Musical Influences in Middle Earth
When J.R.R. Tolkien created Middle Earth in his book The Hobbit, he was influenced by previous literary, musical works. Tolkien was a scholar of the epic Beowulf and used this tale to influence his famous story. He was also influenced by The Song of Nibelungs and other Norse and Germanic sagas. When Tolkien was a young man, before he started writing The Hobbit, Richard Wagner and his opera, The Ring of Nibelung, was very popular in Europe. There are many similarities between Wagner and Tolkien’s works, but Tolkien claims that “both rings were round, and there the resemblance ceases.” This presentation will be exploring the musical influences that Tolkien drew from to create his stories in Middle Earth, as well as look at the similarities between Wagner’s opera and Tolkien’s books.
MUS 321, Survey of Music History
Lynn Kane
Banquet Room, Poster #5
1 – 3 PM