The compositional style that Paul Corfield Godfrey used to create his sound world for The Silmarillion utilises a similar approach to that of Richard Wagner in his Ring cycle: a series of themes (or leitmotifs) that are attached to either particular characters, places, events or even

emotions.

 

On the specific pages for each work on this website Paul has done a full analysis of these themes and their names, but we thought that a companion article should be written for this website that not only itemises these themes but accompanies them with an isolated audio sample and a very brief explanation of their significance to the wider world of Middle Earth.

 

We have maintained Paul’s numbering and naming of these themes, which is chronological through the works from the theme’s first appearance.  This listing is classifed by the work of its first occurrence but that certainly does not mean that the theme is limited only to that work.  Themes first heard in Fëanor are consistent all the way through to the end of  The Lord of the Rings .