The Exposition of Themes in The Fellowship of the Ring: How Howard Shore Uses Leitmotif to

Establish a Narrative

Peter Jackson’s film trilogy adaptation of J.R.R Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings are among the most

well known, and loved films of all time. All 3 rank within the top 15 films of all time on IMDb1, a

bragging right held by none other than Jackson. A combination of Jackson’s cinematography, and

Howard Shore’s intricate scoring, brings the vast fantasy world of Middle Earth to life, with little

room for improvement. Throughout the music of the three films, Shore uses the Wagnerian idea of

Leitmotif, which was popularised by Wagner’s Der Ring Des Nibelungen opera cycle. It would

seem apparent that Tolkien drew inspiration from Wagner, due to the nature of Der Ring Des Ni-

belungen being centred around a ring of power, however, Tolkien forcefully that stated “Both rings

were round, and there the resemblance ceases.”2 Although there is a lot of speculation surround-

ing the ‘coincidental’ similarities between the two.

In an interview, Shore tells us he received a call directly from Jackson amidst the filming of Lord of

the Rings, asking him to work on the project, and although he wasn’t aware the films were being

made at the time, after visiting the set in New Zealand he knew he wanted to be a part of it. Shore

states that he was in fact a big fan of Tolkien, and would always refer to the book when scoring

the film, and coming up with the individual motifs and thematic ideas.3

I will be exploring a handful of the most prominent themes that are exposed throughout The Fel-

lowship of the Ring, providing a few examples of each. As a lot of these Leitmotif’s are used so

prolifically, and are often expertly woven within other themes throughout the films, analysing each

individual iteration would take forever. There are approximately 90 motifs4 that have been identi-

fied by musicologist Doug Adams, who was commissioned by Shore to document the creation of

the entire score.

1"IMDb "Top 250"." IMDb. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?

groups=top_250&sort=user_rating.
2 Carpenter, Humphrey. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography. London: GeorgeAllen & Unwin, 1977.
3"INTERVIEW: Howard Shore ("The Lord of the Rings")." Rhino. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://
www.rhino.com/article/interview-howard-shore-the-lord-of-the-rings.
4Adams, Doug, Howard Leslie Shore, and Frances Walsh. The Music of The Lord of the Rings
Films: A Comprehensive Account of Howard Shores Scores. Van Nuys: Alfred Music Publishing
Company, 2016.


The Fellowship of the Ring begins with the elf Galadriel narrating the prologue to Lord of the

Rings. The music begins with a female chorus, introducing the first of the Elven themes. The

theme and accompaniment are in the phrygian dominant mode (phrygian with a #3), also some-

times known as the Freygish or Jewish scale. The prolific use of this mode in Arabic and Hebrew

prayer music, among a lot of other Middle Eastern music, makes this scale perfect for a sacred,

or foreign setting. In this instance the utilisation of this mode makes for an enchanting portrayal of

the Elves, as their culture within Middle Earth is very different compared to that of the race of

men. In particular, this theme can be associated with Galadriel, and the Elves of Lothlorien; and

upon the Fellowship’s entrance to the woods at 2:11:30, the theme can be heard above an eerie,

intense, drone-like pedal. The sudden change of mood and sense of unwelcoming, immediately

tells us this is a culture that is leagues away from any other we have seen so far, even in some re-

spects to the Elves of Rivendell. At 2:15:30, a variation on this theme can be heard again, in a

lament (a passionate musical expression of Grief) to Gandalf, however the lack of the 3rd degree

of the scale may be an intentional alteration to fit the phrygian mode, which would make sense

since the ambiguous choral texture lends itself to a style similar to Gregorian chant. Another no-

table use of this theme, this time in a military setting, is upon the arrival of the Lothlorien Elves at

the battle of Helms Deep in The Two Towers.

Example of the Lothlorien theme5

Another Elven theme is the Arpeggiated 6th chord, first heard at 4:456 . This theme is interesting,

as it appears as two separate variations. In this particular instance, the chord has a flattened 3rd,

5Alcaeru. "The Lord of the Rings." Alcaeru's Sheet Music. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://al-
caeru.weebly.com/the-lord-of-the-rings.html.
6All timings are taken from Netflix, however are approximated +/-20 seconds, as the platform
does not give an accurate position of where you are across the film, and are formatted as either
mins:secs; or hours:mins:secs, if time >= 1:00:00.

giving it an ominous tone, and is set under the words ‘The hearts of men are easily corrupted’. As

Galadriel, the narrator is an Elf, possibly symbolises the Elven superiority complex over men, as

this setting shamefully looks down upon their lack of resilience. The other variation which is first

heard upon the introduction to Rivendell at 1:16:00, also suggests the Phrygian mode, and has a

much more magical aura attached to it than its minor counterpart. The use of the flattened 3rd to

alleviate the Elven superiority, is confirmed by its reiteration at 1:21:00, in which Elrond pins the

blame on the race of men for the evil that exists in the world. At 1:25:00 the Elven theme for

Aragorn and Arwen appears, however, this is not a theme in the same sense as the others, as it is

not reiterated throughout the trilogy. The song titled ‘Aníron’ is written and sung by Enya, howev-

er, was orchestra and conducted by Howard Shore. This is one of the only pieces of music in the

film not composed by Shore, another being ‘May It Be’ which is featured in the end credits of The

Fellowship of the Ring, again written and sang by Enya. The subtle, yet noticeable stylistic differ-

ences between ‘Aníron’ and the rest of the score makes this piece stand out, telling the viewer

that the relationship between Arwen and Aragorn is an important one, which becomes more and

more clear throughout the rest of the trilogy, and begins the ultimate build up towards their mar-

riage, and Aragorn’s coronation, at the end of Return of the King.

Elven theme as shown in bass figure

As the title appears on the screen, the ring theme can be heard for the first time. This theme is

cemented in the prologue, where it can be heard several times throughout, often upon a change

of ownership of the ring, or as a metaphor for temptation. For example at 6:40, when the narrator

describes it being passed on to Bilbo. Once again Shore uses the major phrygian mode for the

harmonic, and melodic material, this time on E. The use of the same mode as the Elven theme is

likely intentional, as Sauron originally created the Rings of Power in a plan to seduce and recruit

the Elves.7 It also elevates the foreign aspect of the ring, and the aura of mystery surrounding it. In

the transition between Galadriel’s theme and the Ring theme, there is a few bars of music which

appears to exist solely as a link between the two, however it is entirely possible this is a theme in

its own right. The underlying harmony descends from Bb Minor chord, to A minor, a semitone

apart. A transposition of this harmony is heard again (however only in the extended edition)8,

when Boromir throws one Shards of Narsil on the ground out of clear lack of respect for the bro-

ken artefact.

As its first use is set under the text ‘for none now live who remember it’, this short motif could

possibly be indicating that the defeat of Sauron was so far in the past it’s now considered com-

pletely irrelevant.

Shortly following this scene, the ring theme is heard again, in a single reiteration. During the coun-

cil of Elrond, Boromir reaches longingly for the ring, before being cast aside by Gandalf.9

Main theme associated with the Ring

Again, at 2:30:15, Frodo encounters Boromir, and the use of the ring theme at this moment fore-

shadows Boromir making another attempt at the ring. As he draws closer to Frodo, another prom-

inent but subtle harmonic motif is heard - a progression of minor chords, separated by either a

major or minor 3rd apart, in this case a chord sequence of Am-Cm-Em. This motif is often used to

build intensity; a prelude to a scene surrounded by mystery, doubt, and evil. In this case, as

Boromir has succumbed to the temptation of the ring, at 2:31:30 a theme from the prologue is

7 Tolkien, J. R. R. The Silmarillion / M. Boston: George Allen & Unwin, 1977.

8EgalmothOfGondolin01. "LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring - Extended Edition - The Sword That
Was Broken." YouTube. March 08, 2013. Accessed June 16, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=B1uGDjSVLOk.
9Again, this is only present in the extended edition.

Gollum. "The Council of Elrond Scene 1- The Fellowship of the Ring." YouTube. January 31, 2018.
Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSxo579azeI.

reprised. This theme is first heard at 1:45, when Sauron creates the ring with the intention of using

it for his own personal gain and lust for power, which implies Boromir intends to take the ring from

Frodo for the same purpose. The theme is also heard again shortly after in the prologue, as Isildur

takes up his father’s sword to strike the ring from Sauron’s finger. Again Isildur’s had no intention

of destroying the ring, who instead chose to wield it.

Theme suggesting weaponisation of the Ring

Harking back to the ascending progression of minor chords; during the Council of Elrond when

Boromir is denying the possibility of entering Mordor at 1:30:15, the discussion heats up, and the

same underlying harmony (this time a sequence of 5 chords) can be heard, before the discussion

breaks out into a full blown argument, and the whole council is up in arms. At this point the cam-

era cuts to Frodo staring at the ring, and we hear Sauron’s theme for the first time, signifying his

presence within the ring is having a direct influence over the ever heating parley. Shore cleverly

incorporates several musical ideas that have been used previously, to illustrate that this is quite

clearly the work of Sauron. The theme itself is incredibly similar to the theme of the ring, which

makes sense since Gandalf stated earlier in the film, that both the ring and Sauron are one. The

phrygian mode used to harmonise the ring theme now incorporates a Bb, firmly cementing

Sauron’s theme in D minor. This is one of my favourite passages, as it opens on a D bass pedal

with timpani, which is used as a basis for most of the music previously associated with the

Nazgûl. On the start of Sauron’s theme, the bass line, which comprises of a descending sequence

in 3rds, is the same used at several points previously. For example at 1:01:30 when the Nazgûl

approach the Hobbits camp at Amon Sûl. These two themes conveniently combine, allowing the

passage to begin on an ominous tritone.

Another prominent bass motif generously utilised to portray evil, is a simple 4 note melody of D-

Bb-A-G, which is heard earlier in the Council of Elrond scene, after Gimli attempts to destroy the

ring. This bass motif was used in the aforementioned scene at Amon Sûl, when the Ring Wraith


draws his sword, as well as many other points where forces of evil are present, including the bat-

tle depicted in the prologue.

Sauron’s theme shown above the descending bass figure of the Nazgûl

Immediately following the prologue at 7:15, we are first introduced to the Shire theme, which is

reiterated many times over the three films, particularly in the first 40 minutes. For example it is al-

most immediately repeated in the flute with more ornamentation once Frodo has greeted Gandalf.

The theme has a very warm, pleasant, and pastoral feel to it, and is often used to symbolise hope

and prosperity, for example once the storyline has left The Shire, it is used to portray Sam and

Frodo’s friendship and platonic love for one another. Once Sam and Frodo break with The Fellow-

ship, the Shire theme is regularly used in intimate moments between Sam and Frodo, often when

it feels like all hope is lost. The prolific use of this theme following the prologue, joint with the high

contrast cinematography, portrays the fact the Hobbits are entirely ignorant to the danger of the

outside world - as are Frodo and Gandalf at this current point, ignorant to the looming danger

posed by Bilbo’s ring. Shore cleverly uses snippets of this theme throughout his score for the tril-

ogy, as it is a relatively long motif, aspects can be taken and manipulated within different con-

texts, as is done with many of the other themes. Such as a change in articulation and instrumen-

tation.

Silence is also used in a musical aspect, for example when Gandalf rides away from the children

at around 10:20, the sense of nostalgia that has been portrayed in the music preceding it is

abruptly resolved on the tonic of D in pizzicato bass. The bar of silence following what appears to

be the end of the music, gives a brief sense of disappointment, as it momentarily seems as if

Gandalf is going to ignore the children, but as the fireworks erupt from his wagon, this is alleviated

by the beginning of ‘Concerning Hobbits’, one of the most recognisable pieces of music in the

film.

First instance of the Shire theme

Jumping forward to the scene in which Rivendell first appears at 1:15:30, Frodo wakes up to

Gandalf, however as soon as Sam enters, a variation on the Shire theme can be heard, before

transitioning into the aforementioned mystical sounding arpeggiated 6th motif, as a panoramic

shot of Rivendell is shown. This theme then gradually transitions back into the Shire theme when

Frodo is reunited with Bilbo.

Although it does not contain any notable thematic material, the piece ‘Flaming Red Hair’ which is

often overlooked in the soundtrack, and can be heard at Bilbo’s 111th birthday party (15:45), is

interesting, as the rhythmic and melodic material played on a tin whistle, is very much akin to Irish

folk music. Although Middle Earth is of course entirely fictional, Tolkien drew inspiration for The

Shire from the Shire counties of the West Midlands10 , so it would seem like an interesting choice

of music for such a setting. It is suggested that The Shire represents the West Midlands in a more

remote past, for example the Kingdom of Mercia, which suggests Shore and Jackson intended to

portray The Shire in an Old English setting, as Tolkien originally intended it to be; which makes

sense seen as though Kingdom’s such as Rohan are very much akin to Anglo-Saxon tradition.

Another reason ‘Flaming Red Hair’ is notable, is that it’s one of the few pieces of diegetic music

heard throughout the film trilogy, suggesting this was an intentional decision to once again put

Middle Earth within the historical context of Old England. It’s also possible that the Gaelic influ-

ence in Howard Shore’s work originates from his history of collaboration with Irish artists and or-

chestras, including as mentioned previously, Enya.11

10Shippey, Tom A. Roots and Branches: Selected Papers on Tolkien. Zollikofen: Walking Tree
Publishers, 2009.
11"Howardshore.com » Howard Shore in Dublin." Howardshore.com. Accessed June 16, 2019.
http://www.howardshore.com/howard-shore-in-dublin/.

The motif used to represent Smeagol is a Bb minor arpeggio in first inversion, followed by 4 notes

suggesting the chord of F#m7. The harmonic relationship between F#m7 and Bb minor is unusu-

al, and gives this motif an ethereal and mysterious quality. This theme could also be representat-

ive of addiction to the ring, as it can be heard when Bilbo struggles to let go of the ring in Riv-

endell, and again at 2:33:30 when Frodo scuttles away from Aragorn out of fear that he might try

and take it from him as Boromir had just done, and the motif enters set to the words ‘it has taken

Boromir’. The Smeagol theme is often associated with a sense of pity, for example in the Mines of

Moria, where Gandalf tells Frodo the sad story of Smeagol’s existence. Similarly this motif is first

heard in the prologue (5:50) when Galadriel is describing how the ring came into Smeagol’s pos-

session, taking it deep into the misty mountains where it consumed him. (Galadriel refers to him

as the creature Gollum, where as in fact he is still Smeagol at this point).

Smeagol theme

The music that follows the aforementioned encounter between Frodo and Aragorn, is interestingly

very similar to the theme of Lothlorien. The music is now in A natural minor, but shares the same

semi-tonal quality, and instrumentation as the Elven theme. Whenever this motif appears, it is of-

ten to portray temptation whenever the ring appears. In this instance Aragorn is fighting the urge

to take the ring, and the music gradually intensifies as he moves closer to Frodo. Aragorn’s reali-

sation that he too may succumb to the ring, subsequently forces him to deem it best that Frodo

continue alone. The temptation motif is first heard at 36:00 where Gandalf, Sam, and Frodo begin

their journey to Rivendell, and Gandalf explains the sheer power of the ring, and commands that

Frodo never put it on under any circumstance, which induces temptation in itself, like saying

‘don’t press that big red button’.

Temptation theme

At 37:50 the Shire theme reappears in a slow, nostalgic context, as Sam announces that once he

takes one more step, it will be the furthest from home he’s ever been. One of the many genius

ways Shore utilises his motifs in Lord of the Rings, is through the combination of two or more

non-connected themes to narrate the story in itself. In this instance, the theme associated with

the Fellowship first premieres in a powerful statement, transitioning from the Shire theme as Sam

steps beyond comfortable territory. These two themes are easily the most recognisable in the

whole trilogy, and Shore combines them in a seamless transposition from C major to Eb major

(relative major of the tonic minor), subsequently transforming what was filmed as Sam taking a

step, into the symbolic and monumental moment of realisation that Frodo and Sam are leaving

their comfortable life behind to embark on a quest to save the world, and they don’t even know it.

The Fellowship theme often appears at compelling moments in the film, symbolising hope and

brotherhood. At 1:31:50 Frodo interrupts the bickering of the Council of Elrond with an offer to

take the ring to Mordor. This compassionate moment, where Men, Elves, and Dwarves set their

differences aside and unite, is magnificently set to the Fellowship. The music changes away from

the motif as Boromir stands to also join the fellowship, which suggests he has ulterior motives, as

is confirmed later on. The music then transitions again into the Shire theme, as Sam emerges from

the bushes. The common pairing of these two themes may be subtle foreshadowing on Shore’s

part, indicating that the initial Fellowship is condemned to failure, but Sam and Frodo are destined

to continue on together, helping reassure the viewer that Sam will always be by Frodo’s side.

First instance of the Fellowship theme

During the council of Elrond, the theme of Gondor is first heard at 1:27:30 when Boromir rises to

propose his plans to use the ring. By no coincidence the theme heard in D dorian mode enters

under the word ‘Gondor’. The leitmotif is played initially on solo horn, before a light brass accom-

paniment enters. The fanfare-like melody evokes a sense of Medieval heroism, and is often heard

played in exciting moments, representing the splendour and glory of Gondor. Unlike its debut, the

motif is often heard accompanied with a broad, brass-heavy instrumentation, and routinely at a

faster pace. The most recognisable example of this is without a doubt during ‘The Lighting of the

Beacons’, where the music quickly evolves from the mischievous and tense moment of Pippin

climbing the beacon, through several un-nerving, and unresolved buildups, before finally landing

back in D dorian mode for the reiteration of the Gondor theme in all its magnificence, accompa-

nied by a cinematic mountain flyover, resulting in one of the most memorable, spine tingling mo-

ments across all three films.

Gondor theme heard in solo horn

This analysis only scratches the surface of the attention to detail put into the score of Lord of the

Rings. Across the trilogy, many more leitmotifs are introduced and recapitulated, as well as count-

less reiterations of the themes aforementioned. Shore has an incredible ability to assign musical

material to individual characters and emotions, and constantly reuse it without any sense of repe-

tition, instead evoking an underlying familiarity between the music and the screen. The scoring of

the three films, is a testimony to Howard Shore’s ability, there’s no wonder he was awarded a

Grammy for each of them. Whilst Shore may not have been the first to utilise leitmotif in film mu-

sic, a combination of his advanced knowledge of harmony, melody, and ability to compose in nu-

merous styles, certainly makes this soundtrack the finest example of the potential of Leitmotif.

Howard Shore is arguably the under-appreciated prodigy behind the success of the films. Without

his genius, Lord of the Rings could never be the same.


Bibliography

1. ”IMDb "Top 250"." IMDb. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?

groups=top_250&sort=user_rating.

2. Carpenter, Humphrey. J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography. London: GeorgeAllen & Unwin, 1977.

3. ”INTERVIEW: Howard Shore ("The Lord of the Rings")." Rhino. Accessed June 17, 2019.
https://www.rhino.com/article/interview-howard-shore-the-lord-of-the-rings.

4. Adams, Doug, Howard Leslie Shore, and Frances Walsh. The Music of The Lord of the Rings
Films: A Comprehensive Account of Howard Shores Scores. Van Nuys: Alfred Music Publishing
Company, 2016.

5. Alcaeru. "The Lord of the Rings." Alcaeru's Sheet Music. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://al-
caeru.weebly.com/the-lord-of-the-rings.html.

6. Tolkien, J. R. R. The Silmarillion / M. Boston: George Allen & Unwin, 1977.

7. EgalmothOfGondolin01. "LOTR The Fellowship of the Ring - Extended Edition - The Sword
That Was Broken." YouTube. March 08, 2013. Accessed June 16, 2019. https://www.youtube.-
com/watch?v=B1uGDjSVLOk.

8. Gollum. "The Council of Elrond Scene 1- The Fellowship of the Ring." YouTube. January 31,
2018. Accessed June 17, 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSxo579azeI.

9. Shippey, Tom A. Roots and Branches: Selected Papers on Tolkien. Zollikofen: Walking Tree
Publishers, 2009.

10. "Howardshore.com » Howard Shore in Dublin." Howardshore.com. Accessed June 16, 2019.
http://www.howardshore.com/howard-shore-in-dublin/.