So I am reading this book by E R Eddison, a fantasy novel that predates The Lord of the Rings (and before all of those shitty Tolkien imitators entered the fray) and I must say, it's a pretty inspiring book. It's often written in Middle English, like instead of King Gorice it says Kynge Goryce, and mostly it's written in Jacobean English. The characters are larger than life, and the villains are some of the greatest and most magnificent bastards I have ever encountered in fantasy fiction. If a fantasy fan wants to see what fantasy was like before Tolkien came around to have every half-wit copy him, I'd definitely recommend reading The Worm Ouroboros. It is, in short, a rewarding experience.
But more than that, the book has inspired me as well. Adventure and all that, you see.
So I am going to work on a collection of orchestral songs to be compiled into an EP, with all music based on the characters and locales of this excellent novel.
I tell this so any literati out there might know, as well as a reminder to myself... Here is my planned tracklist:
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1. Many-Mountained Demonland:
an opening fanfare, perfect for proclaiming the glory and greatness of the main characters (who spend a good portion of the book doing just that)
2. The Red Foliot:
A short string quartet, mainly a slow piece, that gives the first hints of the dastardly Lord Gro's Lietmotif.
3. The Lords of Witchland:
An abrasive march that fits perfectly for the utter scoundrels that are the dukes Corsus, Corund, Corinius, and Laxus. Also contains the lietmotif of Gorice the XII., the heartless king of Witchland.
4. Lord Gro:
For the man dedicated to the nobility of failure, I was thinking of something of a shortish piano sonata, in the Second Viennese style (probably drawing on Berg more than anyone else). I have high hopes for this one.
5. Impland; Koshtra Pivarcha:
For the primal, lawless, and wild Impland, I think I'll take a bit of a jungle approach... with appropriate instrumentation and rhythm. When the Lords of Demonland reach the impossibly high mountain of Koshtra Pivarcha, the song ascends to dizzying heights, losing all sense of time and place.
6. Krothering and Lady Mevrian:
Gotta support the ladies, now, don't I? This song will also contain subtle hints of Lord Gro's theme as well. Mainly a work of wind and strings.
7. The Last Conjuring in Carce:
Things come to a head in this climactic and monumental clash at the great fortress of Gorice in Carce, as the Demons, through many trials and tribulations, finally turn back the tide of Gorice's armies to the very heart of Witchland itself. A cornered king does something rash, and desperation fills the air.
8. The Worm Ouroboros, A Suite:
This song, dedicated to the great and terrible endless worm, will contain ideas and motifs from all the previous songs. It ends as it began, for truly, the Worm Ouroboros eateth its own tale, and thus it hath no beginning nor end.
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This, like all my other albums, will be posted on my Last.fm page, linked here. Visit that page for a listing of all my albums released thus far (all free for download!), as well as tracks there that were not uploaded to newgrounds.
![Plans for a new EP... "The Worm Ouroboros"]()
