Reading books

Soundtrack: The Lord Of The Rings; The Return Of The King; Howard Shore, composer

I learned to read at home. It came very quickly after Mom showed me how it worked. If genius runs in the family, well, then, K. and D. learned how to read just as quickly if they didn’t learn how to read in the womb. Dick, Jane, Sally, Puff and Spot, though, didn’t have the comedic timing of Charlie Brown and Snoopy. I doubt that a Peanuts comic strip exists that I haven’t seen. They still crack me up.

Mom took us to the public library frequently enough. Our family's favorite book to borrow was “Morris The Moose Goes To School”. During the summer, I must have done some reading, though I don’t remember very many of the books that I read. Required reading to stay in the family came from the pen of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Dad’s family came from the DeSmet, SD, community and the last four of the “Little House” books take place in that town.

I dutifully read all that my teachers required of me while in school (except for Macbeth, which didn’t hold my attention). But for the most part, I had an awful lot of practicing to do. Even while in college, I read for information gathering purposes almost exclusively.

When I went to CCM for graduate school, I had, as you can imagine, a more music intensive curriculum. It came as a relief, now and then, to lose myself in some more recreational reading. I found a copy of the Sherlock Holmes stories at the university bookstore for five dollars. And during preparation for my oral examination, I took time out to read Tom Clancy’s “The Hunt For Red October.”

Before heading out to sea on the Golden Odyssey, someone gave me “The Phantom Of The Opera” and “Les Miserables”. I read “Patriot Games” while docked in Venice and during a couple of days at sea I read Jules Verne’s “A Journey To The Centere Of The Earth”.

During my tour of duty on the SS Oceanic in 1991, I waded my way through C.S. Lewis’ “The Chronicles Of Narnia”. Then somebody who had come to the end of his contract with the company gave me “The Hobbit” and all three books of “The Lord Of The Rings” by J. R. R. Tolkien.

I had heard that Peter Jackson had taken on the task of creating a film version of Mr. Tolkien's trilogy some three years before the first film, “The Fellowship Of The Ring”, made its way to the big screen. Jackson and his crew did virtually all filming in New Zealand. Having visited New Zealand six years before, my excitement for the release of this series of motion pictures reached a fevered pitch.

I consider Peter Jackson’s “The Lord Of The Rings” movies one of the most inspired accomplishments in all of cinematic history. Not only for its breadth and scope, but also its constant attention to detail and its first-rate performances by the actors, film artists and costume and set designers. Mr. Jackson, it seems to me, endeavored to apply quality film-making to a story already made perfect by its author. If he strayed anywhere from that perfection, he did so through his instinct of knowing which facets of the story should remain in the book and off of the screen.

My iPod doesn’t contain very many movie soundtracks. I have downloaded this not only because the film score won an Academy Award, but because I like its old-fashioned symphonic approach, a throwback to the great composers like Elmer Bernstein, Max Steiner, Maurice Jarre, Ennio Morricone, Franz Waxman and, of course, John Williams.

My favorite portion of this wonderful music by Howard Shore appears during the references to Hobbiton, the part of Middle-Earth where the Hobbits live. Hobbits live a pastoral lifestyle, working the earth, growing vegetables, socializing and eating, often seven times a day. I like these folk. I have often wondered whether Mr. Shore intended the first seven notes of his “Hobbit” theme to match, exactly, note for note, the first seven notes of the great pastoral hymn “This Is My Father’s World”. One of my favorite hymns.

This is my father’s world

And to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings

The music of the spheres

This is my father’s world

The birds their carols raise

The morning light, the lily white

Declare their maker’s praise

Credits: To our nation’s public library system, for providing the availability of not only books but information. For free. The very best of the history of humanity, accessible just right down the street. Thank you.