Howard Shore’s music for The Lord Of The Rings trilogy is inarguably Wagnerian in scope. Shore’s efforts to assign leitmotifs to characters, places, cultures, and objects has only served to magnify the impact of Peter Jackson’s beloved production’s of Tolkien’s imagination. Of particular interest is the leitmotif Shore composed for the ring. It is melodically hypnotic and harmonically haunting. It is both chillingly evil and tragically melancholy. Surprisingly, it is only heard a relatively small number of times throughout the trilogy and only in particular situations: when it exerts power (influence), when it acquires a new owner, and when it seeks to corrupt someone who desires it. Eric Rawlins, in his post entitled Ring, lists all the occurrences of the ring leitmotif in all three Lord Of The Rings films. Even more important, however, Shore’s ring leitmotif captures the profound and deeper qualities of yearning and melancholy. Shore himself said he “wanted to create a breathing effect, inhaling and exhaling, as if the ring were actually alive.” Shore does this brilliantly. Even more effective, however, is the way he captures the unfulfilled yearning of the ring to be with its Master once again. Gandalf himself said the ring "heard its Master’s call", and “it wants to be found." This is the essence of the ring leitmotif, which becomes more and more clear upon deeper analysis.
THE BREATHING EFFECT
Just two 4/4 measures in length, there is an equal amount of time for inhaling and exhaling. For inhaling, the music ascends (B to C). For exhaling, it descends (B to E). The minor 2nd and wavering pitches in the first measure are a slow and deep breath. The return to B in the second measure is followed by a descent to E, a perfect fifth below. This is a quick and sighing exhale. The ring is distraught at being apart from Sauron and comforts itself with deep and calming breaths.
The two measure leitmotif is usually stated twice. However, in the fourth measure, the descending perfect fifth is absent. Instead we hear a sustained whole note. This 4 measure pattern is repeated, this time transposed a minor 9th down. In the second measure, the descending perfect fifth is now a descending minor sixth. Like measure 4, measure 8 consists of one sustained whole note. The transposing down of the leitmotif indicates the heaviness of tremendous burden, a burden Frodo knew all too well.
Taken together, these eight measures show both the intense crying out and quiet depression of the ring. The supporting harmony plays an important role as well and is discussed later on.
THE HARMONY
By itself the leitmotif is lyrically haunting. The harmonies Shore chose to support it only intensify that effect. The harmony is very basic, consisting of two minor triads. The second of these triads moves a half-step lower from the position of the first.
When juxtaposed with the leitmotif we see that the first two notes also move by half-step, however, in the opposite direction from the harmony.
The effect creates tension as the two elements briefly pull in opposite directions. The Leitmotif loses, being pulled back in the downward direction of the harmony, signifying a heavy burden.
A closer look at the relationship between the leitmotif and the harmony reveals even more tension, specifically in the first beat of the first measure. We see B pitted against an F minor triad in second inversion. Each individual note in the harmony has an unsettling relationship with the B in the Leitmotif. The two outer notes (C and B) create a minor 7th. F and B create a tri-tone, and A flat and B create an augmented 2nd (minor 3rd). This chord shows that the ring is at odds with all of Middle-Earth.
The relationship is much different in the transposition of this passage, revealing a completely different mood. We see B flat pitted against an A flat minor triad in first inversion. The two outer notes (C flat and B flat) again create a minor 7th. E flat and B flat
create a perfect 5th. A flat and B flat create a major second. With the exception of the minor 7th, a less tense version of the Leitmotif is heard. There is a sadness in the music because the ring is apart from its Master.
SAURON’S LEITMOTIF
There is a striking similarity between the leitmotifs for the ring and for Sauron. Both are nearly identical to each other.
Both move by half-steps up and down, with their last notes moving in larger intervals downward. This is a purposeful choice on Shore’s part to show that, as Gandalf says, Sauron and the ring are one. In fact, Shore puts Sauron’s leitmotif inside the ring’s leitmotif. If we reduce the ring’s leitmotif to its essential four pitches, we can see that the notes removed are the four notes of Sauron’s leitmotif, just transposed down a major second. Also notice that the last note is raised (A natural instead A flat). Shore is telling us that Sauron is not complete without the one ring.
As much as the ring leitmotif is associated with its own action to exert power (influence), acquire a new owner, or corrupt someone who desires it, the dominant association is with the yearning of both the ring and Sauron to be reunited. The melodic hypnosis and haunting harmony have created both a chilling evil and a tragic melancholy. For only being heard on a relatively small number of occasions throughout the trilogy, we are never in doubt when the ring is the focus, whether subtly, or obvious.