#ni no kuni music analysis

[melodycalypso]

Ni No Kuni Music Analysis : “In Loving Memory of Allie”, Joe Hisaishi

Hey y’all! So… I took a lot longer than expected break on this, but now I’m back and better than ever! Like my break before, the series is very much not on a set timeline.

Anyways, below the cut is my analysis, I hope y’all enjoy!!

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Ah yes, the song that makes everyone cry the most from the first game😭😭

I love how this piece has such a simple melody that gets passes around to various instruments.

0:00-0:10

The soft entrance of the harp in this preluding/introductory phrase is very calming. It reminds me of water droplets… maybe those coming out of us and Oliver’s eye balls😅

0:11-0:36

This melody is breath-taking!! The piano solo here is such a great contrast from all of the other pieces featured in this game’s soundtrack. And if you could excuse me for a second, I’d like to dive even deeper into this particular passage…

So pieces of music are composed in different keys that relate to which notes are written. The two main types of scales are called Major and Minor scales. Major scales have a more positively and correct sounding melody where as minor scales sound a bit “sad” and incomplete, in lack of more professional terms. This piece is composed in a minor key and for fellow curious musicians, the key is E minor. So like I mentioned, it’s a sad key!! So this further explains why the music can have this feeling crafted right into the melodic line.

I unfortunately am not the best at analyzing chords so I’m going to leave that be for now. In the future I way come back and do a deeper dive, but I’ll leave it here for now. And by all means, I’d love to see any fellow musicians take a took and try to analyze these chords!! I’d love to see what you find!

0:37-0:59

The entrance of the Glockenspiel here taking over the main theme is very cool! Maybe it is supposed to reflect Drippy’s character in some way? Curious to hear y’all’s thoughts on what you think!

Also the accompanying harp is a perfect complement to the Glockenspiel and adds more depth to the piece!

1:00-1:42

The main theme is played more confidently here and all three instruments are showcased. There’s also an introduction of some other string instruments (most likely violins and cellos). Each part is woven so beautifully into one another and none feel overbearing in any way. This section has to be my favorite part for sure!!

1:43-1:49

Theme from the harp comes back again here, very cool, very cool!!

1:50-END

This building moment right here is very interesting… I know in the cutscene it’s used in, and luckily for us it’s one of the pretty Ghibli ones, that this section happens when Drippy comes to life. Could have Hisaishi composed the piece specifically keeping this cutscene in mind, OR vice versa!?

So, this is the end of my analysis! This piece is beautifully composed and I hope you enjoyed reading and listening!!

I think for my next analysis, I’d like to jump to the second game’s music. Let me know if any of y’all have some suggestions. Anyways, goodbye for now!!🤗🤗🤗

[melodycalypso]

Ni No Kuni Music Analysis: “Ding Dong Dell, The Cat King’s Castle”, Joe Hisaishi

Hello fellow Ni No Kuni fans!! Hope everyone is having a great day whenever they find this post. So being true to my word, I promised I’d share with y’all my analysis and opinions on the soundtracks of the Ni No Kuni games. The Ni No Kuni soundtracks are composed by Joe Hisaishi who is literally a legend and one of my favorite composers ever. He really does a great job of bringing stories to life with his music! I don’t know how many of these exactly I’ll do, but we’ll see. And for anyone wondering my qualifications for this, I guess they are that I am currently pursuing a degree in music performance and have always been really interested in the soundtracks of these games. Alrighty then, let’s get started!

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So the first piece I’d like to look at is going to be the Ding Dong Dell, The Cat King’s Castle, theme. Since it’s one of the first places you go to in the game it kinda makes sense that it’s first on the “list of analysis” lol. So here’s a link to the piece so you can take a listen! I’ll also put time stamps throughout my analysis so y’all can see specifically what I’m talking about in the piece.

You could say that there are a few highlighted instruments in this piece, two of which appears at the beginning.

0:00 : At the start of the piece is this really simplistic drum and tambourine duet. Very dance like in my opinion.

0:10 : Which then leads me into my next point and onto when the main melody gets introduced in the piece. I believe the instrument that comes in with the main melody is a tin whistle or at least somewhere in the flute or more importantly woodwind family but I can’t quite put my finger on it.

Anyways, an almost waltz-like dance melody takes over which very much reminds me of the baroque musical era. In sort, this era can simply be explained from a quote off the website Britannica saying:

“Baroque music, a style of music that prevailed during the period from about 1600 to about 1750, known for its grandiose, dramatic, and energetic spirit but also for its stylistic diversity.”

And doesn’t that description fit the little melody in this piece perfectly? Or at least I think it really does! Fun fact about me is that one of my favorite styles to play in is baroque music . And if anyone is curious, I am flautist.

So when hearing this melody, you can’t help but want to get up and dance around!

0:32 : Moving on, the strings come in and join the main melody adding a bit more complexity to the piece. Then we get into a more grandiose, majestic melody. It feels very regal and like the Cat King himself is walking around, which was probably implied here.

Even though a more proud theme is starting to take over in the piece, it still keeps that light, dance-like tone.

1:05 : At around here is when it starts getting interesting. There’s this building moment in which the strings quite down and then semi-gradually crescendo into the another more powerful round of the main melody. An important entrance here I would have to say would be the brass taking the melody here. That is what’s really emphasizing that regal and proper coloring of the music.

1:45 : And now we’re back to the more simplistic form of the melody with our tin whistle (or at least I’m fairly confident that’s the instrument lol), drums, and tambourine.

If you haven’t noticed already, that seems to be the flow of this piece. We have a more simplistic trio of instruments giving the melody and that it transitions into a more complex form with a whole bunch of instruments!

2:02 : Listen to that trumpet fan fair!! It fits perfectly in this piece and it’s a really nice variation to the theme!

2:30 : In coming to the end of the piece, an interesting ending occurs. Usually in baroque music the end of the piece is pretty solid and sometimes can even seem a tad unexpected. Here though it’s a bit different, but still does seem unexpected. We have a bit of a gradual ending as less groups of instruments continue playing. You can almost visualize it as the Cat King sitting down on his throne on the final note.

So that wraps it up! A pretty cool piece if I do say so myself. Thank you very much for reading through my post! I wrote this rather late in the evening so if my ideas are a little hard to follow I apologize lol

[melodycalypso]

Ni No Kuni Music Analysis : “World Map”, Joe Hisaishi

As soon as I put up the poll, I knew exactly which piece y’all were going to pick for me to look at next, but it’s truly iconic so I don’t blame y’all in the slightest! For the second installment of my analysis of the Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch soundtack, we are going to be taking a look at the “World Map” theme!! So without anymore delay, let’s get started! (I had to link a recording of the piece at the end of the post instead of the beginning because I’m making this post on my phone so… sorry for that guys. Hope you can still follow along!)

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If you are familiar with the soundtrack of this game, you probably know the song “Kokoro no Kakera” that plays during the credits. The “World Map” theme is essentially an embellished variation of that song. I can’t be the only one who sat there in the over world and just listened to this piece because it’s just that good!

0:00 : A strong opening phrase featuring brass instruments is a great way to set the tone of this piece. I like how the melody played by the trumpets ascends, building up anticipation. It’s like you are walking into the other world via your gateway spell.

0:12 : Here is where the main melody of the piece comes in. I have now confirmed via some further research that the instrument here is a whistle. This actually ties into a point I had forgotten to make in my last post. Joe Hisaishi, the composer of the Ni No Kuni games’ soundtracks, referenced Irish folk music in writing these pieces. The featured whistle is definitely a staple in Irish folk music and mimics the melodic voice part of “Kokoro no Kakera”. I really like the added grace notes in the melody which further enhance the Irish folk music theming.

0:30 : The echoing flute/clarinet line paired with tambourine provides a whimsical contrast to the pervious whistle solo.

0:45 : This melody played by the strings right here, just listen to it. The way the melody flows in contrast to the harmonic woodwind line just gives me a homey feeling. This part right here is what draws you in and makes you feel like this other world is your home away from home, or at least that’s what I think.

1:03 : With a French horn solo continuing the melody making it more timid feeling, the trumpets and strings then come back in and crescendo the phrase.

1:16 : This transition makes me imagine running away to take cover from wild familiars lol

1:26 : I really like the harmony line in the middle string voices here. It really makes us appreciate the main melody more and highlights the key the piece is written in: E major.

1:44 : Tambourine and French horn come together, later with flute taking over, pushing the flow of the piece forward and crescendoing into the next section.

1:58 : Another key influence for Hisaishi when writing the Ni No Kuni soundtracks was the fantasy genre. This section right here has a very fantasy feel to it. It’s very majestic and grand.

2:08 : This section has a much more mellow coloring than the previous section. I really love how Hisaishi includes sections like this in the piece while still pushing the flow of the music continuously. There’s no moment of rest in this piece for sure!

2:16 : Here comes the whistle again! I always hear the lyric to the English version of “Kokoro no Kakera” at the end of this phrase when I listen to this part which are “On our journey through another world”.

2:36 : Another grand entrance of the melody here with the brass. It’s similar to the opening section but much grander this time!

2:54 : I. Love. Triplets!! The triplet harmony in the strings is just chef’s kiss writing!

2:56 : Flute returns and the music decrescendos then crescendos into…

3:04 : This has to be the most intense part of the piece! Everything has been building up to this moment. Good use of the upper woodwinds here too, really drives the intensity forward.

3:09 : I like the use my mallet percussion here to gently soften the melody. I like to think of this part as the sun setting as the night sky rolls in, even though there is no real world clock in the game lol

3:17 : The last phrase the whistle plays really brings a warm color into the ending of this piece making it bittersweet.

3:22 : Piano, drums, and brass all come together to strongly end the piece. It’s almost symbolizing the end of a journey.

And that about wraps it up! It’s been really fun deep diving into this piece. Feel free to share your thoughts below on the piece. For me personally, this piece alone has enormously inspired me to continue my studies and my continued love for music. This piece makes me feel at home and safe. The Ni No Kuni games and music have definitely left an impact on so many people, and hopefully my analysis can give you a glimpse into how the magic is made!

[melodycalypso]

Hi friends! Recently I haven’t been posting as much here because ya girl has grown up and is in college now!! And in case anyone is curious, I’m majoring in music performance. It’s been my dream ever since middle school and I’m so excited that I’m finally making it happen!! For a while now though I’ve had a really cool idea for a series of ni no kuni posts:

What if I researched the music from the games and did sort of an analysis/deep-dive into what makes it so good!

I personally love the music from the 1st and 2nd nnk games and thought that this would be a really cool idea! Taking music theory classes in college really sparked this interest for me because I find the analysis of music really interesting. Let me know what y’all think and I hope to be posting again pretty soon!!