"Tonality, Atonality and the Ainulindalë", Reuven Naveh

[Estelyn Telcontar]

This is one of my favourite chapters in the book, written from a musician's point of view. Naveh compares the structure of music with the narrative structure of the story, showing how the creation myth is set up like the sonata form in music. (For those who don't remember or didn't have to learn it, there is a basic explanation of the structure of sonata form.)

As a pianist, I know sonata form very well and found it fascinating to see the Ainulindalë as a musical structure. The themes of Ilúvatar, the Valar, and the dissonance of Melkor fit into the pattern surprisingly well. Exposition and development are plain to see, and the explanation for the missing of a recapitulation is very logical. Creation and resolution of tension, stable and unstable elements are all present in the narrative.

I don't know if Tolkien set up the tale in this form on purpose or if the similarities are on an instinctive, archetypal level. Since he was knowledgeable in many areas, though not a musician himself, there is really no way for us to say.

I will address other aspects of this chapter later on and hope that those of you who are reading the book will join in. For now, I would like to pass on an excellent quote that touches upon an area we are discussing in the "Speculative History" thread:

Originally Posted by Reuven Naveh

We do not and cannot know what the music sung by the Ainur sounds like. According to the Silmarillion, the Valar garbed themselves in bodies only when they came to Arda, and even these bodies do not represent their essence. The music of the Ainur is clearly supposed to be abstract, celestial music played in the Void and intended for Ilúvatar's ears; thus it certainly does not resemble any music known to humanity today or in any previous era.