Zelda Music: Not Very Deep

I realize that the title of this blog alone will quickly draw the ire of many Zelda fanatics, but the fact remains that the music from this well-loved game series is just not very deep.

I speak after having spent a good deal of time trying very hard to find a way to include this music in Hideo, but I have so far been unable to find a place where it fits our show’s overall goal and story.

Here’s my issue: by and large, the musical ideas are very short, not very emotional, and/or very ambient-sounding. None of those things are particularly bad for video game music, but for a live stage performance whose goal is to tell a story? Not so much.

Now, on to the evidence.

&nbsp

Problem: Short, and not very epic
Your standard musical phrase is about 8 bars long, at the end of which you naturally feel like you’re “taking a breath” with the music. Musicians may literally take a breath at this time as well.

So, that Zelda theme you recognize so well and love contains only two phrases. There is a 4 bar intro, followed by the first phrase of 8 bars. Then you get a 4-bar repeat of the first phrase, followed by 8 new bars. Our grand total is 16 unique, substantive bars, about 2 phrases worth.

This qualifies as a motif, or musical idea, rather than a song in its own right:

This other classic Zelda theme is about half as long (okay, plus one beat, its final measure with 5 beats in it instead of 4, nifty):
The Legend of Zelda – Underworld

…and here’s another two-phrase wonder: Ocarina of Time – Lost Woods

Contrast this with this superb Mega Man 2 theme which has 5 unique phrases, with repetition aptly used to create a very long musical idea:

&nbsp

Problem: Not very emotional
Okay, this one actually has a respectable amount of material. However, the universe of Hideo isn’t some freakin’ carnival:

This one, on the other hand, is ridiculously emotional:

&nbsp

Problem: Ambient, no real stage music material
Where is this one going? It’s pretty bland unless you’re in the middle of exploring or killing evil creatures.

&nbsp

So, I don’t actually have a vendetta against Zelda music — and I’m not trying to turn anyone against it — it just hasn’t been helpful to me for Hideo. 😛 Anyway, if you want to see/hear Zelda music live, check out the Zelda 25th Anniversary symphonic concerts: http://zelda-symphony.com/