7/28/01 - Latest News

The Man behind the Music of Middle Earth (Online)
DarthCaeser @ 8:29 pm EST

"Three new games were announced at E3 2001 based on J.R.R Tolkien's classic works: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Hobbit, and Lord of the Rings Online. Chance Thomas scored the movie introducing the games, and HUGEsound Network member Tim Larkin designed the sound effects. The score includes a live symphony orchestra and features a Gemshorn, Bodhran, and Penny Whistle. The Gemshorn is a type of Medieval flute made from the horn of an ox, which resonates with a hauntingly delicate voice, often compared to a blend of ocarina and recorder. The Bodhran is a Celtic drum made by stretching the skin of a greyhound or goat over a wooden shell, typically 18" in diameter. The Gaelic word "bodhran" is often translated as "thunderous" or "deafening". The Penny Whistle is a small, high pitched Tin Whistle used extensively in Celtic, Spanish, and French folk and dance music."

Chance Thomas also did music for Middle-earth Online, and was recently featured on Gamasutra, where you can find an mp3 from MEO: From the lost annals of Middle-Earth, a game that simply wasn't meant to be. Beginning with the actual voice of J.R.R. Tolkien, here is a brief musical tour that takes you "there and back again". Download the mp3 here.