Concerning Hobbits
"Concerning Hobbits" is an acclaimed piece by composer Howard Shore for The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring soundtrack. It contains the main themes for the Shire and the Hobbits, and is intended to evoke feelings of peace. It is also the title of one of the sections of the prologue to The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. The piece can also be heard briefly during a scene in the 2012 film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.
Although the tin whistle and violin both have solos and have the main melodies throughout the piece, it is also noted for Shore's distinctive use of the bodhrán to create a heartbeat-like sound.
One of the chief tracks of the entire trilogy, it is also one of the happiest tracks, with others invoking feelings of pain, adventure, or evil. It is often associated with one of these themes:
- Pensive Setting: Often played in solo whistle or pan flute.
- Rural Setting: This setting plays as a jaunty, Celtic-influenced peasant melody on a solo violin. It represents the hobbits' gently whimsical life in Hobbiton.
- Hymn Setting: This rendition grieves the hobbits' loss of innocence as it celebrates their resolve in the face of adversity.
- A Hobbit's Understanding: This setting presents the Shire theme in its most florid guise. Even though it represents the hobbits at their most profound and complex, it remains tender and affectionate.
- Playful Setting
- Lullaby Setting
- Hobbit Accompaniments:
- Hobbit Outline Figure: This simple figure, often heard in the cellos and double basses, is used as an expectation of things to come. It is heard quite a bit in the early Shire scenes, portraying the hobbits' playful sides.
- Hobbit Two Step Figure: This short figure appears frequently during the introduction of the Shire, and it often concludes with the End Cap figure.
- Hobbit Skip Beat: This ostinato figure is heard throughout the Shire material, usually as an accompaniment, but sometimes more prominently.
- Hobbit End Cap: A graceful rim-shot that plays to the good-humored hobbit lifestyle.
- Hobbits' Antics