Poems and Songs of Middle Earth

Poems and Songs of Middle Earth is an album of songs and spoken-word poetry by J. R. R. Tolkien and Donald Swann with vocals by William Elvin.[1][2][3] The songs and poems are taken from Tolkien's collection The Adventures of Tom Bombadil (1962) and The Lord of the Rings (1954-55). Tolkien recorded his parts on 15 June 1967[4] The album was released as a vinyl LP in 1967.[1][2][5]

Poems and Songs of Middle Earth
Studio album by
J. R. R. Tolkien and Donald Swann
Released1967
Recorded1967
GenreSpoken word, classical
LabelCaedmon Records
ProducerHoward Sackler (spoken word tracks); Donald Swann (musical tracks)

The illustration which appears on the sleeve's obverse was designed by Pauline Baynes.[2][5] Poet W. H. Auden contributed an introduction which was printed on the sleeve's reverse.[2]

As of 2019 the album is yet to be released on any other format.

Track listing

Side A and the first track of Side B are made up of poetry recited by Tolkien,[2] while the remainder of Side B is a song-cycle sung by William Elvin;[2] the songs are poems by Tolkien set to piano by Donald Swann.[1]

All lyrics are written by J. R. R. Tolkien; all music is composed by Donald Swann, except where noted.

Side A
No.TitleLength
1."The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" (poem read by J. R. R. Tolkien)4:00
2."The Mewlips" (poem read by J. R. R. Tolkien)1:21
3."The Hoard" (poem read by J. R. R. Tolkien)3:25
4."Perry-the-Winkle" (poem read by J. R. R. Tolkien)4:26
5."The Man in the Moon Came Down Too Soon" (poem read by J. R. R. Tolkien)5:16
6."The Sea-Bell" (poem read by J. R. R. Tolkien)5:25
Side B
No.TitleMusicLength
1."A Elbereth Gilthoniel" (poem read by J. R. R. Tolkien in the Sindarin language) 0:14
2."The Road Goes Ever On" (piano – Donald Swann; vocals – William Elvin) 1:00
3."Upon the Hearth the Fire Is Red" (piano – Donald Swann; vocals – William Elvin) 1:35
4."In the Willow-Meads of Tasarinan" (piano – Donald Swann; vocals – William Elvin) 2:35
5."In Western Lands" (piano – Donald Swann; vocals – William Elvin) 2:15
6."Namárië" (piano – Donald Swann; vocals – William Elvin in the Quenya language)Swann, Tolkien1:25
7."I Sit Beside the Fire" (piano – Donald Swann; vocals – William Elvin) 3:38
8."Errantry" (piano – Donald Swann; vocals – William Elvin) 3:43

Personnel
  • J. R. R. Tolkien: spoken-word
  • Donald Swann: piano
  • William Elvin: vocals

The poems and songs

The poems and songs featured in The Lord of the Rings as follows:[6]

  • "A Elbereth Gilthoniel" – The Fellowship of the Ring, chapter "Many Meetings".
  • "The Road Goes Ever On" – The Fellowship of the Ring, chapter "A Long-expected Party"
  • "Upon the Hearth the Fire Is Red" – The Fellowship of the Ring, chapter "Three Is Company"
  • "The Willow-Meads of Tasarinan" – The Two Towers, chapter "Treebeard"
  • "In Western Lands" – The Return of the King, chapter "The Tower of Cirith Ungol"
  • "Namárië" – The Fellowship of the Ring, chapter "Farewell to Lórien"
  • "I Sit Beside the Fire" – The Fellowship of the Ring, chapters "The Ring Goes South" and "Many Meetings"

References
  1. Jones, Josh (10 September 2012). "Listen to J.R.R. Tolkien Read Poems from The Fellowship of the Ring, in Elvish and English (1952)". Open Culture. Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  2. "J.R.R. Tolkien – Poems And Songs Of Middle Earth". Retrieved 7 August 2019.
  3. S., J. R. (1968). "Recordings from Caedmon. The Comedy of Errors. King Richard III. Idylls of the King. Poems and Songs of Middle Earth. The Last of the Mohicans". The English Journal. 57 (3): 437–439. doi:10.2307/812256. JSTOR 812256.
  4. Hammond, Wayne. G; Scull, Christina (6 October 2006). The J.R.R. Tolkien Companion and Guide. II: Reader's Guide. HarperCollins. p. 823.
  5. "Artwork for J. R. R. Tolkien". Retrieved 7 August 2019. The cover and a close up of Pauline's art for the album Poems and Songs of Middle Earth, released by Caedmon in 1967.
  6. Tolkien, J. R. R. (20 October 1955). The Lord of the Rings. HarperCollins. pp. 27–1198. ISBN 978-0-261-10238-5.
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