2015 0104

Sowash: "Song of Samwise," the scherzo in my Trio con Brio for clarinet, violin and cello.

Yesterday, January 3, was the birthday of J.R.R. Tolkien, bless his soul.

When my son Chapman was seven years old I read The Lord of the Rings to him, all 1500 pages.  I knew it would be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for both of us.  We took our time, stopping frequently to discuss, analyze and clarify; that particular read-aloud adventure went on seven months.  

Chappy insisted that I read precisely what was on the page.  When I tried to simplify the language for him he sensed it instantly and stopped me.  "No!" he would say.  "Read exactly what it says."  

He was deeply engaged by the story, intent on every word. strongly committed to every character.  When Gandalf was brought down by the Balrog, Chappy burst into tears.  He was inconsolable.  He sobbed so hard that we couldn't continue reading.  I wasn't sure how to handle this.  

Finally, I told him, "Gandalf the Gray is gone and we'll never see him again  ....  but .... there is also Gandalf the White."  I will always remember the smile of pure joy that suddenly shone on his little face, tears still streaming down his cheeks.  "You mean he comes back?" he asked.  I nodded.  He yelped with glee and pointed to the book.  "Keep on reading!" he cried and we did. 

The book features the words of many songs, sung by various characters.  When we came to those, I always sang them as best I could, improvising what I thought would be appropriate tunes.  Some of these later grew into compositions.

In the "Flight to the Ford" chapter of The Fellowship of the Ring, (Volume One of The Lord of the Rings), the hobbits find themselves in want of  "a song or a tale."  Samwise Gamgee, Frodo's loyal companion, rises to the occasion.  "Standing up, with his hands behind his back, as if he was at school, he began to sing to an old tune."

I wondered what that "old tune" would sound like.  The words have the rhythm of a jig so I invented a little jig-tune for them.  I like to think that my tune has a hobbit-like character and would be welcomed by the inhabitants of the Shire should they  need some good, simple, hearty music for dancing at a birthday celebration or for singing over their pints at The Green Dragon in Bywater.

Later I expanded the tune into "Song of Samwise," the scherzo in my Trio con Brio for clarinet, violin and cello.  

To hear it exuberantly performed by clarinetist Michele Gingras, violinist Kris Frankenfeld and cellist Ellen Shertzer, click here:

http://www.sowash.com/recordings/mp3/samwise.mp3

To see a PDF of the score, click here: 

http://www.sowash.com/recordings/mp3/samwise.pdf

I'd love to know what you think about this music; feel free to reply if you're inclined.  But please don't feel that you are expected to reply.  I'm just glad to share my work with people who are interested.

As always, you may forward this message to friends who might enjoy it.  Do you have a friend who plays the clarinet?  or who loves The Lord of the Rings as much as I do?  They might enjoy receiving this email and discovering this music.

Anyone can be on the list of recipients for these mpFrees (as I call these music emails).  To sign up, people can email me at rick@sowash.com, sending just one word:  "Yes."