Thanks

[Vagrant]

Good day,

i'm from italy and i became one of Sakimoto's best fans since i tried to play and understand the sound and the history of Vagrant story.Since my past, 8 years ago i growe lovin' like a mad his compositions, feeling ispiration to draw my comix(cos im an illustrator amateur) and history, fusing his sound with my mind..it was a wonderfull emotion..
As last retrospection i must say thanks to Sakimoto for the deep dark atmosfere who he wraps inside that armonism between the rythm of fight and the melody of silence.
So i say thanks to you all administrators now for made a section to him.

I don't know if could be possible hear about a fusion between Sakimoto & Mitsuda (xenogear, chrono cross..)..maybe one with Hirota (in team with Kobayashi for Shadow Hearts 2 OST as example).That team with Iwata was great yea..i played with FFT more than 2k hours..i'm in a "monster list" now lol;)

However his masterpiece rest the one he worked alone..so i've got not problem askin to myself which should be his best partner.

I'm just glad to post here feelin inside a strange virtual family:)

Thanks.

Vag.

[Rain Corale]

First time through Vagrant Story, I must admit that I absolutely hated the music. Is was a big "let down" from Final Fantasy Tactics and I put it away for a few years completely bewildered that Sakimoto could create music so "ugly". A few years passed and I picked Vagrant Story up again...

...
As I went through the game the second time through, I noticed how every piece of music was essentially perfect. The subtlety of the score alongside the beautiful dark orchestrations nagged at my heartstrings and my conscious as long as I was tuned into the game. The darkness and sheer scope of emotion is unparalleled in anything that I have come across thus far.

The fact that I wasn't ready for Vagrant Story wasn't Sakimoto's fault. My musical maturation was necessary to truly understand and appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of Sakimoto's scoring for Vagrant Story. It just shows how amazing and evolutionary, Mr. Sakimoto's music truly is.

[LunarHeart]

Hey .. Personally I prefer Sakimoto's work on Breath Of Fire Dragon Quarter the best, its alot sharper themes, they are always in your face.. the overall is top notch in that game, on Vagrant Story and FF Tactics, sure, the soundtracks got a few good tunes, but overally I think its alot of anonymous themes, alot of atmospheres..
I still wonder why Vagrant story was a hit, I find it slowly progressing, no major peaks, a slow annoying fight system, the weapons adjust to the enemies you bash, whats the logic? .. well, I do respect those who love the game and its music of course, but its not for me..

And I don't think Sakimoto & Mitsuda would be a great combination..

[Fatigue]

And I don't think Sakimoto & Mitsuda would be a great combination..

They worked with each other on BoFV (Sound Director) and Legaia Duel Saga (Composer). They both had pretty successful music.

[LunarHeart]

They worked with each other on BoFV (Sound Director) and Legaia Duel Saga (Composer). They both had pretty successful music.
Yeah, but I mean Collaborating on tracks with eachother using their ideas into same piece of music, I dont see it fit..

[Fatigue]

Yeah, but I mean Collaborating on tracks with eachother using their ideas into same piece of music, I dont see it fit..

Now I know what you mean. Nah, it would never happen. Their music styles are too far apart from each other (though Mitsuda showed signs of Sakimoto style on Sailing to the World).

[Rain Corale]

Hey .. Personally I prefer Sakimoto's work on Breath Of Fire Dragon Quarter the best, its alot sharper themes, they are always in your face.. the overall is top notch in that game, on Vagrant Story and FF Tactics, sure, the soundtracks got a few good tunes, but overally I think its alot of anonymous themes, alot of atmospheres..


I have been doing a lot of study of the Final Fantasy Tactics soundtrack and I will tell you that there are MANY motifs going on that weave in and out of each other at KEY POINTS DURING THE TELLING OF THE STORY! A motif when it comes to music terminology, is a theme plain and simple. If you are a cultured musical listener, especially in the classical sense, you will be able to hear Sakimoto's FFT themes recreated either by way of sublime re invention or through continual transfiguration. As far as I can tell, Sakimoto made 4 PREDOMINATE themes that interweave during the playout of the story although of course there are many more minor themes presented throughout. What may make the music in Final Fantasy Tactics difficult to interpret with a consistent basis is the fact that Hitoshi Sakimoto's themes greatly differ from the recurring themes presented by Masaharu Iwata. This does lead to some inconsistency in the musical story telling but if you know where to look you will be able to see where each theme actually fits and with that in mind, the musical coherence of the themes becomes more apparent.

I haven't checked out Dragon Quarter yet! I feel bad that I haven't gotten it yet but my funds have been low.

[Zenning]

Now I know what you mean. Nah, it would never happen. Their music styles are too far apart from each other (though Mitsuda showed signs of Sakimoto style on Sailing to the World).
Mitsuda also showed tendencies of Sakimoto on "Ship Run Aground" and "Between Mirrors" from Tsugunai ~ An Cinniuint.

[Garamond]

I have been doing a lot of study of the Final Fantasy Tactics soundtrack and I will tell you that there are MANY motifs going on that weave in and out of each other at KEY POINTS DURING THE TELLING OF THE STORY! A motif when it comes to music terminology, is a theme plain and simple. If you are a cultured musical listener, especially in the classical sense, you will be able to hear Sakimoto's FFT themes recreated either by way of sublime re invention or through continual transfiguration. As far as I can tell, Sakimoto made 4 PREDOMINATE themes that interweave during the playout of the story although of course there are many more minor themes presented throughout.

http://www.seezone.net/thomash/archives/001432.html
Actually 5, and more.
The other themes like [Soldier In Training] with [Apoplexy part 2] and Angela's Theme have no connection to other pieces so I doesn't count.

[Rain Corale]

http://www.seezone.net/thomash/archives/001432.html
Actually 5, and more.
The other themes like [Soldier In Training] with [Apoplexy part 2] and Angela's Theme have no connection to other pieces so I doesn't count.

DAMN! I really wish I could read Japanese right about now.

What information is present in this link?

[Jormungand]

What information is present in this link?
Thomash is simply explaining the appearance of the five different central themes/motifs in Sakimoto's various tracks, and in what order they are heard in any given track. They are labeled as A-E, as you can see on the tracklist layout.

[Rain Corale]

Ah, so the letters are indicating the order of the themes. I was quite confused at what I should be looking at when first opening the page as I looking for numbers. When I open a page of Japanese characters, the first thing I conceive of doing is running in the opposite direction. :)

Is the first theme (A) the MAIN MOTIF and are the other subsequent themes derivations of that motif because it appears to me that there is a subtle connection between them all. ?

Cool.

Anyways, my point was that there was little randomness to the Final Fantasy Tactics soundtrack. There are very clear cut themes that follow the progression of the story and I was merely iterating this point.

[Garamond]

Thomash / Garamond is same individual. I'm Chinese not Japanese~

[Rain Corale]

I don't remember saying you were Japanese and I am well aware of the fact that you are Thomash. However, thanks for connecting the dots.

My mistake on mislabeling Chinese characters as Japanese characters. With all due respect, the writing looks very similar. (You'll have to excuse me...I'm just a dumb American, after all.) Perhaps I should take a class someday to better acquaint myself with the differences between the two, but for now, lets stick with the topic at hand, no? :)

Gotta question for you, how did you come to the realization of 5 main themes in FFT? What was your basis for choosing to establish A-E (5 total) as the central themes in Final Fantasy Tactics? Was this a matter of personal preference or was there more strategy involved?

[Garamond]

I consider those 5 melodies as main motifs since they connected to each other and have been applied more than 2 times in the soundtrack. As I said, I didn't count the melody that was only used 2 times or once like Brave Story and Delita's Theme. The moledies that didn't connect to other main motif like Soldier(commander) in Training / Apoplexy / Holy Angel / Ultima they share the same melody but never connected to other motifs so I don't include this in this study...
It's quite clear that each of these 5 motifs have their own function in Sakimoto's creation:
A: basically the FFT main theme
B: Knight image of FFT. With the exception of d2t22, it only came out in the beginning and the ending tracks
C: theme about "imminent" and "dangerous"
D: Hero's theme
E: theme of sorrow
#: the own part of each pieces, didn't appear in the OST more than once...

[Jormungand]

As I said, I didn't count the melody that was only used 2 times or once like Brave Story...
Actually, the "Brave Story" theme was technically used in three songs:

1-22 Brave Story
2-21 Thunder God Cid
And an unreleased track, which I'm certain you've heard. With the moving strings in the background and the horn leading? Beautiful piece.

I could actually call that my favorite theme of the entire score, even though it only shows up three times (two times officially).

[Rain Corale]

Actually, the "Brave Story" theme was technically used in three songs:

1-22 Brave Story
2-21 Thunder God Cid
And an unreleased track, which I'm certain you've heard. With the moving strings in the background and the horn leading? Beautiful piece.

I could actually call that my favorite theme of the entire score, even though it only shows up three times (two times officially).

Yep. Brave Story also shows up on the epilogue credits. :45 seconds into the song...the oboe comes in while the brass softly backs it. It brings tears to my eyes.

The unreleased Brave Story track is probably the most dramatic, why did they leave this out of the OSV soundtrack?

[Rain Corale]

I consider those 5 melodies as main motifs since they connected to each other and have been applied more than 2 times in the soundtrack. As I said, I didn't count the melody that was only used 2 times or once like Brave Story and Delita's Theme. The moledies that didn't connect to other main motif like Soldier(commander) in Training / Apoplexy / Holy Angel / Ultima they share the same melody but never connected to other motifs so I don't include this in this study...
It's quite clear that each of these 5 motifs have their own function in Sakimoto's creation:
A: basically the FFT main theme
B: Knight image of FFT. With the exception of d2t22, it only came out in the beginning and the ending tracks
C: theme about "imminent" and "dangerous"
D: Hero's theme
E: theme of sorrow
#: the own part of each pieces, didn't appear in the OST more than once...

I see. Thanks for clearing that up. I would be completely within my lines at saying that your setup for thematic classification is good, but open to interpretation. It would really be something if some sheet music were released for Final Fantasy Tactics so that I could see for sure what is connected and what is not.

Still, nice work.

[Garamond]

Jormungand, yes. And I straight title it as "Alzalam's Theme" in my analyze. But I did forget uncle Cid's theme also applied this melody as well, maybe it should be called "Theme of Durai Family" now...