# What happened to their musical instruments?



## Eledhwen (Sep 5, 2003)

In Bag End, for light amusement while it got dark, the Dwarves brought out viols, flutes, drums, clarinets and a harp. Did they take them with them or leave them at Bag End? And if they left them, did they get sold at auction? Apparently there were a couple of viols as big as the Dwarves. How did they lug all that lot around with them?


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## Celebthôl (Sep 5, 2003)

> _Originally posted by Eledhwen _
> *In Bag End, for light amusement while it got dark, the Dwarves brought out viols, flutes, drums, clarinets and a harp. Did they take them with them or leave them at Bag End? And if they left them, did they get sold at auction? Apparently there were a couple of viols as big as the Dwarves. How did they lug all that lot around with them? *



Maybe they were magic instruments that dispeared at will..... 

But seriously, i guess they were left in Bag End as i dont think that all those instruments we "luggable".....


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## Inderjit S (Sep 6, 2003)

Note that in 'The Gathering of the clouds' the Dwarves brought forth instruments from the haud, to make music for Bilbo. So they didn't have their instruments with them then, maybe they left them with their ponies, who were eaten by Smaug, or maybe since they seem to be pretty uncessecary they just left them at Bag-End.


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## Eledhwen (Sep 7, 2003)

The instruments wouldn't have survived the encounter with the Goblins in the Misty Mountains, but why take them as far as Bag End then leave them? Bilbo doesn't mention that they were still in the hallway, though he was preoccupied by a mountain of washing up; and the Dwarves didn't even know for sure that Bilbo would go with them. Maybe they left them at Rivendell in the care of the Elves, on advice or as gifts for hospitality. I have absolutely no grounds for this speculation whatsoever, except that the instruments aren't mentioned again. I'm beginning to wonder why I started this thread.


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## Flame of Udûn (Sep 8, 2003)

Clarinets for one wouldn't have survived at all well out in the elements. They are very delicate instruments and damp mostly destroys them.


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## Eledhwen (Sep 11, 2003)

I suspect that 'clarinets' is a sort of transliteration for a much more robust Dwarvish instrument (as I'm sure Tolkien would have surmised if asked)


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## Illuvatar (Dec 29, 2003)

The probably left the viols and harp, and probably the drum, too, but Dori, Nori, and Ori's flutes were kept in their coat, and could easily have been brought with them. However, more than the question of the misty mountains, you might have thought that the elven-king had taken them.


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## Ardamir the Blessed (Jan 2, 2004)

*JRRT's note to The Quest of Erebor*

According to the _The Annotated Hobbit_, Appendix A: _The Quest of Erebor_, Tolkien wrote this under the typed text of version B of _The Quest of Erebor_:


> Nothing is said to justify the musical instruments that the Dwarves brought to Bag End - *nor to explain what became of them*.


 I think that Tolkien noticed the lack of explanation for the instruments and noted this, and was perhaps going to deal with it later, but never did.


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## Starflower (Mar 22, 2011)

Just a thought on a long-since-dormant thread subject....



> They were on ponies, and each pony was slung about with all kinds of baggages, packages, parcels, and paraphernalia.



This is upon leaving Bywater in the morning... I wonder if they a)either took some of the instruments with them on the road or b)left some of them at Bywater, maybe sold them for some funds for the road?


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