The four “small stones” chords return as we find that Treebeard has befriended the hobbits and has generously begun to treat them to recitations of languid Entish poetry. Merry and Pippin are in a somewhat less than literary mindset at present, and soon find themselves floating off to sleep. The orchestra’s strings present the score’s first uncompromised moments of extended peace and tranquility as the two hobbits greet the nestling calm of which they’ve been lately deprived. A Lullaby Setting of the Shire Theme passes between lush strings and solo winds as Treebeard sets the two hobbits on the cool earth and wishes them well for the night. He has business to attend to, and with the Ent theme creaking in low strings and timpani, the Shepherd of the Trees teeters off into the woods.

© The Annotated Score (The Music of The Lord of the Rings Films)