Gandalf at the
Door to Moria
|
|
FEATURED IN
REGULAR CD
COMPLETE RECORDINGS not
in movie?
Text by
Philippa Boyens
Music
by Howard Shore
Sindarin translation by David Salo
The AS-FOTR presented this source text, indicating that it was heard at
the Doors of Moria.
However, none of us could determine what was being sung.
When the choral sheet music for the FOTR Live symphony was made
available, we realized why. The lyrics sung there were from
Footsteps
of Doom.
Doug Adams was asked about this and he replied:
Well, I know
that this composition was assembled using the
Gandalf at the Door lyric... and I believe (doing
this of the top of my head) that you still hear a
very jumbled version of this on the CD. My guess is
that the lyric was so jumbled that, for the live
performance, they went back and reset a more
straightforward lyric (apparently Footsteps) just to
maintain some semblance of coherence. I don't know
that for a fact, of course, but it certainly seems
to be the case.
I have to say,
however, that the lyrics as provided by the choral sheet
music match what I'm hearing on the
CR-FOTR in multiple
places. However, I'm not so sure they match the singing
heard in the movie. There is dialog and sound effects
over the singing, which complicates things. But there
isn't a strong sense of hearing even the same syllables,
the same number of syllables, or the same timing of
syllables. (Danijel Legin thinks they are the same.)
Perhaps the movie uses this 'jumbled' version of the
Gandalf at the Door to Moria
lyrics.
But since the
CR-FOTR tracks are assembled from material
recorded prior to FOTR Live, the switch of source
material - if one was made - would not have been
prompted by the concert. Not being sure if the
CR-FOTR
and the movie use the same singing, one is left with two
questions.
Why would two
tracks be prepared - one being used for the movie and
one being assembled into the
CR-FOTR?
If there was a
quest for 'more straightforward lyric just to
maintain some semblance of coherence', why not use a
more coherent version of
Gandalf at the Door to Moria?
Why use
Footsteps of Doom? The subject matter of the
first seems considerably more appropriate for the
scene at Moria's door.
Sindarin
Original English Key:
Text in blue indicates language used
Text in green indicates lyrics used
Text in brown indicates lyrics not used Text in black
indicates English translation Galad Fëanor The light of Fëanor danna or thâd gwaith Falls on two peoples beinas sin goeol Such terrible beauty írith sin bara Such burning desire
FOTR, Book
2, Chapter IV, Journey in the Dark
At the top, as high as Gandalf could
reach, was an arch of interlacing letters in an Elvish
character. Below, though the threads were in places blurred or
broken, the outline could be seen of an anvil and a hammer
surmounted by a crown with seven stars. Beneath these again were
two trees, each bearing crescent moons. More clearly than all
else there shone forth in the middle of the door a single star
with many rays.
`There are the emblems of Durin!' cried Gimli.
`And there is the Tree of the High Elves!' said Legolas.
`And the Star of the House of Fëanor,' said Gandalf. `They are
wrought of ithildin that mirrors only starlight and
moonlight, and sleeps until it is touched by one who speaks
words now long forgotten in Middle-earth. It is long since I
heard them, and I thought deeply before I could recall them to
my mind.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
