Introduction to Listening

Thomas Ogloza

The Legend of Zelda is a game which premiered on the NES in 1986. Since then there have
been 20 unique games across multiple platforms and will continue to produce content for the
foreseeable future. The story revolves around a boy named Link who, due to various scenarios, must
travel across the world in order to save Princess Zelda and ultimately the world from the evil clutches
of Gannon. For the 25th anniversary of the debut of the game, Nintendo and Jason Michael Paul
Productions worked together to create a symphony which toured the United States and Canada1. The
symphony was composed of iconic songs from all of the previous Legend of Zelda games since the
creation of the series up to the year 2011. The first composition of the symphony is an original piece
written specifically for the event and can be thought of as a collection of many of the major regions in
the game. It is composed in an ABA form with the first and third movements sharing a simple heroic
theme while the second movement is quite unique and changes frequently.
The first movement begins with a quick build up comprised of cellos, oboes, and cymbals. The
color is very light and the multiple layers of the music can be compared thematically in the game by its
vast open stretches of explorable land. It repeats the melody twice before adding a timpani and
trumpets. The tone then changes and becomes slightly darker and a pair of sticks sustain an up tempo
4/4 beat pattern. The harp becomes the focal point of the melody, but before long the harp drowns out
into the harmony when the violins and then flutes are added. The violins and flutes take turns keeping
separate melodies while a cello and a timpani can be heard as a sort of transition between the two. The
melody from the violins is much darker than the melody from the flutes. After a few back and forth
trades from the violins and flutes, a tambourine joins in playing a syncopated beat also in 4/4 time. As
the piece progresses, more and more of the symphony is added in while the violins command the
melody with the flutes as an accompaniment. Trumpets once again join in but they play the same tune
as the violins making their initial appearance subtle before ramping up in volume while a timpani and a
tuba play in the background. After this build up, the first movement of this composition reaches its
finale by using most of the symphony playing melodies similar to the first two sections of this
movement. All aforementioned instruments can be heard in this final section with the violins playing a
polyrhythm in which the trumpets join the higher pitched melody soon after. The section ends with all
of the brass instruments playing 6 single-notes while the reverberation of a gong can be heard.
Afterwards there is a short transition into the second movement of the composition.
The second movement begins at 1:39 and is the most dynamic movement in the piece. If the
first movement could be described by the game's large open environments, the second movement could
be described by the much more dangerous mountains and caves full of monsters and treasures. It begins
with a cymbal crash followed by a tambourine, still in 4/4 time, playing a 15-note pattern over two
measures which uses both on and offbeat notes to give the section a dance-like, airy quality. The
tambourine plays eight measures in total: The first four measures include violins playing the harmony
and flutes playing the melody. Trumpets and a timpani play an accelerating beat every second measure
before the trumpets take over the melody during the last four measures leaving only the timpani to play
the interludes. Afterwards, a snare drum picks up a similar beat to the now silent tambourine while the
flutes and violins play in-sync with each other as a pair of cymbals can be heard twice on the downbeat
every other measure. Before the first section of this movement ends, cellos can be heard along with
some flutes transitioning a short repeat of the first section with a darker tone, before proceeding into the
1"The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess."Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 3
Dec. 2015.

next, darker section.

This part of the movement takes on a darker tone than the first which relates to one point in
every Zelda game where all hope seems to be lost. The timpani keeps the beat of this section and
alternates between drums with each hit. The most notable component of this section are the quick
arpeggios on the flutes playing in a canon while a violin plays long sustained notes on top. The
trumpets eventually replace the violin and similarly, a snare drum This makes the music sound both
grand and intricate and is quite a feat by the flute players in particular. This section then becomes a
large polyrhythm with the violins and trumpets playing a similar sounding, but different part. A gong
can also be heard2 every fourth measure while the snare drum keeps up the quick syncopated beat.
After this ends with a cymbal crash, both the timpani and snare drum can be heard continuing the beat:
The timpani keeps a steady quarter note beat while the snare drum plays, off tempo of the timpani,
three quarter notes and two half notes which drives the piece forwards. The trumpets play a new
melody before splitting into two melodies in polyrhythm. The flutes also play in polyrhythm: several
flutes play arpeggios in canon once again while another plays a simple series of high single notes.
Afterwards, the composition repeats an earlier section from the second movement before ending by
slowing the tempo considerably while the brass section plays a snippet of the main theme of the series
melancholically. A solo violin takes over playing the main theme song with emphasized vibrato and a
much darker tone than it is normally played. There are a few small accompaniments with the violin
which also help darken the tone before the whole symphony joins in playing a dark crescendo into a
harp solo. This sudden change in volume of this section is the largest of the composition and adds a
dramatic effect. Accessory sounds are added such as the cellos and bells until the harp dies away
completely. A flute joins in playing a slow, dark melody before the trumpets join in. The trumpets
almost lighten the tone, but proceed to darken it further when playing the game's main theme song. The
movement ends with the cellos playing one long final note while a lone cello adds vibrato creating a
long lasting effect.
While I never got to see the symphony myself, I have listened to the music more than I care to
admit during my childhood. The symphonic style of this composition is different than what I am used
to hearing, but it still brought back nostalgic memories of fighting titanic monstrosities as my favorite
tight-wearing green hero.

2 (I presume it to be a gong since one was played before, but it sounds more like a ride symbol played
with mallets)

Bibliography
"The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddess."Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 1 Dec.
2015.
"The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Medley."YouTube. YouTube. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.
<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCExYO-NNMA>.
(Link to Song)
"The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Symphony."Zelda Wiki. Web. 1 Dec. 2015.
<http://zeldawiki.org/The_Legend_of_Zelda_25th_Anniversary_Symphony>.