HOWARD LESLIE SHORE
Born: October 18, 1946 in Toronto, Canada
By: Margaret Gordon
ABOUT HOWARD SHORE
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Doctorates from Berklee College of Music and York University.
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Shore is an Officier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la France
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He is the recipient of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Award in Canada
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He is the uncle of composer Ryan Shore
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Since 1979 Shore has composed all but one of David Cronenberg’s movies
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“preeminent film composer and one of the most hotly sought-after technicians in the
industry.”
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CAREER
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1969-1972:
Shore was a member of the Toronto-based
rock group Lighthouse
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He wrote music and lyrics
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Played the flute, saxophone, and
trumpet
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Did some singing
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Shore became the musical director for
“Saturday Night Live”
• Sirnim
1979:
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Shore was hired to write the score for the
small-budget movie called The Brood
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Hired by David Cronenberg
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Worked a lot together
Won a Genie (the Canadian Oscar)
for great score to Cronenberg’s
Dead Ringers
1993:
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Late 1970’s:
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1989:
Shore composed the music for Mrs.
Doubtfire
• Dinner Is Served
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2000:
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Chosen to be composer for The
Lord of the Rings trilogy
• The Fellowship of the Ring
• The Two Towers
• The Return of the King
CAREER CONT…..
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2003:
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Shore Conducted the New Zealand
Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in the
world premiere of The Lord of the Rings
Symphony
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Shore did the music for the movie A History
of Violence
The Fly opera premiere at the Théâtre du
Châtelet in Paris and at Los Angeles Opera
2010:
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Shore’s piano concerto Ruin and Memory
for Lang Lang was premiered with China
Philharmonic Orchestra
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Shore was the music conductor and
orchestrator for the movie Hugo
2012:
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Shore’s cello concerto Mythic
Gardens for Sophie Shao was
premiered with the American
Symphony Orchestra.
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Shore’s Fanfare for the Wanamaker
organ also premiered in
Philadelphia
2008:
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2005:
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There has been over 140
performances by worlds most
prestigious orchestras
2011:
Current:
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Shore is working on his second
opera
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Also the music for The Hobbit
“DINNER IS SERVED” –FROM MRS. DOUBTFIRE
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0:00o It starts out with just wind chimes and some
bells setting the mood
0:04o In comes the flute with the melody of the song
with the strings in the background on just one
note.
0:12o Now the strings start to play the same rhythm
and melody with the solo flute building with
more and more instruments as they go using a
crescendo into a cadence.
0:36o The Flute solo comes back in and the piano
imitates the melody for a while and then starts
playing with the melody. The strings in the
background are just changing between chords.
The harp is keeping the tempo by playing on
all beats. There is a lot of dynamic contrast.
1:08o Now the whole string section comes in with
the melody and repeats it once before the flute
comes back in. It starts to build it up in
dynamic.
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1:24o The flute comes back in with the main
melody. There is more strings playing
in the background adding to the
dynamics.
1:31o Now a clarinet solo comes in with a
more elongated version of the
beginning of the melody, then finishing
just like the flute did.
1:39o Now the piano comes in repeating what
the flute played closer to the beginning
of the song.
1:47o Then the harp comes in and the
orchestra starts to build in intensity
1:55o The strings and the piano have the
melody now for a short while until the
music fades away.
"THE THIEF“ –FROM HUGO
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0:00o
It starts out with very little instrumentation. Very
simple one note per beat. Then some strings come
in with some eighth notes moving the piece
forward. More and more keep adding on creating
dissonance and raising the dynamic level.
0:30o
The strings have a moving part keeping the feel of
the music going. The piano and string bass come in
with a few notes here and there with what seems
like a melody that is switched back and forth.
0:51o
The high strings come in with a high note then the
piano and accordion come in with the melody that
crescendos and is creating dissonance with the
strings that are in the background. The dissonance
chords that are being played are now conjunct by
the end of this phrase. The strings start playing
what feels like a heartbeat that is leading into the
next phrase.
1:12o
This is where the main theme is first introduced. It
is very simple and full of polyphony. It is in duple
compound meter. It feels in two with many parts
that keep it moving forward. Half way through the
high strings join in with the melody.
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1:58o Now there is a change in meter and it
changes to more of a minor key. The
meter is changed to a triple simple feel.
2:38o It goes back to the beginning with just
the piano and a few strings. Then the
accordion comes in with the melody.
3:19o Now it is just lots of dynamic changes
as the music moves along. There are
pan pipes playing the melody.
3:36o Now the intensity is really going with
the strings playing on every beat while
the tempo gets faster and faster and the
rest of the orchestra builds in numbers
and in dynamics. This whole part is
very dissonant. Even up until the very
end.
"MISTY MOUNTAINS“ –FROM THE HOBBIT
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0:00o Starts with everyone humming
very low and deep. This song is
homophonic; it has a minor feel to
it. There really isn’t a meter. It is
0:23o The next part of this song starts
with just one person singing the
melody and everyone else still
humming.
0:50o One more person comes in and
sings the melody.
1:00o This is the second part of the song.
More start to come in and sing the
melody. Half are singing the other
half are humming.
Words
Far over the misty mountains cold,
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away, ere break of day
To find our long forgotten gold
The pines were roaring on the heights,
The wind was moaning in the night,
The fire was red, it flaming spread,
The trees like torches blazed with light.
"CONCERNING HOBBITS“ -FROM THE LOTR THE
FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING
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0:00o
Starts out softly with the low woodwinds and
strings playing the on beats. It is very homophonic
at this point. Everyone playing the same notes in
the same octave.
0:05o
This is where the main theme for this song comes
in with a recorder. This melody is very conjunct
and has many grace notes to add a little more to it.
It feels smooth and doesn’t have any really big
jumps. This is also where there is some
counterpoint. There are a few melodic lines
playing behind the main theme. After the theme is
done playing the first time the low woodwinds and
strings play the same rhythm and notes they play at
the beginning to help move to the next part.
0:28o
The first violin comes in with a faster, shorter
version of the melody. It is more lively and upbeat.
At this point it is polyphonic.
0:43o
The whole orchestra comes in with an elongated
version of the theme.
0:54o
The violin comes back in bringing the phrase to a
cadence.
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1:04o The orchestra plays a slow melody to help
finish with the cadence.
1:18o The strings, guitar, and drums come in with a
great upbeat rhythm section that is moving the
song along yet lets you hear what is going on
behind the violin and flute when they come in.
1:36o The violin and flute come in with a very short
section with notes very short.
1:45o The whole orchestra comes back in and plays
the melody very elongated to contrast with
what the violin and flute just played.
1:55o The violin comes back in and plays the melody
like before. Upbeat, mixture of short and long.
2:15o The recorder comes back and repeats the main
theme for the song. Just as it was played
before. Bringing the song to a close.
"GOLLUM'S SONG“ -FROM THE LOTR THE TWO
TOWERS
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0:00o It first starts out with just a choir
introducing the theme and melody of
the song by humming it. It is very
quiet. The song is in a minor key. It
has lots of dissonance chords that
resolve themselves. There is some
dynamic contrast and it gets louder.
0:36o Is the first time you hear the theme
and melody of the song loud and
clear. It is in the orchestra. This is
where it really gets pretty loud.
1:14- Verse 1
o There is no harmony in the vocal
part. There is only one voice. It starts
out pretty quiet. But you hear the
orchestra resolving the chords and
providing the harmony.
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1:51- Chorus
o When you get to the chorus the
dynamic has gone up but it is almost
constantly changing. The orchestra is
still doing the same thing they do the
entire song. The singer however
continues to get louder and louder. The
orchestra helps.
2:28- Verse 2
o This verse starts out just like the first
one, quiet, with the orchestra providing
the harmony.
3:05- Chorus
o Same as the last one.
3:53o The end of the song. There is a lot of
repeating the same melody throughout
the entire song. The meter is the same
throughout the entire song, quadruple.
It is very polyphonic.
"THE RIDE OF THE ROHIRRIM“ -FROM LOTR THE
RETURN OF THE KING
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0:00o To start the song off we have the brass and a violin trading back and forth with the main
theme of the song. In the background we have the drums and the rest of the strings keeping
time. The meter is quadruple. The dissonance comes with a crescendo bringing a close to
that phrase.
0:45o Then you hear the theme again in the horn section. The volume is very quiet.
0:53o Then a new melody is introduced by a flute solo. It is monophonic the only thing playing.
1:12o The brass and strings come in very quiet with a more homophonic texture.
1:30o More instruments come in adding to the dynamic and making the texture more polyphonic.
1:41o The texture stays polyphonic and the chords written in give it a dissonance sound to it.
1:52o The dynamics are at a peak and it ends with a dissonance chord.
SOURCES
Pictures
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http://3.bp.blogspot.com/uLp1OEbLurk/T9iMIfrHHSI/AAAAAAAAGhE/wXkuYgULzEE/s1600/robi
n_williams_mrs_doubtfire.jpg (Mrs. Doubtfire)
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http://www.gameost.com/static/covers_soundtracks/1/4/14210_996124.jpg (Hugo)
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http://collider.com/wp-content/uploads/All-13-Dwarves-Peter-JacksonTHE-HOBBIT-AN-UNEXPECTED-JOURNEY.jpg (13 dwarves)
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http://userserveak.last.fm/serve/500/43300753/The+Lord+of+the+Rings+The+Fellows
hip+of+the+Ring+Howard+Shore+2001+The+Lord+of.png (the
fellowship)
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http://www.davidjonfuller.com/wpcontent/uploads/2012/08/TwoTowers.jpg (the two towers)
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http://img.maniadb.com/images/album/110/110919_cda_f.jpg (the
return of the king)
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http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jZXt5HvnrA/T1sa8xpka3I/AAAAAAAACKU/OeryMeMFG1I/s1600/hobbits+2.jp
g (hobbits)
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http://students.english.ilstu.edu/rwohara/creation/Gollum.jpg (gollum)
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http://www.tk421.net/lotr/film/rotk/img/rotk1542.jpg (rohirrim)
Songs
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6IAP1hGDaI (sirnim)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uthln0mvfSA (dead ringers)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW4QzNi3IZw (dinner is
served)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gW4QzNi3IZw (the fellowship
of the ring)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zi8CUdK3HY0 (the two
towers)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afY_Srf4xjk (the return of the
king)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfFQuhWaA_k (LOTR
symphony)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AbFLjx4H_sQ (a history of
violence)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KOSSLp3VLI (the fly)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CaalyEBRkOg (Hugo)
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDJPaSKVTXE (the hobbit)
SOURCES
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http://www.filmmusic.dk/index.php?side=howardshore
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http://www.howardshore.com/biography/
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http://musicreincarnation.wordpress.com/2012/02/20/howard-shore-the-music-of-the-lordof-the-rings-trilogy/
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http://www.howardshore.com/works/lotrsymphony/programnote.php
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http://www.hollywood.com/celebrity/1114900/Howard_Shore
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http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006290/