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.
I See Fire
Howard Shore Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke
Keep watching over Durin's son
If this is to end in fire
Then we should all burn together
Watch the flames climb high into the night
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side
And if we should die tonight
Then we should all die together
Raise a glass of wine for the last time
Calling out father, oh
Prepare as we will
Watch the flames burn auburn over
The mountain side
Desolation comes upon the sky
Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
And I see fire
Hollowing souls
I see fire
Blood in the breeze
And I hope that you remember me
Oh, should my people fall in
Surely I'll do the same
Confined in mountain halls
We got too close to the flame
Calling out father
Hold fast and we will
Watch the flames burn auburn on
The mountain side
Desolation comes upon the sky
Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
And I see fire
Hollowing souls
And I see fire
Blood in the breeze
And I hope that you remember me
And if the night is burning
I will cover my eyes
For if the dark returns then
My brothers will die
And as the sky is falling down
It crashed into this lonely town
And with that shadow upon the ground
I hear my people screaming out
Now I see fire
Inside the mountain
I see fire
Burning the trees
And I see fire
Hollowing souls
And I see fire
Blood in the breeze
I see fire (Oh you know I saw a city burning) (fire)
And I see fire (Feel the heat upon my skin, yeah) (fire)
And I see fire (Uh-uh-uh-uh) (fire)
And I see fire burn auburn on the mountain side
The song "I See Fire" was written and performed by Howard Shore for the soundtrack of the film The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. The lyrics and melody of the song evoke a sense of danger and sadness as the singer longs for protection and hopes that his people will be remembered if they perish in the face of destruction.
The opening lines of the song address the "misty eye of the mountain," which is a metaphor for the watcher or protector of the singer's homeland. He asks for the mountain to keep watch over his brothers' souls, conveying the feeling that he is about to face a great battle with uncertain outcomes. He then speaks of the sky being filled with fire and smoke, indicating the imminent danger his people face. In the next verse, the singer talks about how everyone should burn together, emphasizing unity in the face of danger.
He then addresses the possibility of death and urges his people to prepare themselves for the worst, asking them to hold fast and watch as the flames burn auburn (red-orange) on the mountain side. The chorus repeats the imagery of fire burning trees, hollowing souls, and blood in the breeze, creating a sense of despair and tragedy. The final verse talks about the singer covering his eyes if the night is burning, and his brothers dying if the dark returns. The ending lines convey the haunting image of a city burning as the singer sees fire burn auburn on the mountain side.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, misty eye of the mountain below
The persona is speaking to an entity in the mountain and asking it to keep watch over their brothers.
Keep careful watch of my brothers' souls
The persona is entrusting the entity with the responsibility of caring for their brothers' souls.
And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke
In the event of a disaster, such as a wildfire, the persona wants the entity to remain vigilant.
Keep watching over Durin's son
The persona is asking the entity to protect an individual named Durin's son, likely a loved one or someone of importance.
If this is to end in fire
The persona is questioning the possibility of a fiery end, potentially to their own life or their community.
Then we should all burn together
The persona acknowledges that if they are to burn, they will do so with their loved ones beside them.
Watch the flames climb high into the night
The persona observes the intensity and beauty of the fire, choosing to see it as a natural phenomenon as opposed to a destructive one.
Calling out father, oh, stand by and we will
The persona is calling out to a father figure for support and protection, feeling as though they are not alone through the experience.
Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side
The persona is noticing the warm color of the flames as they naturally burn through the mountain side.
And if we should die tonight
The persona is acknowledging the possibility of their own death in this disaster.
Then we should all die together
The persona reiterates their desire to experience the end with their loved ones by their side.
Raise a glass of wine for the last time
The persona is cherishing one final moment with their loved ones, potentially drinking and enjoying each other's company.
Calling out father, oh
The persona is asking for guidance and support from a father figure.
Prepare as we will
Despite the possibility of death, the persona is preparing for it to the best of their ability.
Watch the flames burn auburn over the mountain side
The persona is once again observing the color of the flames as they naturally spread across the mountainside.
Desolation comes upon the sky
The persona observes a sense of emptiness or loneliness, likely reflecting the emotional toll of the disaster.
Now I see fire inside the mountain
The persona is observing fire inside the mountain, potentially indicating volcanic activity or an explosion in the mines.
I see fire burning the trees
The persona is observing the destructive power of the fire, likely causing loss of life and property.
And I see fire hollowing souls
The persona is witnessing the impact of the fire on people's mental and emotional health, causing deep and potentially lasting trauma.
I see fire blood in the breeze
The persona is noticing the bloody aftermath of the fire, indicating loss of life and injury.
And I hope that you remember me
The persona wants to be remembered by their loved ones, even if they do not survive the event.
Oh, should my people fall in
The persona is fearful for the safety of their community, considering the possibility of mass loss of life.
Surely I'll do the same
The persona is willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their community, standing in solidarity with them.
Confined in mountain halls
The persona describes their current location, potentially trapped in a mine or mountain hall.
We got too close to the flame
The persona acknowledges that the disaster was potentially caused by human activity or negligence.
Calling out father
The persona once again asks for support and guidance from a father figure.
Hold fast and we will
The persona and their community must remain steadfast in the face of the disaster in order to survive.
Watch the flames burn auburn on the mountain side
The persona is once again observing the slow and natural destruction caused by the fire.
And if the night is burning
The persona is acknowledging the potential for the disaster to continue into the night, causing further chaos and destruction.
I will cover my eyes
The persona may not be able to bear the sight of the destruction any longer and chooses to close their eyes.
For if the dark returns then
The persona fears the possibility of the disaster intensifying or returning after a brief lull.
My brothers will die
The persona is fearful for the safety of their loved ones and community, aware that the disaster may cause further loss of life.
And as the sky is falling down
The persona observes an apocalyptic sense of chaos and destruction as the disaster reaches its peak.
It crashed into this lonely town
The persona describes the impact of the disaster on a specific town or city.
And with that shadow upon the ground
The persona observes the darkness left in the aftermath of the disaster, indicating long-term effects on the environment and community.
I hear my people screaming out
The persona hears the cries of their community, indicating the emotional toll of the disaster on those affected.
Now I see fire inside the mountain
The persona once again observes fire inside the mountain or mines, indicating the disaster may not be fully extinguished.
I see fire burning the trees
The persona observes the ongoing destruction caused by the fire.
And I see fire hollowing souls
The persona observes the lasting emotional toll on those affected by the disaster.
And I see fire blood in the breeze
The persona observes the aftermath of the disaster, including physical injury and loss of life.
I see fire (Oh you know I saw a city burning) (fire)
The persona once again observes the destruction caused by the fire, specifically reflecting on the loss of a city.
And I see fire (Feel the heat upon my skin, yeah) (fire)
The persona is physically experiencing the heat of the fire, causing them to feel immense pain and discomfort.
And I see fire (Uh-uh-uh-uh) (fire)
The persona is still witnessing the ongoing destruction caused by the fire.
And I see fire burn auburn on the mountain side
The persona continues to observe the natural beauty and color of the fire as it slowly spreads across the mountain side.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: Ed Sheeran
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
MrEpeeFencer
So much better than the pop version.