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I think I first read J. R. R. Tolkien’s “The Fellowship of the Ring” in the fall of 1974.  I remember that at first glance I found the book a bit too “fairy story” for my macho adolescent tastes.  But then I got hooked by the chapter “The Shadow of the Past” and there was no turning back.

 

Something was going on here. There was a profoundly powerful alternative reality alive in these books.

 

How did he do that?

 

Over the next several years I read the three volumes of The Lord of the Rings (as well as “the Hobbit”) several times. There was a period in my twenties where I started them every September.

 

I remember Sam Gamgee showing up to walk with me one day

when I was out hiking along a country fence line.

 

Of course, once I became a father I had to share The Lord of the Rings with my girls.  At first I just read scenes.  I remember visiting Rivendell with my eldest daughter when she was five years old.

 

Later on I read the whole story aloud to them as an extended bedtime story.  When I came to the verse passages, just reading the poetry and songs felt unsatisfactory. The songs really wanted to sing - so I sang them.  I’m an improvisor, and my kids weren’t picky.  And whenever a song or a poem came up, I just went ahead and pressed Record on my growly old cassette deck and made up a melody on the fly. 

 

Some significant percentage of the time I think I really nailed them.  I know I repeated this recording routine through at least one and perhaps two passes through the books, including the Hobbit.

 

(“Tra la la lalley – we’re LOUD in the valley” joked my youngest darling daughter.)

 

I’ve been meaning to share these settings for some time now.  I love many things about Peter Jackson’s “Lord of the Rings” and “Hobbit” films – he got lots of stuff right, and they are probably as good as we had any right to hope for at this time in history. 

 

However, for the most part he skipped the songs. 

 

Eventually, of course, the pictures will be redone. I’m thinking whoever does them next will need some melodies...