what?

[calimac]

Authors are not supposed to vent about reviews, so I'll express my puzzlement here and hope nobody notices. I'm pleased that my article about classical (and folk, she didn't mention the folk) music that inspired Tolkien and was inspired by him came across to the Mythlore reviewer as both erudite and heartfelt - I work hard at the vexatious process of writing about music, and it's always pleasing to get validation that it's paid off - but I'm puzzled as to why she should spend over 2/3rds of her space complaining about my complaints about Howard Shore. Too-often repeated and ongoing, she says. In truth, I criticize Shore thrice, which may be one or two too many but hardly amounts to "ongoing", and the third - the actual topic paragraph on his work - is actually mostly a backhanded compliment. (It's imaginative and not a cheap John Williams clone, and far superior to the music for the Bakshi film.) And considering how many people think Shore must be marvelous because he worked for the sainted Peter Jackson, the criticisms need to be hammered in. Incidentally acknowledging that my critiques are actually valid, the reviewer devotes fully half as many words to her beef about me as I do to Shore both negative and positive - and that's out of one succinct paragraph in a book review, whereas my essay was 9,600 words long. Which of us needed the editorial pen wielded more strongly, now?

That's as many words about the reviewer as the reviewer devoted to me, so I'll stop here.

Comments

[anderyn.livejournal.com]

So, she asks, where might I find a copy of this essay of yours, and/or can you tell me what folk music inspired Tolkien (at least in general terms)? That part of your essay sounds fascinating, and I'd love to listen to some of the music myself.

In other respects, sheesh. Sometimes I wonder if reviewers actually read what people wrote or if they just base their reviews on what they think you wrote. I am not a huge admirer of Howard Shore, and I can see where you might criticize his scores for the LoTR movies.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Didn't I mention it in an earlier post? I guess maybe not. (Nor should you be required to remember it if I had.) This is the book.

Folk music that inspired Tolkien? Traditional English folk song, basically. On the recordings he made of bits of LOTR, he sings "The Stone Troll" to a Birmingham variant tune of "The fox went out on a chilly night". But while the hobbits are English folk singers, the Elves sing Gregorian chant.

Best folk music inspired by Tolkien: Broceliande and The Tolkien Ensemble, both somewhat classical-influenced folk in different ways (the former medieval/Renaissance, the latter tonal modernism). Though there are many others, some also good.

[anderyn.livejournal.com]

I love Broceliande, but you knew that, having introduced me to them. :-)

I will have to see if the budget will stretch to this book, as it looks perfectly fascinating. And it would be neat to get to read more of your writing about music, since I always learn something new and intriguing.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

I have to warn you that only two or three of the articles are actually about music. Most of them are about poetic rhythm, prosody, and bardic echoes in Tolkien's verse, things like that. Makes the book's subtitle a little misleading. They're good essays, though.

[anderyn.livejournal.com]

I've just requested it through ILL. $35 is a bit rich for my blood, if I'm not going to enjoy a lot of the essays.... but thank goodness for libraries.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Much the best solution, if you have access to one. We have a stunningly good ILL system out here, and I use it constantly.

[ron-drummond.livejournal.com]

I bet you wrote a terrific essay, quite probably the best survey of that particular topic in Tolkien studies ever written, and, though I am not a Tolkienista (sorry), I kind of hope I have a chance to read it some day.

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

The only one, actually: certainly the only one either up to that time or in that book, even though it's supposed to be on Tolkien and music. It discusses some composers you'll know (Weber, Wagner, Sibelius, Elgar, Sallinen, even a passing mention of Musgrave), so you might find it illuminating.