#5 A Elbereth Gilthoniel (an elvish hymn)
The story in context:
The hymn to Elbereth appears early on in The Lord of the Rings, when Frodo, Sam, and Pippin are trying to leave the Shire in secret, avoiding the Black Riders. When one Black Rider comes dangerously close to finding the hobbits, he retreats at the first appearance of elves in the story.
But at that moment there came a sound like mingled song and laughter. Clear voices rose and fell in the starlit air. The black shadow straightened up and retreated. It climbed on to the shadowy horse and seemed to vanish across the lane into the darkness on the other side. Frodo breathed again.
…
The singing drew nearer. One clear voice rose now above the others. It was singing in the fair elven-tongue, of which Frodo knew only a little, and the others knew nothing. Yet the sound blending with the melody seemed to shape itself in their thought into words which they only partly understood. This was the song as Frodo heard it:
Snow-white! Snow-white! O Lady clear!
O Queen beyond the Western Seas!
O light to us that wander here
Amid the world of woven trees!
Gilthoniel! O Elbereth!
Clear are thy eyes and bright thy breath!
Snow-white! Snow-white! We sing to thee
In a far land beyond the sea.
O Stars that in the Sunless Year
With shining hand by her were sown,
In windy fields now bright and clear
We see your silver blossom blown!
O Elbereth! Gilthoniel!
We still remember, we who dwell
In this far land beneath the trees,
Thy starlight on the Western Seas.
Tolkien gives some elvish text to the poem elsewhere. Here it is with a literal translation.
A Elbereth Gilthoniel
O Elbereth Starkindler,
silivren penna míriel
white-glittering, slanting down sparkling like a jewel,
o menel aglar elenath!
the glory of the starry host!
Na-chaered palan-díriel
Having gazed far away
o galadhremmin ennorath,
from the tree-woven lands of Middle-earth,
Fanuilos, le linnathon
to thee, Everwhite, I will sing,
nef aear, sí nef aearon!
on this side of the Sea, here on this side of the Ocean!
Why should A Elbereth Gilthoniel be set for choir?
Similar to Namarie, this is a complete text of elvish, and is another window into their history and place in the world. This is the rare instance of a ‘hymn’ in Tolkien’s world, specifically a song of adoration for Elbereth. This hymn appears two more times in the story: Once in a dark, bleak part of the story (spoilers: spiders are involved) and once at the end, near the Grey Havens where many elves dwell.
This dialect of elvish is called Sindarin, and it is the vernacular language for elves during the time of the Lord of the Rings. Contrast that with Quenya in Namarie, which was vernacular thousands of years prior. Remember, don’t ask Galadriel what her age is!
Now, the pronunciation of Sindarin is very similar to Quenya. The languages look and spell differently, but the sounds are nearly identical. We can refer again to Garry Leonberger’s scholarship on The Road Goes Ever On song cycle which includes an IPA guide to both dialects. The takeaway here is that it is very easy to learn!
There is a lot of upside for composers here. Notice that both the Sindarin text and English translation are a nice and neat meter of 8.8.8.8. The English translation has an end rhyming scheme of abab, ccbb, adad, eebb. The Sindarin translation’s rhyme scheme is a little less symmetrical.
The challenges:
I don’t think there are a lot of compositional challenges, just plenty of opportunities. A composer can first choose between the English or Sindarin versions, or intertwine and excerpt them. I’m sure an audience containing zero native Sindarin speakers would appreciate some of the translated lines! You could also have a singer recite the poem in the opposite language of the composition just before the performance.
I think the artistic challenge for A Elbereth Gilthoniel is to define and capture the aesthetic of what an elvish hymn really is. Western choral composers are all immensely familiar with Christian hymns, both in their function and composition. A composer could take a ‘human’ approach and set this hymn to an 8.8.8.8 tune of their own devising, and harmonize and accompany it in a way that sounds elvish. This would be a very literal approach to the idea of a hymn.
Just for fun, I tried singing Elbereth to a few tunes such as DUKE STREET, O WALY WALY, ROCKINGHAM, HAMBURG. Technically, it works….also, did you know you can sing Amazing Grace can be sung to the tune of Gilligan’s Island?
The role of religion in Middle-Earth
If you really parse out the idea of a hymn and organized religion within Middle-Earth, here is a deeper cut.
The less literal approach to the elvish hymn is informed by the lore. In Middle-Earth, there are almost zero references to anything resembling a temple, church, religious service, or prayer among the elves. Some of the oldest living elves left in Middle-Earth (Galadriel) actually lived among the gods in Valinor, learning from them and feasting with them. Unlike men, the fate of the elves is tied to the world, and even if they are killed, they will eventually be re-embodied (albeit existing separately from mortals). For men, nobody, including the gods, truly knows what happens after death, but their spirits leave the world.
You can see why the race of men has institutions of religion, and the elves do not. The elves directly lived among and were taught by the gods, while men were left to discover the world on their own, wrestling with their mortality, and believing it to be a curse.
All of that to say…..the elves are not just praising Elbereth in adoration. Many of them actually lived in Valinor with her. Elbereth was the one who kindled the stars, which awoke the elves at the beginning of their existence. This is why they revere her so much. Imagine if we all had a chance to live with the physical embodiment of our creator(s)!
This less literal approach to the hymn allows for a composer to not think strictly in terms of hymnody, but a more general song of praise. An elvish harmony could be applied: Less focus on triads, perhaps quartal or extended harmony. Instead of classical voice leading, more direct or chromatic voice leading. I think of what could be borrowed from Gesualdo or Durufle’s motets. Instead of a homophonic hymn texture, you could break apart the text and try some polyphony.
Personally, I am very partial to Howard Shore’s ethereal treble arrangement. I love the way he juxtaposes the parallel major and minor harmony. He gives the melody to the altos, who sing with a very forward placement. It’s an interesting contrast to the floaty sopranos sound. All of the elements of typical choral singing are there, but changed in a way that reminds the listener how mystical and uncanny elves are.
References:
The J.R.R. Tolkien Audio Collection. Caedmon, 2001. Audio CD.
Tolkien, J.R.R. Letter 142 to Robert Murrary, December 2, 1953. In The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Humphrey Carpenter. Houghton Mifflin, 1981.
