You all know about Lord of the Rings. Even if you haven't watched any of the movies, it's such a revolutional trilogy that there's no way you're not familiar with the name at least. And there's a valid reason for this series's popularity. The books themselves are expertly written, with chapters full of intense plot developments, colorful scenes, and exper dialogue (it does get a littel dry from time to time). When the movies came out in the early 2000's, they were met with extreme approval; The thee movies in the trilogy, Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of The King were groundbreaking in pretty much all aspects. The acting, music and effects were all extremely advanced for their time, and won 17 out of 30 awards they were nominated for, and for good reason.
One of the most well-known parts of this trilogy is the music, written, composed, and conducted by Howard Shore, a well-known composer who's written pieces for many other films as well as the LOTR trilogy. One of the pieces from the second movie, The Two Towers, is very popular and it's theme is heard throughout the series. This piece, called "Forth Eorlingas" is first heard in a battle scene, when forces of good and evil are battling, and good is losing. In a last ditch effort, the forces of good, who are holed up in a keep inside a stone fortress, decide to take one last push to "go out with a bang". As they are running out of the keep to meet their enemies in one last clash, reinforcments arrive in the form of an army of cavalry lead by a Wizard dressed all in white. The song that is played along with this scene, Forth Eorlingas, sets a hopeful mood for this scene and a few others later in the trilogy. When the battle scene starts, the king of the good guys (Rohirrim) makes a speech to give courage to his men and encourage them on to one last ride to make a name for themselves. As he ends his speech, the Rohirrim open the doors to the keep and ride out to meet the enemy while the music escalates. As the are fighting, light breaks over a nearby mountain and they see a rider dressed all in white crest the hill. This rider just so happens to be the most powerful wizard in the whole world, backed by a substantially large army of horsemen. As they ride down the mountain to come to the aid of their fellow comrads, the song reaches a peak in a triumphant melody, invoking feelings of hope and power over the forces of evil.
Listening to this song, it really blends the story really well, starting out soft with a voiced choral melody, sort of swooping in a sort of musical arc. At the one minute mark, the voicing ends and the orchestra bursts into life, carrying on with a triumphant tune symbolizing victory over evil. The catchy main theme of the song is played in various other parts of the movie, usually during a battle or intense scene, to make the viewer feel like not all hope is lost and that there will indeed be victory. As such, "Forth Eorlingas" plays a huge role in the films to portray a feeling of light in the dark world, and really fortifies the trilogy's main theme.
Forth Eorlingas movie scene: Battle For Helm's Deep
Ben, I own all the LOTR's soundtrack recordings from the three movies and I have to agree; "Forth Eorlingas" is stunning. From the very climax of the song, to the slower but dazzling sweep of the victory melody, this piece has a strong hold on the emotions of the audience. Without the music, the LOTR's movies would not stand out as much as they do. I like how you said that the social commentary of this piece really centers around the battle of good and evil. All of us have this natural want for good to win over evil. "Forth Eorlingas" is like the embodiment of that deep desire for good to win over evil. Thank you for sharing this amazing piece of music! Everyone should listen to the LOTR's soundtracks. They are all exceptional.
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