Howard Shore wrote the music for Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings film trilogy.
The Canadian composer served as composer, orchestrator, conductor, and producer for The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003). He began developing musical ideas before filming was complete, including themes for the Shire and Frodo.
Shore designed the score around recurring leitmotifs representing characters, cultures, places, and ideas. The music used a large orchestra, several choirs, solo vocalists, and unusual instrumental colors, giving Middle-earth's peoples distinct musical identities. Much of the recording took place at Watford Town Hall, with mixing at Abbey Road Studios.
The trilogy's score is sometimes confused with the music for The Hobbit films, which Shore also composed, or with Bear McCreary's score for The Rings of Power television series. Shore's trilogy work earned three Academy Awards, including Best Original Score for The Return of the King.