The Oath of Feanor

An original piece of music for the Silmarillion Film Project podcast with the Mythgard Institute and Signum University. This piece started from a forum post stating that the Dies Irae should find its way into the score particularly in the Oath of Feanor scene. Marie Prosser jumped in very quickly and started on a translation of the oath into quenya. With a lot of collaboration regarding pronunciation, timing and some retranslating, the final shape of this piece fell into place. I felt that it needed to have the feel of John William’s Duel of the Fates from Star Wars Ep1 or Howard Shore’s Revelation of the Ringwraiths from The Fellowship of the Ring.
Musically the piece begins with my piece the Fall. After this we get the tubular bell pealing three notes over and over indicating the call of the elves and at the same time 4 long notes that will come to represent any oath. The main emphasis of the chorus is on the pattern of the Dies Irae. One note is sounded with three gongs followed by the next three notes. The 1st verse covers who the swearers will take their vengeance out on and the 2nd verse is the vengeance and the final line states the doom of the swearers if they fail and is sung to my Doom theme.
The words belong to Feanor. The voices reiterating it are his 7 sons, thus 7 vocal parts. During the seasons as each son dies, a voice will be dropped from the Oath until Maglor being the only son left will have a single voice with harp or lyre. The Oath will become hollow and without power.
This is truly a collaborative effort with input from the following people:
o Translation by Marie Prosser, Chesapeake, Virginia USA
o Vocal Pronunciation by Kathleen Dallin, Calgary, Alberta Canada
Contributors from USA
o Charlie Vaughn vocals, Redondo Beach, California
o Megan De Cenzo vocals, Colorado Springs, Colorado
o Meagan Frame violin
Contributor from Europe
o Kathrin Heierli, vocals, Zurich, Switzerland
Contributors from Australia
o Phil Dean, vocals, Melbourne, Victoria
o Nicola Canning, vocals, Blue Mountains, NSW
o Brent Gosling, vocals, Blue Mountains, NSW
o Don Church, vocals, Blue Mountains, NSW
o Lisa Harding, vocals, Blue Mountains, NSW
o Phillip Menzies, vocals, Blue Mountains, NSW

My thanks goes to the following art works and their creators whose works have added greatly to my music:
Feanor S Symbol by Gothcorn at https://www.deviantart.com/gothcorn
Bloody Feanor by Maueval at https://www.deviantart.com/maureval
The Torch by Ashmerra at https://www.deviantart.com/ashmerra
Oath of Feanor by Jenny Dolfen at https://goldseven.wordpress.com/galle...
Feanor by Aquamenes1983 at https://www.deviantart.com/aquemenes1983
The Kinslaying by Ivoignob at https://www.deviantart.com/ivoignob
The Kinslaying by EKuvanova at https://www.deviantart.com/ekukanova
The Fire Inside by Franziska Wenzel (Toradh) at www.cuiascamh.de
In the Name of the Oath by Steamey at https://www.deviantart.com/steamey
Feanor by Insant at https://www.deviantart.com/insant
The Silmarils by Marask at https://www.deviantart.com/marask
The Shadow of the Wind by Miguel Santos at https://www.deviantart.com/miguel-santos
Almost There by KKourime at https://www.deviantart.com/kkoorime