So in preparation for a long stint doing a massive load of TOR art I'm loading up on reference material, and just as importantly, music to keep refilling my well of inspiration so to speak.

A couple of things I got just yesterday that I enjoyed very much and thought I'd reccomend are:

Juniorsolistene - Nordic Folk Songs. Took a punt on this one on iTunes and really like it. It's orchestral and epic, but has a certain.. Northern sadness in it. A sampler of all three tracks is here on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qijXvJuJxTQ

Ruth MacKenzie - Kalevala: Dream of the Salmon Maiden is nuts, edges a little into the excesses of "world folk! omg bagpipes meets tablas meets didgeridoos it's the global tribe!" but is brilliant none the less. Check out the opening track on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgzC_oZLzg4

So what are your recommendations for suitably themed music? I know a great many people don't like music at the gaming table and fair enough. But a great many do, and I need it to paint to!

The Lonely Mountain Band and obviously the film soundtracks

Based on this, some bits of Grieg might float your boat.
Obviously (IMO) the piano stuff is out, as is anything as well known as "Morning" or "In the Hall of the Mountain King". But you could try these two:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AB4m885sTeE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR3N1yBEGbw

A lot of Grieg is based around Norwegian folk music.

Thank you, thank you for this thread Jon! I can see playing both of those discs at my gaming sessions. I am not as big on the Kalevala pieces because their use of lyrics which I think can be a distraction, though if in a language unfamiliar to the players it can tend to reinforce the feeling of immersion in 'another world' which is great.

I hope to find out about more suggestions through this thread and am eagerly awaiting them to have a listen.

Thanks guys.

Luke

Yes, thank you for this thread. Music is an essential part of my campaigns. Apart from the "usual" stuff (Dead can dance, Lisa Gerrard, Brendan Perry, Enya, Soundtracks...) I have two recommendations which are not so well known: Denez Prigent and Estampie.

Edit: after checking your links (and buying the music) I recognised that you are more into classical music. Do you like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeZDg4CXs1Y...be_gdata_player
The whole album is great.

Anything by Hedningarna should be good IMO.

Then of course we have Clannad for those of us who like the Enya sound but still don't like to admit it.... ;-)

I'm also a sucker for Cocteau Twins... that ought to work.

My Favourite "atmosphear" [sic] builders of all time though are Laibach's - Macbeth... (Put that on high volume when the orcs come marching in... it ought to sare the crap out of anyone. :-) ) and SPK's - Zamina Lehmanni... and SPK's - Inflagrante Delicto.

/wolf

And before anyone asks, the first Four Links are Spotify links.

/wolf

You know, it's funny I couldn't really claim to be into classical music, so much as I was given some itunes loot for my birthday, and went looking for some Nordic folk. And stumbled across the Juniorsolistene recordings and liked them enough to buy 'em. But it's definitely something I'm getting more and more into, so I will be absolutely checking out your links there - thanks for those!.

Some great stuff in the thread! Thank you. Keep going.

Man alive I have Cocteau Twins albums... somewhere. Must dig them out.

I have a soft spot for Joculatores Upsalienses since they come from my home town and one of the members was my Physics Teacher in Highschool.... damn that was a long time ago. Any way... they seem to have quite a few clips on YouTube so google it!

/wolf

I like it a lot. And it's really helpful that "early music" as a term comes up a lot when I google Joculatores Upsalienses. It's those kind of terms that will really help me find some of the sounds I'm looking for!

Uppsala eh? I've only ever made it as far as Stockholm, but I have a friend there, so one day I really must visit.

Yeah they are doing interpretations on actual existing songs from c. 1200 AD (La quinte estampie reale ) and forward c. 1300 (Saltarello), I think up until late 1500 AD. Then of course there's a bunch of material that we really can't say when it is from because we don't know.

Songs are also original in as much as can be managed they find people to sing in Latin, Spanish, German etc. Instruments are also authentic as much as possible... so no electronica there. :-)

Moved from Uppsala when I was 21, currently live in Gothenburg.

/wolf

Another Gem for this kind of sound from my current abode is "Gravrost".

A friend of mine plays in that constellation... their site is in Swedish but if you just click the links HERE you should be able to download a few "samplers" in mp3-format.

ADDED: Hmmm... apparently only the first file is still available for download.

/wolf

Gravrost - Scribe Proposui

Gravrost - In Stadio Labora

Gravrost - Intaverna

There you go. :-)

/wolf

If you like the "Nordic" sound, I'll second Hedningarna. More like the Mackenzie Kalevela than the Juniorsolistene (In fact, I think I recognized one of the singers from one of my other favorite Nordic Roots Bands, Vartinna, on the Kalevela album)

Amazon link for hedningarna:

http://www.amazon.com/Hedningarna/dp/B0000...I/ref=pd_sim_m3

and Vartinna:

http://www.amazon.com/Iki-Varttina/dp/B000...Q/ref=pd_sim_m4

Both are lyrical, but as long as your players don't speak Swedish, Finnish, or Saami, they should not be too distracting. That said, I like these for inspiration, and prefer more ambient or soundtrack stuff during actual game sessions.

John

Talking about northern myths, I find Wagner simply perfect:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugtPOfnbv9M

This is Siegfried' funeral march, and it really conveys the greatness and the underlying sadness of Middle Earth's tragical history.

I know the Soundtracks are an obvious suggestion, but I have recently been enjoying the Complete Recordings which are box sets with the 4 hours of music for each film on 4CDs or 1DVD. It has pieces of great music not on the regular CDs.

Try some David Arkenstone and Glass Hammer

Glass Hammer has a Middle Earth CD (I don't remeber the name off hand) with some unique sounds using native instruments like hammer dulcimers, drums flutes and fiddles.

One I find especially enjoyable is called "Dwarf and Orc" I think on "The Middle Earth Album", recorded at the Inn of the Prancing Pony lol


David Arkenstone has "Music Inspired by Middle Earth" though I think it may be out of print now.
But he has several "Celtic" stylized CD available with some great gaming music.

And for those of you who like obscure Metal sounds in a slightly relate genre there is always:

Trollhammaren

/wolf

Great Nodic stuff, that totally works. Here's a couple more suggestions:

There's this great track by Azam Ali Azam Ali - Sackpipslät

Trad. Celtic stuff:
Lúnasa
Silly Wizard

Bo Hansson "Lord of the Rings" is pretty good, don't know the follow-up "Magician's Hat" though.

Jan Garbarek and Agnes Buen Garnas "Rosenfole - Medieval Songs from Norway"

Blowzabella for hurdy-gurdy and similar, "Wall of Sound", "Bobbityshooty", "A Richer Dust", etc

Luar na Lubre - Galician Celtic band "Plenilunio" and lots of other albums

Alain Stivell - "Renaissance of the Celtic Harp" and "Tir Na Nog"

Incredible String Band - some off the wall stuff might suit.g "The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter"

Nice russian harpist with several Tolkien inspired songs.
http://www.alizbar-harp.com/main(en).php

Hunt for Gollum fanfilm soundtrack
http://www.thehuntforgollum.com/soundtrack.htm

Born of Hope fanfilm soundtrack (Especially the Wedding music)
http://www.bornofhope.com/Soundtrack.html

I'm really glad I asked this question, and I'm working my way through a bunch of the suggestions.

This has actually informed some of my thinking too. As I was looking at the playlist I've made I was struck by how much I like the Eastern influence in my folk. Which is actually somewhat applicable given that we're East of the Misty Mountains just now. I'm duly careful with that kind of direct European analogy, but used gently I think there's something in it in terms of inspiration.

When we cross those Mountains for future sets I shall be looking at some less Eastern influenced folk. Which hey, is interesting in itself given the deep running Moorish influences on English folk music, for example. (Morris men anyone?)

Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov's operas: "Tales of the Tsar Saltan", "The Golden Cockerel", "The Snow Maiden" and, for campaigns involving anyone from Harad, "Scheherazade".

Absolutely beautiful, rich, classical music, written around the turn of the last century. Very evocative of Middle-earth, IMHO.

Going to add a bit here, but I have to say it's great to see Rimsky-Korsakov, Clannad, and Arkenstone in there. All things I like! Heck, Enya actually wrote songs about ME (BEFORE the movies), and I'm not ashamed at all to say she's great.

I'm not sure how ME it sounds, but Holst did some very "English" stuff: Suite #1 in E-Flat, and the even better (and more Tolkien IMO) A Moorside Suite. The March from that one is very celebratory. Maybe more for the realms detailed in future books, though. ;-)

Some stuff by the Luminous World Orchestra may fit the bill, as well.

I don't know if anyone has put this on but this is great

The Lord of the Rings: Complete Songs and Poems - Christopher Lee - Tolkien Ensemble


http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/B0...&n=5174&s=music

Its awesome!

i was reading the one ring as soon as it arrived this morning. i just so happened to have 'the last airbender ost' on and it fitted perfectly. also, the ost of 'pillars of the earth'.

As you mention Hedningarna let us not forget Garmarna, another swedish folk-band adding a modern flavour. Some of their tracks will suit combat situation, others are more slow and atmospheric.

Nice thread BTW.

In a rather grim and epic fantasy campaign I played the GM often used the song "Bläck"(Ink) by Garmarna. Especially when traveling at the and of sessions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc70MgVwsPs

Another good song by Garmarna with a similar mood is Herr Mannerlig:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HB27Az3xIpU&feature=related