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Howard Shore's The Battle of the Five Armies (Hobbit Part 3)


Jay

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OK I can kinda hear the Bard's Theme / DOS Opening Logos connection now


So if Film 1 opening logos = House Of Durin and History Of The Ring

Film 2 opening logos = Bard and Smaug

then Film 3 opening logos = What? Dain and Thorin?

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I always thought of the DoS opening as the combination of five themes.

Bard's theme up in the flutes and violins playing the main melody. Smaug's theme and the Arkenstone opening pitches playing the celli counterpoint, and the House of Durin cap-off before the Shire theme.

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I will say that TBOTFA does seem to have the best action material of the 3 Hobbit scores, and some of the best action material of all the Middle Earth scores. But that's also one of my "problems" with the score so far, is that so much of it is "martial" music... there's so much war music, preparing for war music, aftermath of war music... not a lot of room for much else. Another problem of expanding to 3 films I think. I long to hear more of the emotional music I love so much in the ME scores.

I know exactly what you mean Jay. I wish we were offered more of those operatic moments that RotK had.

But I guess a lot of that is due to the fact this film is literally revolving around this one battle.

And as Incanus often points out, it's still too soon to make such judgements. What emotional moments we've heard so far sound lovely.

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Yea, and I know it's too early too. Just can't wait to hear the full OST, and then film, and then pontificate on the merits of the score :)

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Well, what do YOU hear in the DOS opening logos music, KK?

I hear the allusion to Bard in the opening credits music, and then the obvious statement of Smaug's theme when the DoS title card appears, along with what I assumed was the Warg theme in counterpoint, but that might not hold up to scrutiny very well (I think this theme may have been scratched out altogether).

But assigning the counterpoint to the credits music Smaug might be a case of hearing something that's not there. Sounds like usual Shore counterpoint to me.

And again, I'm neither Shore nor Douggie Adams, so there's that...

Speaking of which, I should read Doug's post on the opening of AUJ again, because I don't think I ever quite grasped the connection to the Ring.

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You're talking about 0:41-0:48 right? That's Smaug's Theme!

Right before the Shire theme? Is this confirmed?

That little snippet popped up in the samples by the way.

Thats the last four notes of the House of Durin.

That doesn't make it that theme though.

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You're talking about 0:41-0:48 right? That's Smaug's Theme!

Still no.

Where did you got this idea from?

My ears....

You're talking about 0:41-0:48 right? That's Smaug's Theme!

Right before the Shire theme? Is this confirmed?

Confirmed by who? It just sounds like Smaug's theme to me. The first 4 notes. Da-dun... da-dunnnnnn

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Thats the last four notes of the House of Durin.

That doesn't make it that theme though.

True...

No it doesn't. It makes it a precursor to the full theme presented later. Is it really hard to hear? It's even the exact same rhythm, just without harmonization.

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Fair enough. I don't think it's either.

We'll just have to wait till the book!

And Georg, I hear it. But I think that could be a coincidence too!

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The thing is that it would make sense either way (whether this is the House of Dunrin theme or Smaug's theme). Maybe that's why Shore wrote that: because it reminds of both themes!

Hey, you're probably right!


No it doesn't. It makes it a precursor to the full theme presented later. Is it really hard to hear? It's even the exact same rhythm, just without harmonization.


Yea, I hear that now!
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You're talking about 0:41-0:48 right? That's Smaug's Theme!

Still no.

Where did you got this idea from?

My ears....

You're talking about 0:41-0:48 right? That's Smaug's Theme!

Right before the Shire theme? Is this confirmed?
Confirmed by who? It just sounds like Smaug's theme to me. The first 4 notes. Da-dun... da-dunnnnnn

You're talking about 0:41-0:48 right? That's Smaug's Theme!

Still no.

Where did you got this idea from?

My ears....

You're talking about 0:41-0:48 right? That's Smaug's Theme!

Right before the Shire theme? Is this confirmed?
Confirmed by who? It just sounds like Smaug's theme to me. The first 4 notes. Da-dun... da-dunnnnnn

It half step down, whole step down, whole step up. That's not Smaug at all. The Mirkwood theme is closer to Smaug than that.

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Fair enough. I don't think it's either.

We'll just have to wait till the book!

And Georg, I hear it. But I think that could be a coincidence too!

You really think so?

I don't think Shore writes a piece for these films without pondering every note. Ever.

When he isn't asked to rerecord the temp track, that is.

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We may actually all be overinterpreting this, and this is just an atmospheric short bit leading to the Hobbit title card.

Shore must be laughing at our posts!

That's exactly what I think it is!!

It's the "Bilbo You've Changed, You Are Not The Same Hobbit Who Left The Shire" motif ;)

Even this is more likely in my eyes (same notes!). I think I heard that little bit pop up in the samples somewhere. Can anyone confirm?

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I think Shore purposely made all the music that appears prior to The Shire theme under the The Hobbit title card a unique ambiguous mix of other themes. Which is why I can't wait to hear what he came up with for TBOTFA.

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Um, the piece is building and building, comes to a dramatic halt - and Shore fills it out this exposed spot with random notes that just happen to be the exact House of Durin cap-off?

Well, no, that's not very likely.

The man is a composer, not Steve Jablonsky.

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Well, it's not like Shore hasn't had his Share of similar constructs and themes (Bard Family/Bilbo, Smaug/Mirkwood, etc). That's besides the point.

I think more likely than it being the Durin theme is that it's a little motif of its own. Faleel may have been joking, but his suggestion makes more sense, and the passage is nearly identical.

Besides, if he really were to put a little thematic moment, wouldn't it be more likely to be associated with Bilbo than Durin as it seagues into the Shire theme.

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Hmm..

0:41 of Quest For Erebor: 4 notes

1:46 of Mirkwood: 5 notes.

Well, that's kind of irrelevant. Does every motif have to be played the same way each time? Variation is supposed to make things more interesting ;)

Not to mention both instances quote the same 4 notes, Mirkwood just repeats one of them.

Hmm..

0:41 of Quest For Erebor: 4 notes

1:46 of Mirkwood: 5 notes.

So what? Shore decided to use a proto version of the theme or whatever.

I buy KK's theory!

I know I heard it somewhere in the BOTFA samples too (in the style of the DoS prologue). I can't listen to them right now, but if someone could confirm, might help the theory ;)

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I'm still shocked, shocked I tell you that Shore turned that Barrels Out Of Bond incidental music into a new theme!

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More like turning Gandalf's Fireworks, Bree, Elven Heroics, etc into themes

That's still The Hobbit though, not LOTR ;)

I know I heard it somewhere in the BOTFA samples too

At the end of Mithril.

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Whatever, dude.

Don't you dude me!

Wait, it's nearly identical to what?

The bit around 1:50 of the extended Mirkwood cue.

Don't you have a composer challenge to finish instead of scrutinizing 4-note motifs? Hehe ...

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Woah... guys.... check out this post from Gloin I just found concerning the bit we've been talking about!

This figure from On the Doorstep (0:17-0:20 and then higher at 0:21-0:24) I had taken to be the same as the figure heard in The Quest for Erebor (0:41-0:48) which is listed at the beginning of this thread as "Smaug's A Theme".

(No doubt this conversation has been had/dismissed before too, so apologies in advance.) :D

EDIT: hahaha, and look at my reply!

I'm not entirely convinced 0:41-0:48 of Quest For Erebor is Smaug's theme actually... I think it's a complicated variant of other themes much like 0:00-0:36 of the same track is.

I knew then it wasn't Smaug's theme, then forgot again!

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