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The Lay of Beowulf, Op. 3 Words by . Tolkien Music by Tristan McD. van Tine To the memory of . Tolkien, who gave us these and so many other fine words. To his son, Christopher Tolkien, who has worked hard to share these words with us. To my parents, who taught me to love Tolkien’s words. In 2014, Christopher Tolkien published Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, which includes . Tolkien’s translation of Beowulf and a handful of other Beowulf-related treasures. Several months ago, I eagerly opened my copy. I read Christopher Tolkien’s preface, which ends with his description of The Lay of Beowulf, a poem . Tolkien wrote in the 1920s or 1930s. Christopher Tolkien wrote: “His singing of the Lay remains for me a clear memory after more than eighty years, my first acquaintance with Beowulf and the golden hall of Heorot.” That story intrigued me, so I flipped to the back of the book to read the Lay. Christopher Tolkien’s introduction reiterates that it is “intended to be sung”; thus, as I read it, I semi-consciously worked on a melody. By the end of the poem, I had a clear melody in my mind. I scrambled out of bed, grabbed some manuscript paper, and scribbled down the notes. Over the next few weeks, I wrote the piano accompaniment and made recordings. The music is written in Dorian mode, which gives it a medieval sound and a stark mood. The melody is repetitive, which I feel is appropriate for the fatalistic Lay. The piano accompaniment, however, varies from verse to verse, and serves two purposes: first, to give the suggestion of a minstrel’s harp, and second, to paint the words and mood of the poem. Thus the accompaniment frequently uses simple, arpeggiated chords. After the line “the twanging harps of Heorot,” the piano starts playing rolled chords, evoking the twanging harps. During the verse beginning with “merry the mead men quaffed at the board,” the piano gives the impression of many harps filling the mead hall with celebration. The piano, especially in the early and late verses, repeats a rhythmic pattern meant to bring to mind the waters Beowulf sails over, but which also suggests Grendel striding over the moors. During the battle verse, the piano suggests Beowulf’s sleeping, Grendel’s creeping, and the climactic struggle; during the next verse, the piano gives the impression of the combatants addressing each other, first adopting the attitude of Grendel delivering his dying curse, and then adopting the attitude of the triumphant Beowulf giving his fatalistic response. In the final verse, the rolled chords of the harps are “hushed,” and the piano ends with the brooding inevitability of the waters’ rhythm. I hope that my attempt to set the Lay to music does justice to Tolkien’s words. Although this piece is not complicated, I am proud of it: I think the word painting is excellent and I think I captured the mood of Beowulf’s glory and doom. Premiered privately on November 28, 2014.
