Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth

An original piece of music for the Silmarillion Film Project podcast with the Tolkien Professor. I have re-published this and have added some ethereal elements, soprano and glockenspiel playing some erratic notes in the elvish sections. I have also edited the artwork, relying almost exclusively on works by Elena Kukanova who has produced a whole album of wonderful artwork base on the Athrabeth.
This based on the later writings of Tolkien, the Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth which appears in Morgoth’s Ring and quotes are from this writing. The piece is a conversation between Finrod Felagund and Andreth a Wise Woman of the House of Beor who loved Finrod’s brother Aegnor. Aegnor had broken off the relationship because elves do not marry and raise children in times of war. The conversation also discussed the mortality of Men and proposed what may be the eventual fate of the fëa (spirit) of Men after death. The piece of music is meant to show the differences between Human and Elf cultures and how each race looks at the world and the part they play.
The elven piece is in Lydian mode and begins with the rising progression of major (F), major (G), minor (Am) chords and then back down. It goes up again and then the continues with the Lydian scale to rest on F major. The feeling is unsettling and unresolved.
The human part is Ionian and based on the same progressions, but resolving going, major (F), major (G) and resolving on the dominant major (C major) instead of hanging on A minor. The progression up the scale takes some shortcuts with the base notes and chords making it sound more natural.
The opening is quite harsh as the flute (human) and the oboe (elf) play over each other and the characters Andreth and Finrod are introduced. The Elvish part is slow (Largo) and features synthesiser with a lovely delay. Elves have all of the time in the world and decisions come slowly. The now familiar Elvish repetition of three notes (representing the three kindreds) is played regularly throughout. When the human voice is introduced, it is a rapid violin playing the notes I-V repeating the first two notes of the human themes, specifically the grief of Men representing death (human is saying to the elf “that is fine, except for death, death, death”). The rapidly played strings continue with a new melody showing the rapid life and experience of Men and the need to get things done.
The final section plays the rising scale of both melodies, the elf has to speed up to keep pace. This is the love theme for all future elf/human relationship. They are more in step now with less clashing, but there is still an underlying state of dissonance that comes through with the synthesiser as all elf/human pairings will ultimately end in grief. The penultimate note (F major chord) hangs, but is finally resolved with the dominant (C major) as the world will eventually be given over to Men while the Elves fade.
I would like to express my gratitude to the following artists whose work make my music that much better:
Finrod by Elena Kukanova at https://www.deviantart.com/ekukanova
Andreth by Elena Kukanova at https://www.deviantart.com/ekukanova
Aegnor by Elena Kukanova at https://www.deviantart.com/ekukanova
Finrod and Aegnor The Last Conversation by Elena Kukanova at https://www.deviantart.com/ekukanova
Andreth and Aegnor-the first encounter by Elena Kukanova at https://www.deviantart.com/ekukanova
Aeluin by Elena Kukanova at https://www.deviantart.com/ekukanova
That Morning by Elena Kukanova at https://www.deviantart.com/ekukanova
Something of Manwe and Ulmo by Elena Kukanova at https://www.deviantart.com/ekukanova
Dorthonion by Elena Kukanova at https://www.deviantart.com/ekukanova
Athrabeth Finrod Ah Andreth by Alystraea at https://www.deviantart.com/alystraea
I will Tell Him_Andreth and Finrod by Samo-Art at https://www.deviantart.com/samo-art