The Wildlands/The Leaflands
Track 1-19: The Wildlands (Day/Night)
The Wildlands are a windswept wilderness. They are also where Partitio starts his journey, so I composed this theme with a Spaghetti Western vibe.
To convey that sense of desolation and howling wind, I gave the melody to the pan flute. This instrument is strongly associated with the folk music of the Andes (“El Condor Pasa” is a famous example), but I decided its vaguely plaintive sound would be perfect for these dusty red wilds.
The guitar-like instrument that appears at around 1:11 is actually called a mandolin. A mandolin is a stringed instrument that closely resembles a guitar in construction, but a little smaller, and played with a pick. This piece uses a distinctive mandolin technique called tremolo, where the pick goes rapidly back and forth across the string to strike it in quick succession, creating a timbre with an inexpressibly mysterious air.
The trumpet that appears partway through, played with heavy vibrato, adds a dash of authentic Spaghetti Western!
Track 2-1: The Leaflands (Day/Night)
The Leaflands are a region of green foliage and richly colored flowers amid mild pastoral landscapes. This is where Agnea starts her journey. I mentioned my use of Celtic motifs in her theme in that post, and the Leaflands field theme follows the same approach.
When the demo version of the game was released, I hosted a game stream with director [Keisuke] Miyauchi where I offered a more detailed analysis. If this interests you, please take a look (starting around 1:33:43).
To pick out a few tidbits and record them for posterity, the Leaflands theme is in the key of D major, but it makes frequent use of the note C natural. This note doesn’t exist in the standard key of D, but it is available in some scales used in Celtic music, and using it helps reinforce the Celtic vibe.
The second half of the refrain also modulates from D to the key of A♭. A prominent modulation like this adds dramatic heft and vibrant color to the composition.
Another instrument heard in this piece is the low whistle, while the night version makes use of a tin whistle. Both are frequently used in Celtic music.
Translation: Matt Treyvaud
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