![]() ![]() When Míriel casts Galadriel out of Númenor the leaves of Nimloth, the White Tree, begin to fall, and the soundtrack swells with a massive statement of The Faithful Theme. The Faithful Theme reaches new heights in the climax of this episode. Hers is developed in a romantic direction in this episode as she meets a charming young man named Kemen, son of Pharazôn. The daughter, Eärien’s features a Renaissance recorder. The father, Elendil’s version of the theme is always stated in regal brass, and the son, Isildur’s on rustic folk instruments. In the third episode, I connected the theme directly to three related characters and used different colors to set them apart. The other crucial theme connected to Númenor is The Faithful Theme, which recurs throughout “The Great Wave.” The women sing in Adûnaic, Tolkien’s language for Númenor, “Anadûni akallabêth anâ,” meaning “Western downfallen men.” High female singers are generally reserved for music pertaining to the race of Elves or other immortal beings, so hearing this theme, so strongly associated with the kingdom of High Men, gives the scene an ominous foreboding. After Galadriel sees the same prophecy, actor Morfydd Clark beautifully portrays Galadriel’s utter shock, as the choral sopranos and altos offer a creepy, funereal dirge statement of the Númenor Theme. The Númenor Theme takes a darker twist later in the episode, when Míriel shows Galadriel her palantír, a magical seeing-stone through which she envisioned her cataclysmic nightmare. In contrast with the soaring and triumphant introduction to Númenor in the third episode, Pharazôn’s version here is notably more subdued, suggesting his passion is real but his intentions may be more nuanced. With actor Trystan Gravelle’s mighty leadership, Pharazôn offers the crowd celebratory drinks! Middle Eastern frame drums kick in with a seductive groove and the low strings, Armenian duduk, and yaylı tanbur offer a slithering statement of the Númenorean anthem’s melody. An unruly mob is subdued when Chancellor Pharazôn assures them that “Elven hands will never take Númenor’s helm!” Here, a patriotic solo trumpet presents a noble version of The Númenor Theme. The nightmare passes, and the following scenes return to the streets of Númenor where civil unrest brews and the Númenor Theme returns. As the wave crests (in one of the season’s most impressive visual effects!) the choir declares an ominous text in one of Tolkien’s Elven languages, Quenya. Ironically, this scene also reveals her greatest fear: a recurring nightmare of a great cataclysmic wave sweeping over and destroying the city. The Númenor Theme introduces the episode with a regal, pastoral statement in the French horns and low strings as Queen-Regent Míriel conducts The Blessing of the Children, a ceremony emphasizing the value she places on future generations. This story thread pulsates with percussive frame drums, evocative duduk and yaylı tanbur, and distinct chromatic harmonies. Whether featuring the Númenor Theme or The Faithful Theme, all of the episode’s Númenorean scenes are accompanied by the Middle Eastern musical influences that represent this culture. ![]() As a result, I was able to shift my focus away from generating and introducing musical themes, to developing and interweaving them. SPOILERS AHEAD: The fourth episode of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, “The Great Wave,” is the first unburdened by the need to introduce the audience to new characters, cultures, and lore. ![]()
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