The Ring-Bearer's Tale

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The Ring-Bearer's Tale was written in 1996, well before Peter Jackson's film adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, which is arguably the defining novel of the fantasy genre.  Many of the characters in this epic novel are larger-than-life:  Gandalf, Saruman, Aragorn, and others.  Interestingly enough, the true heroes of Tolkien’s tale are very simple folk:  hobbits.  Bilbo Baggins and his nephew Frodo are among the most beloved characters of the story, quite possibly because they are not so much different from you or me, yet they accomplish great and heroic deeds nonetheless. 

This piece for unaccompanied flute focuses on five moments from The Lord of the Rings in which our down-to-earth heroes encounter situations both marvelous and terrible.  As the title suggests, the musical narrative follows the adventures of Frodo and his faithful companion, Samwise Gamgee (who also bore the One Ring for a time).

I. Rivendell

II. Fog on the Barrow-Downs

III. Ents

IV. Shelob's Lair

V. The Grey Havens

LISTEN on YouTube

PURCHASE on SheetMusicPlus

 

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