So I'm singing... The Lord of the Rings?

I never thought I'd make a post about The Lord of the Rings.

I'm not, technically. This post is about one of the Elvish languages featured in The Lord of the Rings.

I've been asked to perform at a concert of new works by local composers next week. Not unusual. Did that a lot in Tasmania, often last minute, always stressful. This time, to my surprise, one of the songs I've been given is entirely in Elvish!

I instantly thought of my friend, Gordon Nash. Gordon teaches mathematics in New York, and writes a daily blog. I try to keep up with the blog daily but often end up just reading fifteen entries in one go to catch up. His very dry wit always has me cackling. He's the biggest music buff I know. I met him online through love of Da Vinci's Notebook. Anyway, today, Gordon blogged about me.

I AM NOW FAMOUS.

Kind of.

I contacted Gordon over the Elvish song, as I knew that he was a huge Tolkien buff, and thought maybe he could give me some pointers. Could he ever! Within minutes, he knew more about the song I'm singing than I did, AND had written me a short essay on the history of the Elvish language dialects. Madness. Wise Madness.

So I'll let you all know how my first attempt at singing Elvish goes.

In the meantime, I am seriously enjoying this song by Peter Bradley Adams. Check it out. It's just perfect chill-out music to me.