Eminence Online

Arranger: Takayuki Hattori

 

Another classic from Square

Known to Americans as Final Fantasy Adventure and to Europeans as Mystic Quest (a strange misnomer considering the existence of an SNES Final Fantasy with the same name), the first game in Square's long-running Seiken Densetsu series had incredible music, particularly for a Game Boy title. The soundtrack, composed by Kenji Ito, has a very interesting history.

History Lesson

The Seiken Densetsu Original Sound Version, containing only the original music for the Game Boy game, was released in July of 1991 (catalog number N23D-003). The entire soundtrack was composed by Kenji Ito, with one notable exception: the "chocobo" theme appeared on this soundtrack, and said theme had been originally penned one year prior by Nobuo Uematsu for Final Fantasy III. As such, credit was given in the soundtrack's liner notes.

A few months later (September of 1991, to be exact), a beautifully arranged orchestral album was released; it is upon this music that I'll be focusing my review. The album's full name was Seiken Densetsu ~ Omoi ha shirabe ni Nosete (catalog number N30D-005). The translation of this lengthy subtitle is a difficult one. The generally accepted translation is "Light Thoughts Ride On Knowledge," but a more accurate translation might be "Put Your Sentiments To Music." Whatever the album's title, the point is that it had some amazing music.

In 1995, Square and NTT Publishing were kind enough to take the OSV, and the arranged album, and combine them. This new CD, simply entitled Seiken Densetsu Sound Collections, was first published in 1995 (catalog number PSCN-5029). NTT reprinted this album, and the rest of its Square-related catalog, in 2004 (new catalog number NTCP-5029); thus, the album is still widely available. And that's great news, for a lot of reasons.

The seven-track orchestral medley was arranged by Takayuki Hattori, who had worked with his father on Final Fantasy Symphonic Suite a few years prior. Hattori's heritage is in music; both his father and his grandfather are notable Japanese musicians, each specializing in different styles and roles in the music industry. It is unfortunate that Hattori's role with Square and their composers would dwindle after this album, because this is, without question, one of the greatest orchestral releases to have ever come from Square.

Let Thoughts Ride On Knowledge

The album's opening track, "1st Chapter - Determination," is a medley of two of the most memorable songs ever written for the Game Boy (or any handheld, for that matter). The game's title screen music, "Rising Sun," acts as book-ends for the medley. As the opening theme first fades out, it is abruptly replaced by the short "Fighting Arena" music, which is the first music you hear after starting the game. Fortunately, this harsh and dissonant piece serves its purpose quickly and is sent away by the song fans of the game will most easily remember: "Endless Battlefield." This is the overworld music from the game, and in its orchestrated form, it is simply brilliant. Staccato rolls from the percussion and brass fill out the song's A-section as trumpets and strings hold the melody. In the B-section, things get notably more whimsical. Woodwinds, strings, and orchestra bells make up the majority of the melody and harmony. Lighter percussion (tambourine, tapped cymbals) are what make up this part of the song. As "Rising Sun" makes its reprise, you ought to be pretty excited about the musical adventure ahead.

The next chapter, "Menace," is a six minute medley that covers the "Granz Dukedom" (bad guys) theme, as well as the first "Dungeon" and "Fight" (boss battle) themes. The empire and dungeon music is slow, eerie, and dark. The orchestra does a great job here, though I do question the choice to have the violins attempting the difficult 32nd-note glissando-style runs that were first written for the Game Boy synth. It may have been better to give this half-step frenzy to woodwinds exclusively. The second half of the medley goes entirely to "Fight 1," which is a wonderful, memorable boss battle theme that players will remember hearing many times throughout the game. There's a distinctive Latino feel in this arrangement. Though French horns and trumpets enjoy much of the spotlight, there is always an acoustic guitar, played in Latin style, going strong. Orchestra bells and castanets decorate the piece very well. The latter half of track two marks one of Hattori's best arrangements.

Chapter three, "Mission," opens with the game's soothing village music, and eases into the "Royal Palace" theme. This portion of the medley goes on for approximately three minutes, and it is a welcome reprieve from all the intensity and action of the prior track. The arrangement for orchestra is, here, very simple, very traditional. The first and second half of this chapter is split with a short "danger" theme. The second half features "Mana's Mission." If you played the game, you will remember Mana as the standard name for the game's heroine. Though non-lyrical, a female vocalist performs the melody of the theme, and this portion of the song always gives me goosebumps. Seriously, I could listen to it three times in a row, and get chills each time. A short reprise of "Royal Palace" ends the chapter.

Chapter four, "Friends," is five minutes long, and four of those five minutes are devoted to everyone's favorite yellow bird. The arrangement is a very Latin-influenced jazz style, with the brass taking a "big band" feel, the acoustic guitar getting plenty of spotlight, and the auxiliary percussion choices entirely appropriate for this silly, memorable piece. The final minute of the chapter takes a turn for the slower, but it's still a lighthearted theme. It is, in fact, the "Dwarves' Theme," but at such a slow tempo, it's difficult to discern the source of the music.

The longest chapter is the fifth chapter, "Parting," clocking in at seven minutes. This medley opens with "Dungeon 2," a theme that, because of its strange scale, evokes images of a desert wasteland. Hattori grabbed onto this imagery and arranged the orchestra to follow suit very well. The addition of the harp was spot on for this arrangement! The next portion of the medley is "Fight 2," which is music used for more intense, plot-focused boss fights. Just like "Endless Battlefield" and "Fight 1," this arrangement is well-suited to the original themes. The performance of such fast-tempo music is key, and the orchestra does a great job keeping up. And, again, castanets and Latin-style acoustic guitar get plenty of time in the spotlight. After this theme, some character themes are played, and then it ends on the titular piece for the album, "Let Thoughts Ride On Knowledge" (or however you want to translate it...).

Though the sixth chapter is named "Decisive Battle," it opens with the game's final dungeon music, "Mana Palace." Mana Palace is one of those songs that I love to get stuck in my head. It doesn't matter what version it is: orchestral, original Game Boy, or the arrangements that appear on the Shinyaku Seiken Densetsu (Sword of Mana) soundtrack. I just can't get enough of this song. The orchestral arrangement opens with a piano solo, and the rest of the orchestra is added in, layer by layer, with each repetition of this short, simple, enigmatic theme. Sadly, it comes to an end, with the grim theme "Julius' Ambition." This is a fitting transition, considering Julius is the game's villain, and we're about to experience the music played during the final battle against him. Many of the orchestral arranging techniques used by Hattori throughout this album are merged, as though Hattori is giving it all he's got alongside the hero and the player, to create a fantastic arrangement. The Latin influence is there, but it's not as prominent. Unfortunately, the guitar's greatest performance comes in a mini-solo in the last few seconds of the track. The whimsy of "Eternal Battlefield" is present in the way the woodwinds and strings are used, and the percussion is bombastic and powerful. Everything about this arrangement is great...unfortunately, it ends too soon for my liking.

"Life," the final chapter, is the only non-medley track on the album. The original theme that plays for the game's ending sequence, "Legend Forever," is the melodic basis for the final chapter. Hattori, for a second time, adds non-lyrical vocals. But instead of a soloist, he has a full choir join the orchestra for a grand finale. Being an entirely "new" theme (found nowhere else but the game's ending), I do not have a strong emotional attachment to the melody. However, what is lacked in personal feeling and nostalgia, is made up for in sheer grandeur. It is a beautiful, fitting finale. The only thing that might have made it better would be another reprise of the title theme, "Rising Sun."

Takayuki Hattori did a great service to Kenji Ito's score. Ito's music has been arranged by many people, including himself, across his diverse body of work. But one of Ito's earliest compositions, and its subsequent arrangement, remains one of the best. There is nothing lackluster about this orchestral suite.

Original Sound Version

I have long held to a theory that, if you give a composer very limited tools, they are forced to create great melodies to compensate for the lack of other musical features (dynamic variation, layered harmony, diverse instrumentation, etc). This may explain why Ito's score for this classic Game Boy title stands so well on its own. Let me simplify whatever long, drawn-out point I would be tempted to make with this: if you enjoy chiptunes at all, whatsoever, you will find music to like on the OSV portion of the Sound Collections. Endless Battlefield, all of the dungeon and fighting themes, and particularly "Mana Palace," demonstrate what incredible things you can do with a limited 4-bit soundscape.

Also, if you're interested in hearing more music from the game than what the orchestral arrangement presented, note that there are many songs that did not make it into the orchestral medleys (at least, not at any significant length). Chief among them are Dungeon 3, In Search of the Sacred Sword, and the unreleased "Town Music."

A Complete Collection

Is a game music fan's music collection "complete" without this album? I would argue that, regardless of the person's background as a gamer and music collector, this is one you really need to have. You can play "six steps to Seiken Densetsu Sound Collections" to see the point demonstrated well. Start with any one album you have, and you can probably link to the album eventually through composer (Kenji Ito), developer/publisher (Square), musical genre (orchestral with Latin influence), age of the album (almost 20 years now!), etc. And considering the extremely high quality of the original compositions, as well as the fantastic arrangements and performances found on the orchestral portion of the album, I have to ask: what's stopping you?

As for me, I return to this album at least once a year. And every time, without fail, the album influences me in a powerful, emotional way. I have more emotional reactions to this album, per listen, than you can count on all your fingers and toes. Some of those reactions are, indeed, physical. It's rare that a tear would be brought to my eye, but I get goosebumps and chills pretty regularly when listening to this album. I also laugh and smile during the chocobo arrangement. But even if your personal experience differs from mine, and you've never played this game (or its remake, Sword of Mana for GBA), I suspect you'll still be quite impressed by this recording. Get it while it's still an easy album to find in stores.