[Intro]
[Remix of The Legend of Zelda's overworld theme plays]
Everybody knows the overworld theme from the original Legend of Zelda.
It's iconic and it perfectly captures the sense of epic adventure you get from exploring Hyrule.
As the series progresses, each new entry maintains the same core gameplay elements...
while contrasting them with different styles, settings and stories.
In this video, I want to show you how the overworld theme of each game does the exact same thing
and what the differences between them say about their game.
First, let's talk about the original overworld theme.
This theme is constructed using just a handful of motifs so let's quickly look at what those are.
First, we have the I-♭VII-♭VI-V [1 - flat 7 - flat 6 - 5] chord progression.
This song is built around this descending chord progression and it's established clearly in the first four bars of the piece.
What's interesting about it is that it's in a major key (B♭),
but borrows the ♭VII and ♭VI chords (A♭ and G♭) from the parallel minor key of B♭ minor.
This is called "mode mixture" and is a common technique found in music,
but this specific kind of mode mixture — where you borrow major chords from the minor key — is used primarily in adventure, fantasy or superhero music.
Secondly, the rhythmic dissonance between the triplet and straight sixteenth note rhythms.
These rhythms don't line up in a satisfying way and yet the theme constantly throws them on top of each other, which creates a really distinct flavor.
Lastly, we have the three melodic motifs:
the opening leap down of a fourth,
[The circled notes are played]
the scalar run up of a fifth,
[The circled notes are played]
and the bridge's 1 to ♭3 - 2 - 7 melody.
[The notes shown are played]
The whole melody of the tune is based on these three motifs (mostly the second one),
and this gives it a cohesiveness that makes it so compelling and memorable.
So, now that we're aware of these, let's look at how the overworld themes of the other console Zelda games compare.
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link is kind of a bad theme to start off with because, like the game itself,
the overworld theme probably shares the least in common with its fellow entries.
but for chronological sake, here we go!
The intro to the theme is the same as in the first game,
except for the fact that it's in the key of F instead of B♭.
After this four-bar intro, however,
the game totally subverts your expectations and goes somewhere completely different —
which is a pretty apt metaphor for the game itself.
Some characteristics are kept: the marching triplet rhythms, the counter melody...
pretty much just those things.
The whole theme is a lot brighter than the original.
Where the original borrowed more and more from the key's parallel minor scale as the piece went on,
this song stays pretty bright and chipper all the way through.
It moves to the G minor chord for the latter half, but there aren't any out of key notes to really strengthen this resolution so it doesn't feel that dark.
It does feature the first theme's brand of rhythmic dissonance in this one amazing arpeggiated riff that I just can't get enough of.
[The notes on screen are played]
Overall, I'd say this theme perfectly encapsulates just how much of a black sheep in the series this game is.
Not only is it very different from the others,
but no one really knows this theme that well because no one really plays this game anymore.
The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past's overworld theme takes the original theme everyone knows and loves
and updates it with MIDI brass and string sounds replacing the old square and triangle waves to breath some new life and character into the piece.
For the game that really defined the basic formula the series has held onto for last 25 years,
it seems appropriate for the overworld theme to rearrange this classic theme,
making full use of the Super Nintendo's hardware and bringing it up to a modern standard.
The existence of the Dark World in the game, of course, facilitates the existence of the Dark World theme.
Besides the obvious compositional choice to write this theme in a minor key (to reflect the Light World theme's major key),
this piece uses the original in a couple cool ways.
One of the main motifs is a leap down from 5 to 1 where the original featured an iconic leap down from 1 to 5.
Where the main theme takes a major key and immediately adds notes from the minor key to add some flavor,
the Dark World theme starts in a minor key and borrows from the parallel major key to keep it from getting too dark.
The chord progression features a walk-up from ♭VI-♭VII-I,
whereas the original had the reversal: a walk-down from I-♭VII-♭VI.
If you haven't already, I'd definitely check out the soundtrack for A Link Between Worlds for an excellent orchestration of these two themes.
You can see just how good instrument samples have gotten since 1991.
[Dark World theme fades out]
[The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time's Hyrule Field theme starts playing, with the Sun's Song introduction]
Now here's a really big one: the Ocarina of Time Hyrule Field theme.
This game also featured a new field theme,
but, unlike Zelda II, it borrowed heavily from the original theme, both harmonically and melodically, as well as just in general tone.
Just like how the game added many ideas that have become must-have staples of the series,
the Hyrule Field theme added a bunch of ideas to the original music that have been used plenty in the series' subsequent games.
First thing you'll notice when listening to this theme is the morning intro that has been used in basically every console Zelda since this game
to represent the sun rising and the start of a new day.
[The morning intro (AKA the "Sun's Song") plays]
It starts off with a synth flute playing a quick sun song before we hear the strings and a horn trading statements of a completely new melodic motif
over a descending chord progression.
Well, I say completely new, but the original theme's leap down of a fourth has been preserved, just in a totally new way.
The descending harmony calls back to the original theme's intro without totally succumbing to it.
Instead of a G-F-E♭-D progression,
we get a slow G-F-E minor-E♭ major7(♯5)-Dsus[4]-D7
That extra VI chord, as well as the augmented ♭VI and the sustain on the V chord,
immediately make this much less musically straightforward and a little more emotional.
There's more nuance here than we've seen in past Zelda music.
[Hyrule Field theme plays]
Once the melody starts you'll notice that descending harmony from the original theme has been shortened to a punchy I-♭VII vamp.
Loping off the last two chords of that iconic progression keeps the adventurous spirit while making it more quick and light-hearted.
We keep the sense of adventure,
but lose a little bit of the drama present in the first theme in exchange for a more energetic and upbeat feel.
We do hear the whole chord progression at certain points in the Hyrule Field theme, usually when we're moving to a new section,
and this strengthens even more solidly the bond between this theme and the original.
We hear this bond melodically as early as the first bar of the melody, which takes that opening 1 to 5 leitmotif and runs with it.
[Hyrule Field theme plays, shown here on screen]
The original theme used this leap effectively as a hook to draw us in,
but left it completely undeveloped over the theme's runtime.
Ocarina of Time's Hyrule Field theme takes this idea and develops it, showing us the full potential of a small motif,
much like the way Ocarina of Time shows the potential to bring Zelda into a 3D world
and give us a close rendition of the vision Shigeru Miyamoto had when constructing the original Legend of Zelda.
Something important that is easy to overlook from the splendor of our futuristic society is the sheer length of this overworld theme.
This game blew away audiences at the time with the size of its world alone.
Hyrule Field may not compare nowadays to Skyrim or Lordran or even the overworld of newer Zelda games, but for the time it was huge.
The music reflects this.
This is the first overworld theme in the series that isn't a simple AB form that endlessly repeats.
This theme has over 10 melodic sections taking us from adventurous to calm to scared and everywhere in between.
I think the plethora of new ideas the music brings as well, as the sheer size and scope,
reflects what Ocarina of Time did for the series itself.
[Ocarina of Time Hyrule Field theme fades out]
Majora's Mask's Termina Field theme parallels the tone of the game so perfectly it's kind of hilarious.
Starting out with the exact same intro as the Ocarina of Time field theme parallels the fact that
the two games were made with the exact same engine and assets.
The game uses the melody and harmony from the original Zelda theme because, well,
on the surface, Majora's Mask is just another Zelda game.
But the accompaniment is surprisingly dissonant, featuring these upbeat stabs of semi-tonal clusters that just kind of sound gross but in a perfect way.
The first bar the melody even has a B♮ sounding right over a G A B♭ cluster in the accompaniment.
So a typical Zelda melody with surprisingly dark undertones, eh?
Seems pretty Majora's Mask to me.
The theme, much like the game itself,
introduces this creeping dark feeling to our otherwise bright and cheery world during the repetition.
Towards the end of the A section, we linger on this dominant II7 chord as it morphs into a II7(♭9)...
[Termina Field theme plays, with the circled parts being played in the music]
...then to a III diminished chord...
...then to a IV diminshed chord...
...before bringing us back to the beginning.
Such a weird, dissonant, and unsatisfying ending that pulls us out of the melody halfway through
and sends us back to the beginning is a perfect parallel to the Groundhog Day mechanic found in the game.
Now for my personal favorite game in the series: Wind Waker.
The ocean theme for Wind Waker is not just a gorgeous piece of music,
but it continues the Zelda trend of perfectly capturing the tone of the adventure at hand.
The cello's big, open Dsus2 arpeggio feels like the sea stretching in front of you
and the lush string chords shifting over top feel like the variety of Islands you come across on your journey.
Despite the departure from the typical Zelda style, both musically and visually in the game,
Wind Waker retains enough core elements of the franchise to make sure it still feels and sounds like a Zelda game.
The melody functions in a much similar way to the original, outlining chords as big strong melodic statements that evoke that heroic mood,
but the statements are much more spread out than in previous entries.
Looking at the music, there's, like, one beat of melody every two bars,
with the space filled in by the rhythmic accompaniment
and later a call-and-response-type counter melody.
This contributes to how wide open the music feels, which in turn contributes to how vast the ocean feels in the game.
We also see that mode mixture that Zelda music is known for, but a slightly different way.
Instead of descending through the minor mode until we hit a big strong V,
the intro uses that borrowed ♭VII and ♭VI scale degrees to move seamlessly throught different chords over that pedaled bassline.
What we get is this progression:
[The ocean theme plays, as shown on screen]
The A minor-G-D [NB: actually D-A-A minor-G♭] features a smooth, chromatically descending line in the inner voices,
and the last two chords mirror the I-♭VII-♭VI of the original, albeit the tonic pedal gives it a distinctly different flavor.
Also, I don't think I've ever seen a ♭VII-I cadence over a I pedal before.
[Michael Jackson's "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" plays]
Uh, never mind. I... I guess I have.
Anyway, the melody itself is expertly crafted of just a small handful motifs that are taken from or closely based off motifs from the original melody.
Just look at those rising sixteenth note scale figures.
["Those rising sixteenth note scale figures" play]
Most of the melody is diatonic and happens of our diatonic chord progression, which means no mode mixture.
This keeps things bright and sunny as we sail around New Hyrule,
but we do get to hear a ♭VI-♭VII-I cadence as a throwback to the original theme.
Overall, 10 out of 10, [echoing] would sail again.
[The ocean theme fades out]
[The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess' Hyrule Field theme plays]
Now, while Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda game of all time,
I can't deny that Twilight Princess has my favorite Zelda soundtrack.
They seem to wring every section of music possible out of a select few themes and motifs.
Just listen to the way that they rearranged the Hyrule Field melody for Midna's Lament, the Gerudo Desert theme, and the Snowpeak theme
Also, fun fact, if you take the first melodic statement and isolate just the strong beats, you get the main motif used in Midna's theme
[Midna's Theme plays]
This stuff just blows my mind.
Anyways, the main Hyrule theme not only pays homage to all the previous Zelda themes,
but the way that it sets itself apart says a lot about the ideology behind the game's development.
This is the first Hyrule Field theme to be written in a minor key,
and not only that, it's written in E minor, which is the relative minor to G major, the key that Ocarina of Time's Hyrule Field theme is written in.
This symbolizes Twilight Princess' desire to give the fans the darker, more serious version
of the Ocarina of Time Zelda world that they were craving, after the bright, cartoony visuals and tone of Wind Waker.
The main melodic theme is totally original and, as I mentioned before, runs through the very backbone of the game.
This is the identity of Twilight Princess.
Decorating this core, however, are several references to the past games' music.
The intro has a minor key version of that famous rising scale motif; the upbeat stabs of harmony are taken straight from Majora's Mask;
the use of the ♮6 scale degree in the minor key evokes the mood of the Dark World theme from A Link to the Past;
we have falling sixteenth-note arpeggios, just like Ocarina of Time; and the original theme's galloping rising, scalar figure comes back in a big way;
not to mention the same motif featured in the intro comes in right at the climax of the piece again in a minor key,
as if to triumphantly say "Yes, this is a Zelda game, and yes, this is a serious game."
Where Majora's Mask's dark tone crept in underneath the childish surface,
Twilight Princess proudly wears its mature nature on its sleeve or Hylian Shield, as it were.
[Twilight Princess' Hyrule Field theme fades out]
[The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword's Sky theme plays]
Finally, we come to our last console game in the series: Skyward Sword.
I'm gonna be honest here: there's basically nothing in common with this Sky theme and the original Zelda theme.
The music seems a lot more American classical to me, a lot more "cinematic," for lack of a better term.
And while I love me some movie music, the music in this game just didn't feel like Zelda to me.
Everyone probably knows by now that the melody to the "Ballad of the Goddess" theme is just "Zelda's Lullaby" backwards,
but the overworld theme didn't have anything in common I could see with the series' musical history.
With Breath of the Wild coming out so soon, I'm really excited to see how the music turns out.
From the little that we've heard it looks like they're taking it in a new direction.
A less American classic and a little more Studio Ghibli, maybe.
From the E3 demo, it seemed that the music was going to be a lot more sparse, which
honestly, with such a huge overworld, I can why they'd want to do that.
Hopefully the game's music has enough rooted in the series tradition to feel like Zelda music.
Or maybe they'll specifically avoid that traiditon to emphasize the new, big step forward for the series that this game represents.
Let me know what your favorite Zelda overworld theme is in the comments below, and thanks for watching.
[The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild E3 trailer theme plays]
[Remix of The Legend of Zelda's overworld theme plays]