of one of Tolkien’s lyrics for the Rohirrim in battle…
01:25:02 … ‘Now for wrath, now for ruin, and a red dawn!’

I remember being greatly disappointed when this scene came around the first time I saw TTT. It was nothing to do with the content of the scene, the acting, etc. It was the music. I had so expected to hear the album ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 0:01-0:59 from 01:23:54 that anything else was destined to disappoint. And the Nature theme of all things?! Why the Nature theme – is it scoring the invisible Huorns? Or some fungal growth in Theoden’s ear? However, one year later… while I would one day love to see a version of the scene with the music I’d originally expected to hear, I’ve come to appreciate that the use of the Nature theme here made more sense than I first gave credit for.

The Nature, or Reclamation of Nature, Theme

Firstly in terms of linking the film’s multiple climax scenes, it was very effective. It suggested that Theoden’s ride was a parallel resistance to the ‘Last March of the Ents’. The Nature theme would again appear in ‘Stone Breaks, Ground Shakes’, and using the same theme gave the scenes a continuity they would not otherwise have had.

The reader may well ask though – even if it serves a valuable role in ensuring some continuity for the audience, what other function does it serve here to underscore the decision of Theoden to ‘ride out’? Recently Paul Tonks reported that Shore considered this music a motif for ‘Nature’, or, interestingly enough, the ‘Reclamation of Nature’. I think this theme has more to do with the latter than the former. In all scenes where it appears, there is something of a choice for one of the main characters. That choice is to either allow the will of evil to continue, or to stand in the way of evil. To allow the skewed morality of a world dictated by ‘selection’ – where the strongest wills dominate the weakest – or to support a more natural order where the Free Peoples live in balance. I think the latter choice is what is meant by “reclamation of nature”. It is not a mere physical conflict about what is Nature and what is Industry. It is a spiritual conflict about what is natural and worth fighting for, and what is not. What is part of the theme of Illuvatar, and what is part of Melkor’s distortion of that theme?

Merry and Pippin face this choice at Amon Hen when they can choose to distract the Uruks from pursuing Frodo. What they are really doing in that scene is deciding whether they really are too small to be of much use to the Free Peoples against Sauron. The words of Galadriel – ‘even the smallest person can change the course of the future’ – are what the two young hobbits choose to believe. The idea that the small must bow to the large is not natural in Tolkien’s world, but a common assumption among those who judge the measure of a man by ‘the reach of his arm’ (quoting Eomer). The hobbits are also standing up for principles that are right and part of Tolkien’s natural – they place the value of their own lives below that of their friend. And for this they are rewarded. Indeed, the avalanche begun by the ‘two small stones’ choosing to help Frodo at Amon Hen not only snowballs into Treebeard’s decision, it leads them to an exulted position where Kings bow before them, a thing few people of greater stature have accomplished in far longer lives.

Treebeard’s decision to aid Nature is far more obvious because he seems to be Nature Incarnate, the Burnham Wood come to life. So he leads a bunch of trees against Isengard and washes away the industrial waste by unleashing a dammed river. This is Tolkien the environmentalist, or so we are meant to believe. But there is something else going on here. Treebeard has to come to a serious decision about whether he is ‘part of this world’. He agrees intellectually that ‘war affects us all’, yet he is not prepared to make hasty decisions about righting the wrongs of the world. When he leads the March of the Ents, he is signalling that righting the wrongs caused by Saruman is worth more to him than his own life. He is also reclaiming his majestic nature, realising again, as Gandalf predicted, that he is strong indeed, and the servant of no wizard.

(The fact that the Ents’ march on Isengard is so clearly inspired by the march of the Burnham wood on Macbeth’s fortress is interesting here. In both cases (though in Shakespeare’s case the event turns out to be less mystical), a violation of the natural order is being addressed.)

Thirdly, there is Theoden. In this scene he is prepared to admit defeat to Saruman’s machine of war. This defeat will mean the destruction of the Rohirrim, of their way of life, of the aid they could provide to Gondor in time of need, of their admirable treatment of horses, etc. In the place of the Rohirrim, who coexisted with the world around them, would rise an order based on the domination of beings and an endless atavism for more conquest. In Tolkien’s universe then, it is not a natural thing for Theoden to choose surrender here. Though it may cost his life, he has a duty to fight on – not for ‘death and glory’, but ‘for (his) people’. Theoden has already faced this choice once in the trilogy by throwing off the debilitating ministrations of Grima and Saruman. His character arc, which began there, has built to the choice he must make in this scene. For his ‘exorcism’ at Gandalf’s hands was equivalent to a Christian salvation – the spirit and body were redeemed, but the mind was not. Almost from the moment of his release, he began to shrink from the appropriate response – which was to resist Saruman. Even though it is in the nature of men to resist oppression, Theoden’s instinct in the film to this point has been to shrink from the hand that strikes. Like Treebeard, he would rather weather the storm from a safe vantage point. Slowly does he realise, like Treebeard, that there is no weathering of this storm. What then “can men do against such reckless hate”? The natural thing. Resist it. “Ride out and meet it head on.” Theoden finally makes the choice to reclaim what is natural that Merry and Pippin and Treebeard have already made, and Shore’s choice of the Nature theme for this scene is far from anachronistic, but positively inspired.

Aside on the doom of choice… (this is for you, Marilynn)

Note that in all three cases the choice is binding for the chooser. Treebeard, Theoden and the two hobbits make the choices, but with those choices comes a loss of free will as the chooser offers themselves up to circumstances with all their might. Treebeard and his Ents believe they go to their ‘doom’ (and indeed they do – the doom of choice!), and it is the will for good in the world (Illuvatar in Tolkien, a thinly-veiled allegory for the Semitic/Christian God) that delivers victory into their hands. Theoden believes his ride on the fifth dawn to lead to ‘death and glory’, crying out for ‘wrath, ruin and a red dawn’. A servant of Illuvatar comes to his aid. Merry and Pippin were completely helpless at the hands of the Uruks, and they knew this when they chose.

Finally, on the music…

The duality of wills in Tolkien’s universe as captured in Shore’s music could not be more apparent. The theme for the Reclamation of Nature is for when the Free Peoples reclaim their true nature, and the Nature of the world as it ought to be. Could there be any greater contrast to the skewed 5/4 rhythms of the Isengard theme? The Nature theme can be both beautiful (‘Last March of the Ents’) and terrible (‘Stone Breaks, Ground Shakes’), respectively like the thing that the theme represents, and the battle for that thing. Note that the above rationale has focused on three particular instances of the theme’s usage. I believe the above argument can be easily applied to the appearance of the Moth in both FOTR and ROTK, similarly to its uses in association with the Rohirrim in ROTK (surely it is a natural thing in Tolkien that men should not ‘break all bonds of fellowship’, but come to eachother’s aid), and to its appearance in the cue ‘Dinner Debate’ in TTT:EE.

And if you skipped all that mumbo jumbo, I don’t blame you. My point was that the music fit the scene very well. Nature, and the reclamation of nature, could as easily describe natural instincts and precepts as the flora and fauna we normally associate with the term. If it is ‘a natural thing’ that a humble people should not cow before their enemies but bear themselves with dignity in the fight for what right, then it is no less appropriate that the Nature theme appear in this scene than in the ‘Last March of the Ents’.

76. The Turning of the Tide [4:22]**

76a. Forth Eorlingas [1:57] **

01:25:13 Strident battle variation of the Rohan theme for brass over pounding timpanis as Theoden and his men ride down the Uruks in the Great Hall… (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 0:59-1:05.)
01:25:19 … the battle variation of the Rohan theme is repeated as the Rohirrim ride down the street… (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 1:06-1:12.)
01:25:26 … strings enter with another Rohan theme derivate as we see Theoden and his men killing in the streets. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 1:12-1:15.)
01:25:29 … a rather awkward musical edit cuts out the second half of the string variation of the Rohan theme as we see Gimli blasting away at Helm’s Horn… (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 1:15-1:16, 1:20-1:23. The 3 seconds 1:17-1:19 don’t appear in the film.)
01:25:34 … Brass statement of the Rohan theme as we see the famous shot of the horses riding down the Causeway, crushing the Uruks as they go… (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 1:24-1:41.)
01:25:51 … an unreleased choral phrase (which sounds like a lyric from ‘The Fight’) sounds as Aragorn looks up to see a resplendent Gandalf in the sunlight… (Although the choral phrase is unreleased, the instrumental underscore can be heard from 1:42-1:47 of ‘Forth Eorlingas’.)
01:25:56 … brass statement of the Fellowship theme prelude as Aragorn says ‘Gandalf!’ (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 1:48-1:52.)
01:26:02 As Gandalf surveys the field of battle and the Uruks look up to him, the Fellowship theme is partially stated for brass… (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 1:52-1:58.)
01:26:08 As Eomer corrects Gandalf and cries ‘Rohirrim!’, the Fellowship prelude appears again… (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 1:59-2:05.)
01:26:13 … and as the Riders of Rohan appear over the rise, the nine-note ascending Fellowship B phrase is given a grand statement. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 2:06-2:13.)
01:26:22 As we see the riders begin their descent into the vale, the sunlight glaring through the gaps between the horse’s legs, a mixed choir with boy soprano solo (Ben Del Maestro) sing ‘The Mearas’, an Old English poem about the greatest of horses. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 2:14-2:33.)
01:26:40 The swirling strings build (reminding me a little of Poledouris’ Les Miserables score) as the riders pour down the steep slope and the Uruks raise their (finally useful) pikes. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 2:33-2:41.)
01:26:49 As Gandalf and the Sun become literally one blinding fireball and the Wizard’s warlike cry fills the valley, we are treated to a stunning full orchestra reading of the White Rider theme. A more fitting welcome for this help-unlooked-for could not be imagined. The cue rounds out with magnificent string variations on the White Rider theme as scenes of general orc disposal play out on screen… (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’, 2:42-3:13.)
01:27:10 …leading into the transition back to Isengard…

Note: Arwen can be briefly seen on horseback in the blurred background at 01:27:00 and 01:27:04.

This is the epic action cue that introduced me to Shore’s score for The Two Towers. Together with its choral album prologue (which never fully appeared in the film), ‘Forth Eorlingas’ never fails to move. It is quite simply breath-taking in its scope, moving from theme driven action to choral epiphany in a very short space of time. Anyone who holds the view that Shore’s music for the trilogy is overrated (I don’t imagine there are many of those reading this) would do well to turn the lights off, get out their headphones, and play this track in the dark. It’s hair-raisingly good, and if more action scores were written in this vein we might hear a lot less of the perennial complaints about how film scores are not what they used to be. Here endeth the rant.

Here beginneth the appreciation. The film version is slightly less compelling than its album corollary, with one awkward edit and the absence of the choral prelude of the album track ‘Forth Eorlingas’ stunting its power marginally. Shore scores this cue like the release that it is with themes from beginning to end. A martial version of the Rohan theme opens the cue, leading into a more traditional statement of that theme as the King’s Men ride down their opponents effortlessly. Shore doesn’t score tension here interestingly enough, though the odds against the defenders imply tension. Once the King has made the right decision, the relief begins immediately. The Fellowship theme is used well to score Gandalf’s return. The slow statement of the cue here recalls the theme’s first appearance in this score in ‘The Three Hunters’. It is easy to forget that the full theme is only stated four times in this entire score – three of them in the Battle of Helm’s Deep. (The Fellowship theme prelude appears far more frequently.) Those who criticise Shore’s repetitive use of themes would do well to reconsider the scant evident in favour of that case.

Of course it is the finale that makes this track so memorable. Ben Del Maestro and chorus reprise the poem ‘The Mearas’, last heard in the cue ‘Shadowfax / The White Rider’. (Note: the underscore is different to the music heard for Shadowfax’s appearance, which was a blend of the Rohan and secondary Valinor/West themes.) One stab at the lyrics of the poem can be found here: The Mearas
Finally we have the White Rider theme scoring Gandalf’s Second Coming. This theme really was from the start my favourite theme from the The Two Towers, and the only thing I begrudge TTT:EE and ROTK:EE musically is that they did not provide more opportunities for its appearance. This is the second of two statements of the Defiant White Rider theme in the trilogy (as opposed to the Desperate White Rider theme heard in ‘Ash and Smoke’ of the ROTK album and the TTT:EE cue ‘The King’s Decision’), and comes off the better of the two (the other being the conclusion to ‘Shadowfax/The White Rider’.

76b. Stone Breaks, Ground Shakes [2:20] **

01:27:10 … as the Ents cast the first stones over the walls of Isengard and proceed to wreak havoc within, some chaotic brass writing is heard that recalls the music for the appearance of the Nazgul in ‘The Nazgul Cometh’. (This section of the music is unreleased.) The timpani rhythm starts off lightly but gathers strength.
01:27:36 As Treebeard throws a large stone to release the Ent pinned down by the Orcs and Saruman sees resistance coming from where he least expected it, an energetic string ostinato joins the destructive brass in a variation on part of the melody of the Nature theme. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 3:13-3:21.)
01:27:44 Another variation on part of the Nature theme as Pippin and Merry throw stones at various Uruks. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 3:21-3:25.)
01:27:48 The superb trumpet trill from 01:11:59 is reprised as an Ent pushes down the scaffolding into the Isengard pits. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 3:25-3:30.)
01:27:56 Aggressive brass phrase very similar to that for the Nazgul’s appearance at 01:22:12 as the chaos continues. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 3:30-3:35.)
01:28:00 The brass phrase from 01:27:36 is repeated as the camera tracks toward Saruman, pacing up and down his balcony, wondering what real estates marvels might have been. A marvellous 4-beat percussion ostinato (the drums almost sound like taiko drums) works hand-in-hand with the increasingly frenetic string section perfectly. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 3:35-3:48.)
01:28:14 As the Ents move to break the dam, an 8-note string phrase plays over the 4-beat percussive ostinato. It is a permutation of the Nature motif, and also contains the v-phrase common to the Isengard, Fellowship and White Rider themes. (This music can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 3:48-3:59.)
01:28:26 In an unreleased snippet, the 8-note string phrase is repeated as the dam crumbles and the Isen River pours forth.
01:28:39 As Saruman sees the river pouring down the mountain and Treebeard and the Ents prepare for its impact, the mixed chorus returns with a variation on the Nature theme. The lyrics being sung hereare from the Sindarin song ‘The Ents’, which was sung to the tune of the Nature theme in ‘Last March of the Ents’. This rest of the cue can be heard in the album track ‘Isengard Unleashed’, 3:59-end.
01:29:12 As the water draws closer to wreak utter havoc on Isengard, this ferocious choral/orchestral statement of the Nature theme grows in intensity, leading to an extraordinary trumpet trill here that recalls a similar trill at 01:27:48. The cue builds and builds to a level that is beyond epic…
01:29:30 … not really resolving, just ending as we make a transition…

The second part of the films’ trio of climactic cues, ‘Stone Breaks, Ground Shakes’ rumbles with the wrath of Nature unleashed. It is the second of two thrilling choral extravaganzas in the score – the first being the epic ‘Foundations of Stone’ – and offers a uniquely warlike variation on the Nature theme. Whatever one thinks of the discussion of the Nature theme above, it is not hard to rationalise the appearance of the theme under the label ‘Nature’ or ‘Reclamation of Nature’. The Ents may have thought that they were marching to their doom, no less than Theoden assumed that to ride out was to embrace ‘death and glory.’ However they walk all over Saruman’s defences, and use Nature to their advantage, unleashing the river to sweep Isengard clean. When we first see Isengard in ROTK, surrounded by a new forest, there can be no doubt that it has been ‘reclaimed’ and a natural order restored.

I will not say too much on the music here as the notes make things clear enough. As with the cue ‘Last March of the Ents’, pounding timpanis are heard throughout this cue. As in the music for the Battle of Helm’s Deep, this is an indication that the Free Peoples are dictating action on the battlefield. The metallic percussion heard as the trees were cut down in ‘The Union of the Two Towers’ has long faded, as Saruman’s machine of war is sabotaged by Nature. I have not seen as yet any translation of the lyrics from this scene. As the melody the choir sings to is a variation of the Nature theme, I assume that the lyrics are those of ‘The Ents’, and a link to those lyrics was posted above.

76c. The Nazgul Goeth [1:07] *

01:29:30 … back to Osgiliath, where low string textures suggest the disorientation Frodo feels as he moves towards the Nazgul…
01:29:38 … the threatening brass phrase for the Nazgul heard at 01:22:12 is reprised as we a shot of Frodo walking through Osgiliath…
01:29:48 … the cue segues to the sound effects we’ve come to associate with the world of the Ring in TTT:EE. Electronic effects dominate as the Nazgul rears up before Frodo, this being seen by Faramir.
01:30:02 … the eerie synthesized female vocal returns as Frodo wants nothing more than to give the Ring to the Nazgul, though Sam prevents him from doing that…
01:30:25 … and as Sam throws Frodo down on the ground, the sound effects end in a rush of brass and strings. Faramir shoots the Nazgul’s winged steed, and Frodo and Sam roll down the stone stairs…
01:30:37 … the brief snippet of strings ending as Frodo draws his blade on Sam.

Like ‘The Nazgul Cometh’, this unreleased cue is a mixture of sound effects and threatening brass and string writing. Effective as it is, it would have been nice to hear the Ringwraith Revelation once more, as it would have marked its last appearance in the trilogy since that theme is never stated directly in Return of the King (despite the plentiful Nazgul appearances). I suspect that for this cue, as for ‘The Nazgul Cometh’, Shore was trying to create some continuity between the various action climaxes. The move between the Rohan climax (associated with the Rohan, Fellowship and White Rider themes) and the Fangorn climax (built on the Nature theme) was jarring enough for Shore to switch to yet another set of themes for the Frodo/Sam storyline. Tellingly, the brass phrase associated with the Nazgul at 01:22:12 and 01:29:38 is quite similar to some of the brass in the previous cue (e.g. 01:28:00).

WHEW… that was the most painstaking of all the sections so far, which is why I am glad that I can say:

COMING SOON!!!!! PART SEVEN: FLOTSAM AND JETSAM (END OF THE FILM + EXTENDED EDITION END CREDITS)

Yes, it’s almost over, dear reader. Hope you’ve enjoyed it… feel free to tell me if you have BTW:
m.mclennan@econ.usyd.edu.au

[Message edited by franz_conrad on 02-09-2004]

Seriously I must!

quote:

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Originally posted by Jaav:
Yay! Must-start-reviewing-part-four-five-and-six... ^^

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Be kind to four... it opens with a whopper of a mistake on the first cue! (I think I say the cue starts with string writing, but it's actually an oboe phrase that appeared in the 'Famished' scene in the Dead Marshes.)

Testing [>] Tabs just to [>] see if they work.

- First DVD, 00:38:18 (between the words "Orcs... burarum")
- First DVD, 01:09:28 (before the words "What do they look like?")
- Second DVD, 01:03:56 (in the long pause after "We have just agreed")
- Second DVD, 01:16:11 (in the pause after "from there")

Not sure how to describe it... I'd say it sounds "ethereal".

quote:

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Originally posted by kianga:
In the cue "Travelling South" at 01:16:04, you noted: "Low woodwind writing as Treebeard explains to Merry and Pippin where he will leave them". I think this is not part of the score, but rather a "Treebeard Sound" that I noticed in quite a few scenes with him:
[Message edited by kianga on 02-13-2004]

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