Cantarlina’s Corner: Elves and Dwarves

Elves and Dwarves

By Cyndars

March 23, 2019

This month, Cantarlina finished her sojourn in Falathlorn for now, and moved into the dwarven areas of Haudh Lin in pursuit of new musical experiences, and to aid her friends along the way. As she ran towards Gondamon, the mournful sounds of the string family were replaced by the deep resonance of the brass family. The transition was smoothly made with strings fading, then returning with a different theme, then fading once again. The brass slowly joined, at first so quiet and deep that it was hard to hear, then gradually building in to merge with, and then replace, their stringed counterparts.

As the music continues, the drums begin to keep a thrumming beat. It seems to be reminiscent of the sounds the characters make as they mine. It is not a steady, driving beat, like one might hear with dance music, rather, it is more like the pounding of mining tools in the deep. It is ever-present, and inescapable, but not constant. The sound of a clarinet takes the spotlight partway through the theme. It is rich, mellow, and low. It lacks the sorrow of the violin and viola in Falathlorn, and avoids the cheeriness of the banjo and flute that are heard in the Shire. Instead, it brings a feeling of steadfast predictability.

I think this is reflective of the dwarven personalities that are presented in Tolkien’s work. They are depicted as steadfast and resolute. They know what they want, and they will risk anything necessary to acquire it. They return to Moria, they fight against overwhelming odds. The dwarves of lore are literally hewn from the mountains and they behave as such.

However, upon arrival in Gondamon, I was transported back in time to a more hobbit-esque feel. The rolicking dance tune resumed, with just slightly more brass to indicate a different location. After leaving Gondamon in pursuit of a shield, I found, to my delight, that the Dourhands have their own musical theme in Ringdale, at least. It is a blend of men’s voices with orchestration and drums, and it is incredible! There are no intelligible words, just vowel syllables. The crescendo and decrescendo of the music in that area serves to increase the suspense and heighten the anticipation of the upcoming battles in the area. If one is on level, these Dourhands are a formidable threat, and the music reinforces that idea. In the areas around the decaying elven ruins, the strings return while maintaining the brass and drum underpinnings. This blend of elven and dwarven themes might be setting the stage for the later themes where the two races live close to one another. It will be interesting to hear what the higher level areas do with the thematic material that begins here. Moving beyond Gondamon and into Noglond, and further, into Thorin’s Gate, the music in each area is similar to what is found in Michel Delving. Once again, the brass and drums beneath the melody help to differentiate the areas, but are only evident if one is listening closely.

I really liked the nuances found in the music in the Dwarven areas. I appreciated the differences in the Dourhand and Longbeard thematic material, and the way the the composers chose to represent Dwarves musically. It was a lot of fun to listen to, and I can hardly wait to re-encounter the dwarves in the Misty Mountains and explore the themes there.