Hardanger Fiddle - Use in Film

Use in Film

The Hardanger fiddle was used in the soundtracks of The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King composed by Howard Shore, to provide the main voice for the Rohan theme (The tuning of the sympathetic strings is also notably used as the notes in the first phrase of the 'Hobbiton' theme tune, though played on a flute). The use of the hardanger fiddle in this movie, however, is far from traditional since the theme does not make noticeable use of the usual practice of bowing on two strings at a time for harmony. It was also used by composer John Powell (played by Dermot Crehan) in the DreamWorks Film How to Train Your Dragon to play the main romantic theme.

The Hardanger fiddle also features in the soundtrack of Fargo, written by Carter Burwell. Here the context is a little more traditional. The main theme it plays is an arrangement of a Norwegian folksong entitled "The Lost Sheep".

In the Japanese animated movie Tales from Earthsea it is played by Rio Yamase.