Howard Leslie Shore OC (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer who i… Read Full Bio ↴Howard Leslie Shore OC (born October 18, 1946) is a Canadian composer who is notable for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit film trilogies. He won three Academy Awards for his work on the first trilogy, with one being for the original song "Into the West", an award he shared with Eurythmics lead vocalist Annie Lennox and writer/producer Fran Walsh, who wrote the lyrics. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg, having scored all but one of his films since 1979.

Shore has also composed a few concert works including one opera, The Fly, based on the plot of Cronenberg's 1986 film premiered at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on July 2, 2008, a short piece Fanfare for the Wanamaker Organ and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and a short overture for the Swiss 21st Century Symphony Orchestra. In addition to his three Academy Awards, Shore has also won three Golden Globe Awards and four Grammy Awards.

Howard Shore was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the son of Bernice (née Ash) and Mac Shore. Shore is Jewish. He started studying music at the age of 8 or 9. He learned a multitude of instruments and began playing in bands at the ages of 13 and 14. When Shore was 13, he met and became good friends with a young Lorne Michaels in summer camp, and this friendship would later be influential in his career. By 17, he decided he wanted to pursue music in his adult life too. He studied music at Berklee College of Music in Boston after graduating from Forest Hill Collegiate Institute.

From 1969 to 1972, Shore was a member of the jazz fusion band Lighthouse. In 1970, he became the music director for Lorne Michaels and Hart Pomerantz's short-lived TV program The Hart & Lorne Terrific Hour. Shore wrote the music for Canadian magician Doug Henning's magic musical Spellbound in 1974 and, from 1975 to 1980, he was the musical director for Lorne Michaels' influential late-night NBC comedy show Saturday Night Live, appearing in many musical sketches, including Howard Shore and His All-Nurse Band, and dressed as a beekeeper for a John Belushi/Dan Aykroyd performance of the Slim Harpo classic "I'm a King Bee". Shore also suggested the name for The Blues Brothers to Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi.

Since 2004, he has toured the world conducting local orchestras in the performance of his new symphonic arrangement of his highly acclaimed Lord of the Rings scores. The new work is entitled The Lord of the Rings: Symphony in Six Movements. There are two movements for each of the movies, and an intermission between the second and third (or first and second film titles) movements. The concert presentation of the symphony also includes projected still images of sketches by John Howe and Alan Lee relating the music being performed to scenes from the films. Recently, however, Shore has been busy with other projects, leaving other conductors including Markus Huber, Ludwig Wicki, Alexander Mickelthwaite, and John Mauceri to lead the orchestras.

April 24, 2008 marked the North American Live to Projection debut of Fellowship of the Ring, with the score performed live by the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ludwig Wicki. Wicki also conducted the Filene Center Orchestra at the Wolf Trap Farm Park in Vienna, Virginia on May 21 and 22, 2008 in the U.S. premiere of the Fellowship of the Ring Live to Projection.

September 16, 2010 Shore conducted the RSO Vienna (Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra) which performed "In Dreams from The Fellowship of the Ring" at Hollywood in Vienna in Vienna, Austria. Shore was commissioned by Macy's to write a Fanfare for the Store's 150th anniversary featuring the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Wanamaker Organ, the world's largest playing pipe organ. The work was debuted in the Grand Court of Macy's Philadelphia Store on September 27, 2008 in a concert that drew reviews from most of the major East Coast newspapers.

Shore's opera The Fly had its world premiere performance at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris on July 2, 2008 and its United States premiere at Los Angeles Opera on September 7, 2008. The production was directed by David Cronenberg and conducted by Plácido Domingo. The Fly had a new production mounted by Theatre Trier in Germany in 2014 staged by Sebastian Welker and conducted by Joongbae Jee.

Shore was commissioned by the Beijing Music Festival to write Ruin and Memory, a piano concerto, for renowned pianist Lang Lang. The world premiere was on October 11, 2010 performed by Lang Lang, The China Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Long Yu. His second concerto, Mythic Gardens, premiered April 27, 2012 with Sophie Shao on cello solo, The American Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Leon Botstein.

Shore's song cycle A Palace Upon the Ruins premiered in 2014 at the Bridgehampton Chamber Music Festival and at the La Jolla SummerFest featuring mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano. A Palace Upon the Ruins is a song cycle of six songs with words by Elizabeth Cotnoir.

Sea to Sea was commissioned by New Brunswick Youth Orchestra in celebration of Canada’s 150th anniversary of confederation and premiered on July 2, 2017 in Moncton, New Brunswick with soloist Measha Brueggergosman and Antonio Delgado conducting. Sea to Sea has lyrics by Elizabeth Cotnoir.

The song cycle L’Aube premiered October 19 & 20, 2017 in Toronto at Roy Thompson Hall conducted by Peter Oundjian and performed by soloist Susan Platts and commissioning orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. L’Aube consists of five songs with text by Elizabeth Cotnoir.

The Forest a guitar concerto composed for Miloš Karadaglić will premiere in Ottawa on May 1 & 2, 2019 with the National Arts Centre Orchestra and Alexander Shelley conducting.

In addition to writing the original theme song for Saturday Night Live, as well as the closing theme, Shore also co-wrote the theme song for Late Night with Conan O'Brien with John Lurie. The theme was carried over to The Tonight Show when O'Brien succeeded Jay Leno as host.

Shore narrated a one-hour CBC Radio documentary/soundscape on music in thriller/suspense film genres also including references to radio dramas and other media. The episode was called "Unsettling Scores" and premiered on the program called Inside the Music.

Shore is married to Elizabeth Cotnoir, a writer, producer and documentary filmmaker. He has a daughter, Mae.[35] He is the uncle of film composer Ryan Shore.

As of 2004, Shore lives in Tuxedo Park, New York.

Goodbye
Howard Shore Lyrics

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I saw the light fade from the sky
On the wind I heard a sigh
As the snowflakes cover my fallen brothers
I will say this last goodbye

Night is now falling
So ends this day
The road is now calling

And I must away
Over hill and under tree
Through lands where never light has shone
By silver streams that run down to the sea

Under cloud, beneath the stars
Over snow one winter's morn
I turn at last to paths that lead home
And though where the road then takes me
I cannot tell
We came all this way
But now comes the day
To bid you farewell

Many places I have been
Many sorrows I have seen
But I don't regret
Nor will I forget
All who took the road with me

Night is now falling
So ends this day
The road is now calling
And I must away
Over hill and under tree
Through lands where never light has shone
By silver streams that run down to the sea

To these memories I will hold
With your blessing I will go
To turn at last to paths that lead home
And though where the road then takes me
I cannot tell
We came all this way
But now comes the day
To bid you farewell

I bid you all a very fond farewell

Overall Meaning

The Last Goodbye is a song by Howard Shore, written for the movie The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. The song is a farewell to the audience, considering that it's the last song of the film its lyrics carry a deep weight of sadness, as well as hope. The song is performed by actor Billy Boyd, who played the character of Pippin in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. The song starts with an imagery of fading light, followed by the sound of the wind that has a slight sound of a sigh. The reference of fallen brothers in the snowflakes is made to the battle of Five Armies, where many characters have died. This line also indicates the hardships of the journey, and the bond between the characters that they have lost during the quest.

The last verse of The Last Goodbye is particularly meaningful. The lyrics mention many sorrows that have been seen, however, they dispel any notions of regrets or forgetting the people who took the road together. The journey of life is often full of trials and tribulations, and the song highlights the significance of the people who share these times with us. The lyrics remind us of how important it is to cherish the moments we spend with others, and the memories that we make together.

Line by Line Meaning

I saw the light fade from the sky
The sun is setting, symbolizing the approaching end of something

On the wind I heard a sigh
The singer or someone/something else is sorrowful and perhaps mourning

As the snowflakes cover my fallen brothers
The singer is likely in the aftermath of a battle or tragedy, feeling sadness and loss

I will say this last goodbye
This is the final farewell, with the artist acknowledging the end of something and accepting that they must move on

Night is now falling
The day is ending and darkness is approaching

So ends this day
The present time, which was anticipated or planned, is now finished

The road is now calling
The future beckons and it's time to leave behind the present

And I must away
The artist must depart, even though they may not want to

Over hill and under tree
The artist will journey through various landscapes and scenarios

Through lands where never light has shone
The journey will take the artist to places that likely haven't been explored, perhaps symbolic of their own personal growth

By silver streams that run down to the sea
The journey will take the singer to places of beauty and tranquility

Under cloud, beneath the stars
The journey will traverse various weather conditions and times of day/night

Over snow one winter's morn
The journey will have its share of challenges and obstacles

I turn at last to paths that lead home
The singer is headed towards a place of safety, familiarity, and belonging

And though where the road then takes me I cannot tell
Though the singer is heading towards their idea of home, there's still uncertainty and the possibility of unexpected paths

We came all this way
The artist is reflecting on the journey they've been on with others

But now comes the day
The final moment has arrived

To bid you farewell
The singer is saying goodbye to those they've traveled with

Many places I have been
The singer has explored many different locations and experiences

Many sorrows I have seen
The journey has had its share of pain and sadness

But I don't regret
The artist doesn't dwell on or feel the need to change past situations

Nor will I forget
The past holds significance and value for the artist

All who took the road with me
The singer is acknowledging the importance of the people who've accompanied them on the journey

To these memories I will hold
The memories of the journey will be cherished and remembered

With your blessing I will go
The singer is seeking approval or support from those they're saying goodbye to

I bid you all a very fond farewell
The singer is expressing deep affection towards those they're parting from

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BILLY BOYD, HOWARD LESLIE SHORE, FRANCES ROSEMARY WALSH, PHILIPPA JANE BOYENS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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