Lord of the Rings: Return of the King

From the first scene in the Lord of the Rings the music was present almost constantly. The underscoring was not always obvious or obtrusive many different times it was extremely quiet in the background. It was also apparent from the start that Howard Shore was using a full orchestra. At many different times the music also sounded very fantasy-like or almost angelic. This was first noticed when Sam, Frodo, and Gollum started on their journey at the very beginning of the film. Another aspect of the music that I noticed was the elfin theme. In the first scene when Gollum finds the ring and kills the other man because of it there is music in the background that sounds like singing and it seems to reappear whenever the elves or ring are making a dramatic movement. The music overall was very dramatic and it accented the action of each scene. When the battles were about to start the music would start very softly and then gradually get louder as the fighting became more imminent. The use of French horns, low brass, cellos, and trumpets created a darker more dangerous melody. At the end then too when Frodo was waking up in the bed surrounded by his friends the music was very joyful and hopeful. It reminded me of springtime. The use of instruments like violins, clarinets, and cheerful trumpets made the music even more jubilant.