3.15 The Lighting of the Beacons | LotR Score Analysis

An analysis of the themes and letitmotifs of the Lord of the Rings - The Complete Recordings; composed, orchestrated and conducted by Howard Shore. The videos stay true to how the tunes are presented in The Complete Recordings, so all scenes with no or altered music are omitted.
IMPORTANT: The featured sample notations are not necessarily identical (in key, form or time signature) to the relevant music in the tracks. They exist to give a visual cue for the themes, not to be taken literally for every iteration of the theme.
Quotes mostly taken from The Annotated Score and The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films by Doug Adams
A big thank you to A Magpie’s Nest, and the mysterious transcriber M.W., without either these videos might never have been made.
I am not affiliated with Middle-earth Enterprises, the Tolkien Estate, New Line Cinema, Warner Brothers, WingNut Films, Doug Adams or Howard Shore.
All copyrights and trademarks for the books, films, and soundtrack music and lyrics are held by their respective owners.

[@monoverantus]

ADDENDUM As mentioned, the Complete Recordings preserves the score as it was originally written for a different scene order, but the track order is a compromise between the original cut and the final cut. The original sequence of events went: The events of “Osgiliath Attacked” (the attack on Osgiliath plays uninterrupted, Gandalf arrives at Minas Tirith and saves Faramir), “The Eyes of the White Tower” (they meet with Denethor), “A Coronal of Silver and Gold” (the Cross-Roads, Gandalf and Pippin on the balcony, Minas Morgul), then “The Lighting of the Beacons” (Gandalf gives Pippin the mission, Denethor and Faramir talk, the Beacons scene all the way to the ride of the Rohirrim). Thanks for watching!

[@thedorklord1029]

I once heard this scene described as “the most epic phone call in history,” and I think it’s almost entirely due to the music.

[@Recruitsoldier]

The plot: some fires getting lit on some mountains. Peter Jackson, Howard Shore, and whoever did the camerawork for this scene: "Right, so we were thinking, let's make one of the best audiovisual experiences of all time." Same thing with the Fellowship going down some stairs in Moria. Just one of the many reasons LoTR is absolutely unmatched.

[@devinlong7478]

Lighting the beacons is one of the two most epic scenes in the film. The cinematography, the landscapes, the music, the suspense. All brilliantly pieced together.

[@monoverantus]

Wanna share which is the other one? Let me guess, it's either 1: The Ride of the Rohirrim, 2: The Destruction of the Ring, or 3: Gandalf entering Minas Tirith?

[@devinlong7478]

@@monoverantus the Ride of the Rohirrim.

[@user-tw1pm6nr5e]

@@monoverantus for me it's the lotr prologue, especially when the last alliance shows up

[@szabolcsbarcza4965]

@@monoverantus for me it's Gandalf entering Minat Tirith with Pippin and we can see the city

[@sprayarm]

The other for me is when Gandalf repels the Nazgul with light from his staff on the Pelennor Fields.

[@aliciaarden2019]

This particular piece of score moves me tears, and then I'm smiling like I'm heaven, it's that powerful.

[@monoverantus]

It has such a tactile emotional impact, even writing it. I had to wait until all else was done on the track before I gathered the fervor and momentum to write the Lighting sequence, and it was an experience unlike any other for this project.

[@horstdieter10]

To me, the Lighting of the Beacons is the most epic, beautiful and awe-inspiring sequence ever put to film, and the best movie scene of all time. I always thought the version heard in the film and on the CR was the original version, and was later "enhanced" to sound more grandiose for the OST, only now I learned that apparently it was the other way around. It's one of these instances where thematically it may make sense to have a less uplifting and glorious rendition (corresponding to Gondor in Decline), but I just cant help longing for this glorious A major harmonic resolving to D Major as the Realm of Gondor enters. It always makes me flinch a little hearing that G instead of the A before the Theme enters.

[@gavinmccort354]

you and me both. The OST version is still my favorite.

[@user-zs7uh5xk4k]

このシーンを観て鳥肌が立ちましたし、私にとって生涯で最も忘れられない出来事となりました。たかが1エンターテイメント等ではありませんでした。今も音楽を聴くだけで涙が滲みます。

[@RatiO23]

Legendary Score. Definitely one of the best piece of music in all of cinema. Great work mono

[@monoverantus]

Any time people say the Rohan Fanfare is better... "The Lighting of the Beacons tho"

[@specificgod3627]

Well, the Rohan theme is more iconic in my opinion, in the fact that it's used multiple times and is stuck in our minds. But it's the fact that this beacon lighting theme is only once experienced in the trilogy makes me come back every time with it resulting in hair-raising catharsis. The best piece of music and the best piece of visualisation come together to create world movie history.

[@Recruitsoldier]

@@specificgod3627 Well said. There is ultimately nothing else in the films (or anywhere in all of cinema) that, for me, can hope to match what I feel at 4:56.

[@smith9808]

Just remarkable how Howard came up with some of the greatest scores ever all for 1 project. Greatest story ever written. Greatest film ever shot. Greatest soundtrack ever recorded

[@jmagness5946]

I remember ditching work (I was a storyboard artist on SpongeBob) and going to AMC Burbank and watching this by myself. When this scene came on it was such a buildup of tension and suspense, by the time the trumpets kick in with the ostinatos then builds up to the the cymbal crash release with those wide shots of the lighted beacons on the mountains, I had tears streaming down my face. Definitely the most epic combination of music and visuals I've ever felt in a movie.

[@Fae-Fey]

Finally, it's here! I can't wait for the Battle of Pelennor field analysis and then everything is complete

[@monoverantus]

Lol, implying by The Battle of Pelennor Fields (that's not even two thirds in) this will be even close to complete X D

[@sirornstein]

This is it the moment we've all be waiting for!

[@WillyStow]

YEESSS!! This is one of my favorite tracks in the trilogy. The tone of the music feels like hope and the good of man is rising once again after the darkness that’s present in Two Towers and the beginning of Return. With statements of the Gondor and Rohan Themes that sound so optimistic, and that bold statement of Nature’s Reclamation as Rohan rides out from Edoras once more, not in fear of death, but welcoming it. I really do get moved to tears.

[@monoverantus]

Couldn't have said it better myself.

[@JonStark117]

*When the silence takes over and Theoden begins to look upon his riders…”This is it…”🙏🏼😭*

[@Anonie324]

In my head, the beacon lighting theme is the theme of Numenor itself or that of the Faithful/Elendil.

[@monoverantus]

Shore did actually write a theme for Elendil and his army resisting Sauron in the Prologue, representing Gondor's Second Age, which wasn't used in the film. It has neither of the present Gondor's Decline or Ascension phrases, but ends on a Fellowship C Phrase-inspired line similar to the latter. You can hear it in track 1 Prologue: One Ring to Rule Them All (Alternate) on the Rarities Archive CD that comes with Doug's book (or online).

[@ashanark5782]

Ever since I found this channel I've waited for this track and it's finally here! It's astonishing what music can do. What sounds a boring scene on paper--watching fires get lit for two minutes? Really?--ends up bringing chills and tears. In my opinion LotR has the single best overall score for any films ever, and this is right there at the top. Shore is absolutely amazing.

[@monoverantus]

You'll have to give Peter, Fran and Philippa credit too, since in the book the Lighting of the Beacons starts before Gandalf even reaches Minas Tirith. They had the keen judgement to turn it into a crowning moment of brilliance that I struggle to even find a comparable equal to in other movies.

[@danielalbertogonzalezsoria4122]

4:55 was the most epic sound I’d heard as a child ❤

[@amyb.6368]

Doesn't matter how many times I've watched to it, this one always makes the hairs on the back of my neck go up. :D

[@Iceman-135]

With the knowledge of the Nature Reclamation theme being used with Rohan readying for war, it links up with how I saw the cries from Rohirrim before they charged. I saw the light shining when they appeared and shouted death as them harkening Nature to their side, and Nature answered with a golden dawn to accompany them as they put their lives at risk for the greater good of Middle Earth. It's as if Nature has heard their call, saw their valour and the goodness in their hearts and decided to part the darkness to help the Rohirrim along their way to battle darkness and evil.

[@t.e.sprocketeering]

The Nature’s Reclamation theme actually fits perfectly here I feel. Rohan almost uniquely represents men and nature in harmony within this setting - as rider and horse. The Rohirrim ride to the aid of their allies, but it is the proud horses of Middle Earth that carry them. And only in unison will they carry enough momentum at Pelenor to break the hosts of Mordor.

[@monoverantus]

Yes, to be clearly, I have no issue with it, I'm just bringing attention to the fact that it wasn't the original idea. If anything, it proves Shore's genius how he takes this moment to legitimize what we heard in The Two Towers, setting the scene for the perfect pay-off at the Battle of Pelennor fields.

[@ericandrea6316]

Congratulations! You're now about...oh, one quarter of the way through the ROTK CR.

[@louwashe]

Thanks for this. The beauty of the chord progression in the he buildup of the beacons scene was explained to me in a mathematics of music class a while ago and this helped me refresh my knowledge on it.

[@matthieurol-goss2477]

Yess! THE One I was expecting for so long! 🙏🏻

[@eriktens8007]

Nice! Good work!

[@andrewwern9161]

This is one of the most epic piece I have ever heard: Howard Shore is a genius. That being said, as a pianist and a classical music entusiast, I have a little technical question: could it be possible that Shore was inspired by the style of Anton Bruckner in the use of arpeggios, brass istruments and chord progressions from minute 3:55 to minute 4:55?

[@monoverantus]

I honestly don't know. It's possible, but Shore doesn't name-drop any specific composer except in 2 cases (Max Steiner in 3.38 Shieldmaiden of Rohan and Wagner in 3.52 The Days of the Ring).

[@Kyle-ur4mr]

To me, the chord changes here (4:23) sound reminiscent of Wagner, e.g. the prelude to act 3 of Siegfried

[@Chicagodog-tu1ek]

4:52 still to this day gives me goosebumps!

[@ToxicallyMasculinelol]

wow, this video is amazing. even doing just one of these videos is quite an achievement. and it looks like you've analyzed the entire trilogy. amazing stuff.

[@isabelstokes4042]

This is one of the best pieces of music I've ever heard. Stop analysing it and listen!

[@bigrich693]

What a tremendous roller coaster of emotions. Insane how a change in direction can change your entire feeling in a split second!

[@HLLTAF]

Wow such a great video! Thanks for sharing your musical knowledge with us

[@revanofkorriban1505]

I'm speaking almost as a layman, but I believe the reason the Nature theme ends on a high note when Theoden rides from Rohan in this sequence is to retain tension. When the same theme is utilized on the Pellennor Fields, the Nature theme reaches a lower, fitting note, giving closure to the melody in time for the beginning of the Rohan fanfare.

[@danielplainview2584]

Brilliant work.

[@stevenstone307]

WOW this is incredible!

[@benjaminmjones5021]

Speechless

[@dandimerman]

they should build a machine that shits Oscar statues every hour on the hour, in Jackson's and Shore's living room.

[@StocksIn60Seconds]

Bruckner called. He said he wants his harmonies and orchestration back.

[@jrodri14ii]

This and The Matrix soundtracks are some of my fondest memories.

[@jorgecas5678]

Hi! Have you seen Jaime Altozano's videos on the Lord of the Rings soundtrack? What is your opinion of his work, if that's the case?

[@monoverantus]

Indeed I have, he's even quoted in track 2.18! I think his videos are the most informative, engaging and just plain fun LotR analyses you can find on KZbin, though others have been more in-depth or better edited, like the work of Listening In.

[@Recruitsoldier]

Another question from me. Often the motifs I see on screen don't exactly match what I hear -- for example, at 3:29, while I do hear "Weakness and Redemption" in the relationships between the notes, the rhythm doesn't sound exactly the same (in particular, the second note seems elongated). Is the reason why there isn't always an exact correspondence between the defined motif and what's written just to allow the composer more freedom, so that he doesn't, for example, need to obey "three eighth notes followed by two quarter notes" every time he wants to reference Weakness and Redemption? If that is the reason, then I'm just curious, what actually defines the motif? Is it how it's written the first time we hear it? Or how it's most commonly heard throughout the score? And are there moments where Shore is making the more active choice to alter the motif so as to give it some special meaning, as opposed to making the practical changes necessary for it to fit (in terms of pitches and rhythms) with the surrounding context?

[@monoverantus]

Well, to quote my own video description: "The featured sample notations are not necessarily identical (in key, form or time signature) to the relevant music in the tracks. They exist to give a visual cue for the themes, not to be taken literally for every iteration of the theme." The sample notations I use are (almost) all taken from Doug Adams' book. The Weakness and Redemption motif is played in many different ways throughout the score (sometimes with wildly differing pitches), but "three eighth notes followed by two quarter notes" is how he decided to present it, most likely to exemplify the theme's most basic form.

[@rawpotatofella9654]

4:37 is there a C# minor segment in there as well as part of the chord progression?

[@monoverantus]

Yes, between Fm and Dm. Can't recall why I didn't include it

[@xdavidliu]

5:00 no mention at all of the key change?

[@d34dsYnt4x]

I don't understand any of these, but I agree.

[@wilhelmtm]

Why Howard Shore changed the A to a Em progression when the Beacons are in fire just seconds before Realm of Gondor theme sounds?

[@monoverantus]

As stated in the video, the original verison felt too hopeful. Thankfully they did have the good judgement not to thrash that take and put it on the OST album.

[@wilhelmtm]

Yeah, true, when I first saw the Extended version of Return of the King I was expecting to hear that powerful A, and then I feel like switching the A (a Dominant) to a Em (a Subdominant) completely drains energy to the next chord tonic Dm, I don't know if yo agree with me.

[@monoverantus]

@@wilhelmtm I definitely prefer the major-moded version, but I understand why they didn't go with it.

[@Procrasti...]

I just wish he'd gone for A major chord at 4:55, like he did in the OST. It sets up a must stronger cadence when the Gondor theme drops.

[@chejonte]

I hate this version.

[@monoverantus]

: I

[@historiasparaotrodia9895]

@@monoverantus I think he means the note that ended the Beacons part before the Gondor theme .In this version is lower than in the Cinematic version.

[@monoverantus]

@@historiasparaotrodia9895 yeah I know exactly what he means, I mention it in the video. I prefer that version too. Not really much I can do about that.

[@specificgod3627]

You must be joking. For me, the one thing which connects weakness and redemption with the realm of gondor in decline is that precise note, i heard the other version, I don't know why it exists. If I have ever experienced perfection, then it is this very transition.