Lord of the Rings: The Animated Musical | Music: Frodo & Sam Theme (Serinette Version)
Today, I am using my creative liberties to share a scene not appearing in the book that establishes the musical motif representing Frodo and Sam together. In my introduction to this theme, I combine the sound of the serinette with the whistling loved by hobbits along with exploring one interpretation of their relationship: that of a master and his disciple or acolyte.
Serinette
Described as “a mechanical device for encouraging cage birds to sing” by John Bevis in his article, “A Complete History of Collecting and Imitating Birdsong” the serinette or bird organ has the same range as the tin whistle or piccolo. The name itself is a diminutive of serins, French for finches, indicating the type of bird most likely trained using this device. Invented in the early to mid-18th century, the instrument was most popular in France but found throughout Western Europe. Two surviving examples are held in The Met. To the modern viewer, perhaps the most surprising attribute of a serinette is its size. A modern DIY music box kit includes many of the same mechanical elements as its predecessor, such as a metal cylinder with small pins, a set of metal tuned teeth similar to a kalimba, and a sturdy crank to move the cylinder, but the completed music box tends to be small at two or three inches on each side, and fit neatly into the palm. Serinettes are much longer, between ten and fifteen inches on the longest side, and sit on the player’s lap.
An example of this instrument being played can be seen in the oil paintings The Serinette by French artist Jean-Baptiste-Siméon Chardin (also known as Jean Siméon Chardin) completed in 1751. In the portrait, Françoise-Marguerite Pouget Chardin sits in an upholstered chair at the center of the painting and cranks a large serinette held in her lap. To the right, a small yellow finch stands alone in a metal cage. Mssr. Chardin created two versions of the painting to show his talent for portraying light. In the version held at the Louvre in Paris, Mme. Chardin sits in bright light during the middle of the day. In the version held at The Frick Collection in New York, Mme. Chardin sits in dim light in the early morning or late afternoon. In both cases, Mme. Chardin was shown to be a wealthy lady, spending her time playing with her bird instead of cooking and cleaning like most women at the time.
In the same way, the gift of a serinette would mark its receiver as a member of the elite. During my scene of creative liberty, Sam has built a serinette as his birthday gift to Frodo. Not only does this remind the viewer that Frodo is likely the wealthiest individual hobbit in the Shire, but Sam has amazing hidden talents when it comes to creating and restoring, which will become more obvious as the story moves along.
Whistling
Playing a serinette was not the only way to train birds. Whistling was another common method. Bird whistles have long been used around the world to attract birds, including in Asia, South America, and the Mediterranean. While these may have been used by bird watchers, the more likely usage was by bird hunters. What constitutes a whistle is fairly broad, from the shrill shriek of a referee’s whistle at a sports game to the tin whistle played in European folk music to a human whistle somehow made with the lips and sometimes assisted with fingers. (I have never been able to whistle, but I imagine my version of hobbits whistle through their protruding front teeth.)
The motifs associated with whistling, as found in Thompson’s Motif-Index, are likewise numerous. Fairies whistle (F262.7), with no further explanation given, while whistling after sunset will cause the devil to get you, especially if you are Christian (G303.16.18). Some tales show how a greedy master will force a maid or other servants to whistle to prevent them from eating, whether they are serving dessert (W142.12.3) or picking strawberries (W152.12.4). While this may have been effective for Men, Hobbits managed both eating and whistling.
On the island of La Gomera within the Canary Islands, people have historically communicated using a whistled language known as Silbo or Sylbo. Designated as Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO since 2009, the language reflects the spoken language of Castilian Spanish, with two whistles for vowels and four whistles for consonants. La Gomera has been part of the official school curriculum on the island since 1999 and up to 22,000 people live in the area where it is spoken, allowing this language to survive while other languages in the same family have died out.
Not to be forgotten are famous whistlers, who were once much more popular than today. Agnes Anna Woodward of Los Angeles, CA was a star during the late 19th and early 20th century, even training other women to whistle at California School of Artistic Whistling and forming a “Bird Whistling Chorus” that toured the United States. Her protege, Margaret “Mickey” Grey McKee Woodward, was known as the “Queen of Whistlers” and had hit singles during the 1920s such as “Whistler and His Dog” and “Birds and the Brook”.
By the mid-20th century, whistling choirs had fallen out of favor, and this was probably a good thing for everyone’s sanity. Bird mimics were an appreciated novelty, with experts like Ronnie Ronalde of England performing for the BBC, releasing tapes or CDs, and even writing a memoir. Today, one of the few professional whistlers is Molly Lewis who performs live shows in Los Angeles and was featured in the sound track for the recent live action Barbie movie (2023). While often overlooked in favor of instrumentalists and singers, whistlers are talented and put in the time to hone their craft.
Disciple vs. Acolyte
In Middle-earth, the bond between Frodo and Sam is what kept their world from falling into evil and shadow. In the Real World, countless scholars, artists, and writers have interpreted their relationship to fit their own world views. I have already extensively discussed their relationship as master and servant, examining Sam’s status as a peasant or serf, and noting how keeping children as pets was an accepted practice until the early 20th century. Today, I focus on the relationship between master and disciple or acolyte. This interpretation is rooted in Tolkien’s Christian beliefs, specifically Roman Catholicism, and is commonly accepted by Christian fans, even those who admit to having only watched the movies and those who have clearly only watched the movies but will not admit it, like seeing the story through a glass, darkly.
Back in 2005, Tolkien scholar and fellow Catholic, Peter J. Kreeft, announced in his book The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Ring that Gandalf, Aragorn, and Frodo fit the criteria to be Christ-figures, with Frodo acting as a “priest” within the threefold office or Messianic symbolism of the Old Testament, the other options being prophet (Gandalf) and king (Aragorn). For the argument to hold, I personally would switch Gandalf’s and Frodo’s designations, as Gandalf appears to have a guiding or confession-hearing role that I would expect of a priest, while Frodo had “strange visions of mountains that he had never seen” even as a young adult, and his ability to see the future grew stronger during and after the War of the Ring. Regardless of which character gets what office, the threefold office is a concept integral to Christianity across all denominations. On the opposite end of the spectrum from Tolkien’s Catholicism, and aligned to my own beliefs, Reformed theologian Joel Beeke uses the concept to argue that humanity is saved by Jesus Christ alone and not through works.
Imagining for the time being that Frodo is a Christ-figure, then Sam might be a disciple. The concept of discipleship predates Christianity, with the Latin word discipulus meaning student or follower being over 2000 years old, just like Arwen. The term replaced the Old English word þegn around 1300. LOTR devotees actually know that word: Tolkien spells it Thain and uses it for the hereditary leader of the Shire, a constant reminder that although the Hobbits feel free and self-sufficient, they were once colonized vassals and will return to this state once a new King of the Dúnedain takes the throne. In modern English, “disciple” almost exclusively refers to one of the twelve Apostles, although Christians will refer to themselves as “Disciples of Christ”. One mainline Protestant church in North America even adopted the term as their official name in 1968.
If Frodo is intended to be a priest, or a follower of Christ rather than a figure of Christ, then Sam might be an acolyte. The term came to English by the early 14th century to mean an “inferior officer in the church”, fitting Sam’s status as a servant to one of his ‘betters’. The word originally came from the two Ancient Greek words a and keleuthos meaning “not a path” when combined, indicating that an acolyte cannot journey on his own but must follow his master. This seems more in line with Sam’s actions throughout the books, as he does not know what to do without Frodo and willingly risks his life to follow him.
The Tune
This is among the simplest themes in the animated musical, as Frodo and Sam have a simple relationship, at least on the surface. I wanted the tune to sound like a nursery rhyme or preschool song, suggesting innocence and youth, or that the original tune was thought up by Sam on his own. The peppy tempo in its first appearance indicates that the hobbits are energetic and cheerful while living at Underhill together, even if Frodo must live alone at Bag End and Sam still lives with his father at 3 Bag Shot Row. The tune will receive lyrics on multiple occasions and appear in different tempos aligning to the moods of the characters.
Listen to the motif here: