Musical Similarities

César Franck's Panis Angelicus & the Rivendell Theme

 

 

 

Chenresi hears some similarities of Panis Angelicus to the Rivendell Theme especially as heard when we catch our first glimpse of Rivendell (after Frodo awakes in bed). All text below was written by Chenresi.

 

Well. There is a beautiful similarity of the first bars of “Many Meetings” by H.Shore and “Panis Angelicus” by César Franck.

Panis Angelicus - harpist Carol McClure
Rivendell Theme - 0:00 - 0:13 FOTR, Track 9, Many Meetings

César Franck, Panis Angelicus - recording: The Ambrosian Singers Philharmonic Symphony of London John McCarthy, conductor. From the Reader's Digest Classical Music Library

Now I can trust my ears only because I have not orchestral scores by Franck and Shore – piano arrangements only which were taken from unlicensed on-line recourses ;).

So my grasp is:

  1. Keys of the both tunes are A-dur, measure 4/4, tempo: poco lento (Franck), slowly, flowing (Shore).

  2. If we look at piano arrangements we wouldn't see more than the same chord order A-dur – F-dur, but as my ears say the orchestral score by Franck’s work (sorry I don’t know who’s orchestration is that) has the same movement of strings part (eighths on upward arpeggio) as it is in Shore’s score.

  

3. The first question is: what is Panis Angelicus? At Wikipedia we read:

 

Panis angelicus is the penultimate strophe of the hymn Sacris solemniis written by St Thomas Aquinas for the Feast of Corpus Christi as part of a complete liturgy of the Feast including prayers for the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours.

The strophe that begins with the words "Panis angelicus" (bread of angels) has often been set to music separately from the rest of the hymn. In 1872, César Franck set this strophe for tenor, organ, harp, cello, and double bass; later arranging it for tenor, chorus, and orchestra, he incorporated it into his Messe solennelle Op.12. Count John McCormack's 1932 performance of it in Dublin's Phoenix Park was considered the highlight of his career. It has been sung effectively by Luciano Pavarotti, Plácido Domingo, and Roberto Alagna, as well as by the sopranos Magda Olivero and Renata Scotto.

The phenomenon whereby the strophe of Sacris solemniis that begins with the words "Panis angelicus" is often treated as a separate hymn has occurred also with other hymns that Thomas Aquinas wrote for Corpus Christi: Verbum supernum prodiens (the last two strophes begin with "O salutaris Hostia") and Pange lingua gloriosi (the last two strophes begin with "Tantum ergo", in which case the word ergo ("therefore") makes it evident that this part is the continuation of a longer hymn).

Text of Panis angelicus, with doxology

Latin text

An English translation

Panis angelicus

fit panis hominum;

Dat panis coelicus

figuris terminum:

O res mirabilis!

Manducat Dominum

Pauper, servus et humilis.

Te trina Deitas

unaque poscimus:

Sic nos tu visita,

sicut te colimus;

Per tuas semitas

duc nos quo tendimus,

Ad lucem quam inhabitas.

Amen.

The Bread of Angels

becomes the bread of men;

The Bread of heaven

ends all prefigurations:

What wonder!

a poor and humble servant

consumes him, the Lord.

We beg of You,

God, One in Three

that you visit us,

as we worship You.

By your ways,

lead us who seek

the light in which You dwell.

Amen.

4. The text of Panis Angelicus is very interesting for in comparison with Lord of the Rings story as the heir.

”Bread of Angels” – lembas. So, “bread of elves” was given to Fellowship …

 Here is the symbolism of such images as “light”, “one in three”, someone who leads seekers etc.
 
The very question I am interested for the moment – did Howard Shore knows the Panis Angelicus before composing music for TLOTR?

At all points…

1. I tend to say “yes” (remembering he said once in an interview that he turned to the middle ages music – especially chorals – we have as proof the Dies Irae motif inside the score).

2. It is clear we can ask Doug to ask Shore ;) but it is obvious that Shore knows Panis Angelicus because if you are a film composer and are busy yourself with old-ages music, it would be strange and incomprehensible if you roll by Cesar Franck – your colleague in guild who combined romantic intonations and counterpoint.

3. In that way if we take into account the probable possibility that Shore knows Panis Angelicus and the meaning of the Latin text, we can speak with the more confidence about the Rivendell Theme as even not the motif of “the line of Men” or “nostalgia for the Elves diminishing status in Middle-earth” but as about the tune which characterizes the line of succession of eldest Eruhini (children of Eru) and race of Men.

Before the sounding of leitmotif of Andúril (in the moment when Lord Elrond throws his cloak and we see the Sword) – the same arpeggio sounds in crescendo but not twice as it was in “Many Meetings”, for example, - the sounding melody doesn’t finished but progresses, develops towards Minas Tirith leitmotif through elements we could hear in different Elves themes (concerned orchestration also).

So this arpeggio doesn’t mean “the weakness” of Elves or Men – this upward melody is the symbol of the Hope, hope of the Middle Earth as well. And in the scene of Passing the Sword there was no Aragorn anymore – there was Elessar. More of them – by the meaning of the figures of musical speech (in Baroque age-see I.S.Bach music or ask any experts in authentic music) the rising movement tune by tune on the chord (a-cis-e), means the Rising on Stairs to the Highest World, to God. And the return (descending motion e-cis-a from the “f”-sound that doesn’t belong to the chord and stops all upward movement) means impossibility (temporary) to achieve the goal. The major key says that “there is hope” but if there was a minor key, the “situation” wouldn’t be cheerful. (read more)
 

Magpie adds: Doug Adams has since said that there were no intentional references or homages to any existing piece of music except for a nod to Wagner at the end of ROTK.