The series Rings of Power has finished airing all episodes on Prime Video, and along with fan scrutiny, the music is ready to stand out in its own right.
While the opening theme is crafted by the legendary Howard Shore, who scored Peter Jackson’s film trilogy two decades ago and gave the franchise its most recognizable motif, the Amazon series draws on a broader musical lineage. The soundtrack from Bear McCreary, a composer known for scores to Battlestar Galactica, Black Sails, Outlander, and The Walking Dead, brings a distinct musical prestige to every frame.
The show rolled out a clear commercial strategy from the start: each episode offers fans a companion album that collects musical cues tied to the hour’s events. By season’s end, a comprehensive recap soundtrack that spans eight episodes was released, allowing Tolkien enthusiasts and music lovers to immerse themselves for eight hours of themed material.
McCreary himself shared in several posts on his website about the soundtrack creation, from the commissioning process to its global release. He promised more behind the scenes stories and curiosities from the production as it continued to unfold.
Here are five of the most compelling anecdotes McCreary highlighted about the musical production:
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After receiving the assignment, the composer could not discuss the project with family or friends due to strict confidentiality. Only his wife knew the details. She recalls that even at home he avoided saying the words Lord of the Rings aloud to prevent their daughter from repeating them at school. Meals became coded conversations about the work.
Initial discussions began late in 2020, and the composer joined the project in the summer of 2021. He remained based in Los Angeles while the rest of the crew filmed in New Zealand.
17 musical themes
A television series can feature many musical threads, and Rings of Power includes a rich set. McCreary noted that the show carries 17 themes. While reviewing scripts and collaborating with the showrunners, he identified the essential motifs and crafted character themes for Galadriel, Elrond, Sauron, Nori, the Stranger, Durin IV, Bronwyn, Arondir, Halbrand, Isildur, Adar, and the Orcs and Mystics. He also developed distinct themes for places such as Valinor, Khazad-Dum, Númenor, and the Harfoots. A separate theme anchors the Rings of Power itself.
Human thigh bone?
The composer separated the cultures of the series through instrumentation. Númenórean themes draw on eastern European and Asia Minor influences, including duduk and traditional Turkish strings. The Harfoots feature Celtic instruments like Irish and Scottish bagpipes. Orcs, creatures, and mystics lean into a darker palette, with sounds that evoke bone and horn. The Stranger’s arc explores Balinese gamelan textures.
And the record came
For each segment, sessions spanned roughly four days of full orchestra recording in London at famed studios such as AIR or Abbey Road. Additional days covered choir and boy choirs at Synchron Stage in Vienna, with soloists tracked in cities like Los Angeles, New York, Oslo, and Stockholm over a seven day window. Various logistical challenges followed, including pandemic restrictions that forced staggered sessions among sections of the orchestra.
The orchestral schedule sometimes meant players did not know they were contributing to the Rings of Power project until a later moment, complicating timing but preserving the musical vision.
Tolken languages
Choir weight and language choice play a crucial role in the soundtrack. Themes are crafted in Tolkien’s invented languages: Sindarin and Quenya for the Elves, Khuzdûl for the Dwarves, Adûnaic for Númenor, and the Black Tongue for Orcs and Sauron. McCreary explains that he sought to use real words imagined by Tolkien whenever possible while adapting them to the musical setting. A pronunciation coach helped shape the delivery of the vocal lines for choirs and soloists alike.
A secondary concern was the sonic texture. The team leaned on a controlled vocal approach, aided by a slow pronunciation track delivered by a dialect coach to ensure consistency across performances.