Music of Middle-earth

The music of Middle-earth consists of the music mentioned by J. R. R. Tolkien in his Middle-earth books, the music written by other artists to accompany performances of his work, whether individual songs or adaptations of his books for theatre, film, radio, and games, and music more generally inspired by his books.

Music is at the heart of the Ainulindalë ("The Music of the Ainur"), the creation myth that begins The Silmarillion. Music and singing are mentioned also in the many songs embedded in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, especially in the accounts of places such as Rivendell. Scholars have noted that while readers often skip Tolkien's poetry and songs at a first reading, these in fact are highly relevant and give insight into the meaning of his books.

Amongst dramatic adaptations, Stephen Oliver contributed an extensive and diverse suite of instrumental music and song-settings for the BBC Radio Lord of the Rings adaptation in 1981, while Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy is accompanied by Howard Shore's long, varied, and prizewinning score. The Danish symphonic folk group Tolkien Ensemble has set all the songs in The Lord of the Rings to music. Further popular and classical musicians have been inspired to compose music by Tolkien's writings.