page 6, footnote 1

On the other hand, there are at least two pieces of music from "The Hobbit" animation that do nicely fit the spirit of the book, in my opinion. One is the song of the dwarves at Bilbo's house, "Far over the misty mountains cold," which is a haunting chant interspersed with harp glissandi. Unfortunately, the filmmakers ignored Tolkien's highly specific description of the musical ensemble used, but at least the music and its accompaniment compliment both the emotion of the scene and the spirit of the story.

The other piece is during the scene in which Bilbo and Gollum play a high-stakes riddle game. The lyric is "It cannot be seen, cannot be felt...." Again, there is a modal melody reminiscent of medieval chant.

MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

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Written by David J. Finnamore
Orlando, FL, USA

Page last updated October 17, 1999