If You Listen Closely to the Music in ‘The Rings of Power,’ You’ll Hear Hints About the Plot
Music is an essential aspect of what made The Lord of the Rings trilogy so great, and it is equally as important in Amazon’s The Rings of Power. While a score isn’t always noticeable, composer Bear McCreary wanted the music to be a character itself and put in motifs that allude to further developments in the plot.
‘Lord of the Rings’ features award-winning music
Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy is considered one of the greatest trilogies of all time for several reasons. The trilogy features epic fantasy battles and iconic performances but also has excellent music composed by Howard Shore. Shore won two Academy Awards for his original score in The Fellowship of the Ring and The Two Towers.
While Shore did not return to do the music for The Rings of Power, he did compose the theme that plays during the opening credits. The main score for The Rings of Power is composed by McCreary, who has previously worked on Battlestar Galactica, God of War, and The Walking Dead. McCreary is making sure he doesn’t copy Shore, but still delivers a score that will please Middle Earth fans.
‘The Rings of Power’ music features hints about the plot
In an interview with Screen Rant, McCreary talks about his experience composing the music for The Rings of Power. The composer calls himself a “hardcore” fan and says he knows where several of these stories are headed. For example, he talks about composing music for Elendil and Isildur, who are characters featured in Lord of the Rings. Many fans know where these characters will end up, and McCreary snuck in hints to their story within the music.
“If I’m writing a scene for Elendil and Isildur, as a casual fan I suspect I know where this story is going,” McCreary says. “And as someone who has seen the movies, you probably suspect, and I’m more hardcore than a casual fan. So, I spoke with the showrunners at length about these two characters. “Are they going to go where I think they’re going to go? And what might that sound like?” So, in many ways, I was writing a theme for them that would work for this season, but that also had what I knew I would need down the line.”
At the moment, Isildur has a conflict with his father, who wants him to be a Numenor Sea Cadet. However, the two will come together at some point as they are both crucial figures in the battle of Sauron. Isildur is also an essential character in Sauron’s defeat and his eventual return.
Bear McCreary wanted the music to be its own character
McCreary knows how essential music is to The Rings of Power. He wants it to blend seamlessly into the background, but he is aware of Shore’s impact on Lord of the Rings and knows the expectations that people have for the music in this series.
“I think as a composer for film, I am very frequently deferential to the drama,” McCreary tells Screen Rant. “My motto is, ‘Do no harm.’ My goal is that you don’t notice the music. I want you to just disappear into the story that you’re watching. And that is true with The Lord of the Rings as well, but there’s also a sense with The Lord of the Rings that the music is a character in and of itself. I think that that obviously predates The Rings of Power. People bring that expectation because of what Howard Shore did.”
The Rings of Power is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
