Abstract
The music of Gondor is one of the more elusive musical traditions in Middle-earth, described only briefly throughout the text of The Lord of the Rings, and thus often neglected in scholarship on music in the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. However, an ethnomusicological line of inquiry brings to the fore questions of performance, perception, and meaning that contribute to our interpretations of the many levels of symbolic transformation seen in Gondor at the beginning of the Fourth Age. The evidence of both musical activity and silence in Gondor mirrors conclusions that have been documented in real-world ethnomusicological studies in conflict zones, and further supports scholarship on the role of healing and renewal in Tolkien’s articulation of Aragorn’s divine kingship.
Recommended Citation
Fuller-Shafer, Kelsey A.
(2024)
"“And the people sang in all the ways of the City:” A Speculative Ethnomusicology of Gondor,"
Journal of Tolkien Research: Vol. 19:
Iss.
1, Article 12.
Available at:
https://scholar.valpo.edu/journaloftolkienresearch/vol19/iss1/12