70 pages of sheet music; vocal score (voice parts with piano accompaniment).
Soft cover.
Illustrated with an original watercolour and ten colour photographs

These fourteen songs set words from 'The Lord of the Rings', 'The Hobbit', and 'The Silmarillion' by J.R.R Tolkien. The vocal parts are tuneful and not technically demanding, so can be used by choirs of all ages and abilities. They provide opportunities for both solo work and duets, as well as for singing as part of a group.

The piano parts are for the most part not technically demanding, so provide scope for a child learning the piano to accompany a choir.

In a number of the songs the tune is incorporated into the piano accompaniment for all or part of the song, so they could also be used as solo piano pieces for those with a particular interest in Tolkien.

The collection of songs is illustrated by an original watercolour and ten colour photographs.

Videos relating to four of the songs (‘The Fall of Gil-galad’, ‘Gandalf’s Song of Lorien’, ‘Galadriel’s Song of Eldamar’ and ‘The Old Walking Song’), can be seen on YouTube here:
www.youtube.com/channel/UC2mXgWpyvYDc9RJ5j0tzf2Q?view_as=subscriber

Contents:
Prologue: ‘Farewell we call to hearth and hall’
1. The Fall of Gil-Galad
2. Beren's Song of Parting
3. The Riddle Song
4. Bilbo's Song
5. Elven Hymn to Elbereth Gilthoniel
6. Bilbo's Song in The Hobbit
7. Gandalf’s Song of Lórien
8. Sam's Song in the Orc-Tower
9. The Ent and the Ent-wife
10. The Ents' Marching Song
11. Bregalad's Lament for the Rowans
12. Galadriel’s Song of Eldamar
Envoi: ‘The Road Goes Ever On and On

‘For those who only know Tolkien via the recent blood-and-thunder films, this song-cycle by Charles McCreery will give a very different angle on the classic saga. Here we find a gentle and ethereal world, where rhythms lilt and words echo. The twelve songs, suitable for choir, evoke a dreamy, water-colour landscape with no harsh sounds, the tunes are singable and in a traditional style that Tolkien would surely have approved. The opening song, The Fall of Gil-Galad, is calm, unruffled and dreamy; the Riddle Song has an Elizabethan lilt to it, while the following Bilbo's Song has bold modulations and is just right for the words. Elven Hymn has a solid, rich quality - it is perhaps the best in the cycle. Number Ten, Ent's Marching Song, is written in 6/8. This would have pleased Schumann who once wrote a march in 3/4! It is a catchy and enjoyable tune. Galadriel's Song of Eldamar brings back some of the motifs from earlier songs and rounds off the cycle.’ - Dr Julia Gasper, LGSM

’Charles McCreerys beautifully melodic, intricately textured compositions are infused with classical, romantic and folk idioms.’ Samantha Gillogly, violinist