Howard Shore's Academy Award-winning score for "The Lord of the Rings" has been hailed as among the greatest film music ever written. Sweeping in scope, it is an interpretation of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle-Earth as music - an operatic tapestry of cultures, histories, languages and peoples. "The Music of the Lord of the Rings Films" takes the reader on an unprecedented journey into the heart of this history-making opus with extensive music examples, original manuscript scores, a rarities CD, and fascinating glimpses into the creative process from the composer himself. Also included are a foreword by Howard Shore, an introduction by Fran Walsh, and sketches by John Howe and Alan Lee.