Uploaded September 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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A transcription I created of one of the most iconic themes from Fire Emblem: Awakening alongside a recording I created to test its accuracy.
--------------------
➤ Analysis:
This was a tricky one (not as tricky as "To One With Life" where the audio quality in the original wasn't great) due to all of the tiny little details they scatter about the music, as they usually do to great effect!
The "Awakening" motif features prominently throughout in several variations, perhaps more so in this track than any other in the game, from 0:27, 0:37, 0:46, 0:58, 1:08, 1:18 and 1:28 before giving way to a new motif in the trombones at 1:37.
The piece is effectively divided in to two sections: the first (0:00 - 1:59) where it builds and builds with more instruments added with each phrase before breaking off to silence.
And the second section in 12/8 (although this signature change could happen earlier, or not at all, it is tricky to tell) where there is a lot of new material, with the occasional reference to earlier material (2:46 referencing 0:03, and the trombone of 2:20 referencing one of the primary themes of the first section).
The piano arpeggios are a little dubious, since they are very blurred in the original. Though I have plucked out certain pitches I can definitely hear and then added in the surrounding arpeggio notes to reach these more certain notes.
There is also one brief instance of a clarinet (0:58), which is then silent for the remainder of the piece. So it is possible that the clarinet is actually not a part of this piece, or that it has a larger part that I did not pick up on.
As a bit of trivia, the composers reuse the tubular bell pattern of 2:46 in "A Dark Fall" from Fire Emblem: Fates, here: youtu.be/gBQFNUJ8s2A?t=1m56s
--------------------
The score was created in Sibelius 7.5, and the audio was created in Cubase using the brilliant EastWest sample libraries.
★Game: Fire Emblem: Awakening
★Developer: Intelligent Systems
★Publisher: Nintendo
★Composer(s): Hiroki Morishita, Rei Kondoh
★Software: Sibelius 7.5, Cubase Elements 7, Adobe Premiere Elements 15, EastWest Sample Libraries
★Tags: Fire Emblem, Awakening, Fire Emblem Awakening, Fire Emblem OST, Fire Emblem Awakening OST, Fire Emblem Awakening Soundtrack, Dont Speak Her Name, Don't Speak Her Name, Emmeryn, Chrom
#FireEmblemAwakening
#DontSpeakHerName
#SheetMusic
🎵 Sheet Music & Parts (with definite ending) ➤ mymusicsheet.com/TandA/315573
💗 MIDI / XML / Sibelius ➤ bit.ly/TandABundle
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A transcription I created of one of the most iconic themes from Fire Emblem: Awakening alongside a recording I created to test its accuracy.
--------------------
➤ Analysis:
This was a tricky one (not as tricky as "To One With Life" where the audio quality in the original wasn't great) due to all of the tiny little details they scatter about the music, as they usually do to great effect!
The "Awakening" motif features prominently throughout in several variations, perhaps more so in this track than any other in the game, from 0:27, 0:37, 0:46, 0:58, 1:08, 1:18 and 1:28 before giving way to a new motif in the trombones at 1:37.
The piece is effectively divided in to two sections: the first (0:00 - 1:59) where it builds and builds with more instruments added with each phrase before breaking off to silence.
And the second section in 12/8 (although this signature change could happen earlier, or not at all, it is tricky to tell) where there is a lot of new material, with the occasional reference to earlier material (2:46 referencing 0:03, and the trombone of 2:20 referencing one of the primary themes of the first section).
The piano arpeggios are a little dubious, since they are very blurred in the original. Though I have plucked out certain pitches I can definitely hear and then added in the surrounding arpeggio notes to reach these more certain notes.
There is also one brief instance of a clarinet (0:58), which is then silent for the remainder of the piece. So it is possible that the clarinet is actually not a part of this piece, or that it has a larger part that I did not pick up on.
As a bit of trivia, the composers reuse the tubular bell pattern of 2:46 in "A Dark Fall" from Fire Emblem: Fates, here: youtu.be/gBQFNUJ8s2A?t=1m56s
--------------------
The score was created in Sibelius 7.5, and the audio was created in Cubase using the brilliant EastWest sample libraries.
★Game: Fire Emblem: Awakening
★Developer: Intelligent Systems
★Publisher: Nintendo
★Composer(s): Hiroki Morishita, Rei Kondoh
★Software: Sibelius 7.5, Cubase Elements 7, Adobe Premiere Elements 15, EastWest Sample Libraries
★Tags: Fire Emblem, Awakening, Fire Emblem Awakening, Fire Emblem OST, Fire Emblem Awakening OST, Fire Emblem Awakening Soundtrack, Dont Speak Her Name, Don't Speak Her Name, Emmeryn, Chrom
#FireEmblemAwakening
#DontSpeakHerName
#SheetMusic


![Prologue (Book Two) | Orchestral Cover
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Another orchestration of Sakurabas music from Golden Sun: The Lost Age. This time, the music that first greets you as you begin the 2nd game.
➤ Analysis:
This was a rather tricky one, both to transcribe and orchestrate. The transcription was challenging due to the very inaudible flute passage from (0:28) in the original, and the orchestration proved tricky to balance with all the (excessive!) fanfares.
The music begins in the Dorian mode (with a sharpened 6th, which here is the C#), until the whopping climactic C major 7th chord at 0:16, in typical (and glorious) Sakuraba fashion.
The quieter sections melody (0:28) is reminiscent of the original Golden Sun theme from the 1st game (with the initial ascending crotchets, followed by a dotted crotchet and two semiquavers). I referenced this in the orchestration at 0:48 by adding the triplet rhythm in the horn and trombone - a continuation of the Golden Sun theme following the opening notes of the theme that have already been played.
The link between repeats is quite a stretch, modulating from C major into E major - a triadic shift - which is a commonly used progression for modulating to a tonic via a perfect cadence (V - I, which here would have been E major to A major). However, that modulation is absent, making the progression all the more powerful.
The score was created in Sibelius 7.5, and the audio was created in Cubase using the brilliant EastWest sample libraries.
★Game: Golden Sun: The Lost Age
★Developer: Camelot Software Planning
★Publisher: Nintendo
★Composer(s): Motoi Sakuraba
★Software: Sibelius 7.5, Cubase Elements 7, Adobe Premiere Elements 15, EastWest Sample Libraries
★Tags: Golden Sun, Golden, Sun, The Lost Age, Golden Sun The Lost Age, TLA, GS, Golden Sun Orchestra, Golden Sun Cover, Golden Sun Remix, Golden Sun Arrangement, Prologue, Book Two, Prologue (Book Two), Golden Sun Prologue
#GoldenSun
#Orchestra
#TheLostAge Prologue (Book Two) | Orchestral Cover](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/guhmlJKmMsc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Valak Mountain (Night) | Orchestral Cover
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To complement Satorl Marsh (Night), here is the peaceful yet vast Valak Mountain (Night), fully transcribed with sheet music and an audio recreation.
Many thanks to KibaLight for their 4K Xenoblade footage:
https://youtu.be/SKON7Rc46Zw
➤ Analysis:
The vast Valak Mountain, located on the Bionis right arm, is one of the largest, most spacious areas of Xenoblade Chronicles. A cold, snowy tundra littered with thin, icy ridges and scattered hot springs - what music should accompany this?
Here, the track begins in solitude: a chilly solo piano - at least for a few moments - before a drum kit cymbals emerges out of the blizzard with a stable, quasi-improvised rhythm, as if imitating small steamy hisses from the hot springs and geysers. These two instruments complement each other - alone, for quite some time.
Harmonically, the track has an ambiguous opening (0:03) - a sort of G minor / Eb major spelled out by the pianos G-Eb-D-Bb melodies - but by 0:19, we get a more familiar chordal progression: Ab - Fm - Cm. Now the tonal center is clear - C minor (C-Eb-G; 0:28).
At 0:35, distant percussion is added, echoing in the extremes of the right and left audio channels and providing rhythmically syncopated dissonance against the hitherto static cymbal 16th-note material. Is there a meaning behind such a sudden dissonance? Only epic tales will tell! But personally, I imagine these new percussion instruments as if clumps of snow were falling afresh from overhanging cliffs surrounding the party.
By 0:52, we progress to the main section of the track with new instruments, although still remarkably sparse. The introduction that came prior (0:03 - 0:51) is never heard again. This new section is most characterized by its chords: Cm - D diminished - G minor 7th - F minor 7th (0:52 - 1:00). This progression is yearning deeply for something, and perhaps it receives it at 1:09 with a plagal cadence into the distant key of Bb minor (Bb-Db-F), acting as a plagal pivot to the subdominant - F minor (F-Ab-C; 1:13).
Here (1:13), we get another addition - a reversed piano, almost as if the music is reflecting off of the rocky cliffs and echoing back a response. By 1:16, some extreme progressions occur: we get an abrupt tertiary shift from Eb into Gb (Gb-Bb-Db; 1:21) - arguably the most distant chord from our tonic of C minor (a tritone away). In so short a space of time, we have traveled incredibly far, harmonically, which could be representative of the maps vast expanse and ability to swiftly traverse via icy slides.
After 4 measures (1:09 - 1:25), we expect a repeat of the material - which we get nearly half of (Bb minor to F minor; 1:25). But then we disrupt this regular phrasing with a cadence in Eb major (1:33) - the relative of C minor. But we dont stay for long, as we travel once more to Gb major via a distant tertiary shift (1:38), then back to Eb (1:42) and again up to Gb (1:46).
From here (1:50), we step chromatically upwards into G minor (G-Bb-D) - a progression that works seamlessly due to the shared note, Bb. Following this is an alternation of G minor and Ab major 9th (Ab-C-Eb-G-Bb) with a new addition of a twinkling triangle.
But at 2:06, a huge shift occurs; for the first time, the drum cymbals cease, and the piano is left nearly in isolation, saved only by bare 5ths in a harp. We have returned to our tonic, but quickly fall into a surprising A-diminished 7th (A-C-Eb-F#; 2:19) with an additional beat, slipping downward via good voice leading into Ab.
Here (2:24), we get a reference to the introductions Ab - Fm - Cm progression, now extended as the piano suddenly finds itself alone (2:32). And as we reach the end, the piano starts to drift out of sync with the drum cymbals (2:48) as if losing its way, before referencing more introduction material (2:53) to prepare for the repeat.
Throughout ACE+ have successfully managed to capture the vastness of the Valak Mountains and what it is like to traverse them.
★Game: Xenoblade Chronicles
★Developer: Monolith Soft
★Publisher: Nintendo
★Composer(s): ACE+
★Software: Sibelius 7.5, Cubase Elements 7, Cubase 10, Adobe Premiere Elements 15, EastWest Sample Libraries, HALion
★Tags: Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive Edition, Valak Mountain Night, Valak Mountain (Night), Xenoblade Chronicles, Sheet Music, Score, Valak Mountain Sheet Music
#XenobladeChronicles
#SheetMusic
#ValakMountain Valak Mountain (Night) | Orchestral Cover](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h1Eo_YX8zFI/mqdefault.jpg)
![Battle Tower Battle Theme | Orchestral Cover
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An epic orchestral cover of Toby Foxs glorious battle music found during battles in the Battle Tower of the recently released Pokemon Sword and Shield.
➤ Analysis:
In true Fox fashion, we begin with an excitedly energetic syncopated rhythm (0:03) which forms the underlying ostinato pattern to be found throughout most of the track. This pattern is placed in the E Aeolian mode (E-F#-G-A-B-C-D-E) through the presence of a C-natural. This opening ostinato is expanded upon (0:10), now melodically doubled a perfect 4th lower.
By 0:17, we get a new melody outlined here in the trumpet and horn. Rather than being in E Aeolian, the tonality has now shifted to E Dorian (E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D-E) with the presence of a C-sharp, allowing the common Dorian progression of i - IV (E minor - A major), which occurs here at 0:19.
However, this Dorian progression is quickly broken by the imminent C-natural that follows in the next bar (0:21), marking a return to Aeolian. We would expect the end of this 4-bar phrase to conclude in the dominant key (B major; B-D#-F#), but instead, we are given a modal cadence in B minor, which then returns to the tonic of E. This tonic however contains a surprising G#, making the tonality major rather than minor. However, we are then immediately thrust back into E minor with the return of the G-natural (0:24).
When this phrase repeats in the following 4 bars, the conclusion twists this harmony further by use of false relations (D# against D-natural; 0:30). Normally, this dissonance would be extremely harsh, but due to the swift-paced energy of the track, this fleeting dissonance is softened and only further serves to enhance the intensity of the track.
By 0:32, the strings take over the melody, re-purposing the opening rhythmic ostinato into a new melodic passage now in the submediant key of C major. Interestingly, instead of returning as expected to E minor, we return instead to E major (0:34), but quickly fall back to C major - a tertiary modulation known for creating a triumphant aesthetic.
At the end of this phrase, the strings introduce a new melody (0:43). This is picked up by the brass in the following phrase (0:47) for their moment of glory. Here I added a steady string pattern to grind against the syncopated brass rhythms to add further intensity and excitement.
The conclusion of this phrase is interrupted, breaking the expected 4-bar phrase down to a 3-bar phrase, and at 0:59 we abruptly modulate into E Phrygian (E-F-G-A-B-C-D-E) as we juxtapose between E and F with material played in predominantly perfect 4ths. This juxtaposition is enhanced with additional syncopation at 1:07.
At 1:14, we get a repeat of the opening sections. Rather than repeat these exactly, I added an additional violin melody (1:14), followed by celesta and glockenspiel material (1:30).
By 1:44, we get new quieter material. Originally performed with a synthesizer, I have placed the material in the upper woodwinds accompanied by fluttering violin tremolos, allowing a momentary respite from the otherwise heated track. The remaining strings join in at 1:52 for a lovely passage juxtaposing C major, D major and E major.
This quieter material is slowly expanded upon 1:59, now with many instruments returning. The 1st violins play a passage reminiscent of their opening top pedal (0:03), while the bassoon and cello fly off on a fleeting passage of semiquavers. We reach the climax at 2:14 as the remaining brass enter with syncopated trumpets and xylophone, trilling woodwinds, and relentless tubular bells. Altogether the vast combination of material should pack quite the punch!
The score was created in Sibelius 7.5, and the audio was created in Cubase using sample libraries from EastWest and Vienna Symphonic.
★Game: Pokemon: Sword and Shield
★Developer: Game Freak
★Publisher: The Pokemon Company, Nintendo
★Composer(s): Toby Fox
★Software: Sibelius 7.5, Cubase Elements 7, Cubase 10, Adobe Premiere Elements 15, EastWest Sample Libraries, Vienna Symphonic Library
★Tags: Pokemon Sword and Shield, Battle Tower, Battle Tower Theme Music, Battle Tower Battle Music, Battle Tower Battle Theme, Sword & Shield, Pokemon, Toby Fox, Toby Fox Battle Theme
#swordandshield
#tobyfox
#pokemonbattletheme Battle Tower Battle Theme | Orchestral Cover](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/h5hl-q-aNsg/mqdefault.jpg)
![Non-Adept Battle Theme (Extended) | Golden Sun Orchestral Cover
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Enjoy this extended version of the Non-Adept Battle Theme Orchestral Cover by TandA.
(Bonus points to those that can spot the loop point in the video footage)
The score was created in Sibelius 7.5, and the audio was created in Cubase using sample libraries from EastWest, 8Dio and Vienna Symphonic.
★Game: Golden Sun: The Lost Age
★Developer: Camelot Software Planning
★Publisher: Nintendo
★Composer(s): Motoi Sakuraba
★Software: Sibelius 7.5, Cubase Elements 7, Cubase 10, Adobe Premiere Elements 15, EastWest Sample Libraries, 8Dio, Vienna Symphonic Library
★Tags: Golden, Sun, Golden Sun, The Lost Age, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Orchestra, Orchestral, Orchestration, Arrangement, Remix, Cover
#GoldenSun
#Orchestra
#Briggs Non-Adept Battle Theme (Extended) | Golden Sun Orchestral Cover](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/iAqP7WKk6zc/mqdefault.jpg)
![Sol Sanctum Erupts | Orchestral Cover
🎵 Sheet Music & Parts ➤ [Removed by Nintendo JP]
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Well, what a chaotic one - Sol Sanctum Erupts from the cataclysmic start of Golden Sun!
➤ Analysis:
Blimey, where to begin - this has been the biggest arrangement to create so far! The original is intensely chromatic and dissonant - very surprisingly so for the capabilities of the Game Boy Advance! - with an incredible amount of tritone intervals (Devil Interval) of an augmented 4th (e.g. B + F) and semitonal clashes (e.g. B + C).
With respect to this chaos, I had a field day with orchestrating it, bringing out those semitonal clashes and tritones even further and adding several other dissonances (e.g. the suspensions in the opening horn melodies creating a further semitonal clash).
By the time we get to 0:32, all hell breaks loose: the winds go off on their own chromatic scales and trills (with homage to Stravinsky); the trumpets bring in sporadic staccato passages and crescendo semitones; and the harp litters in occasional glissandi - all the while the original material (which was already dissonant) is sounding in the choir and strings.
The choir largely sing random text, with some references to religious themes (e.g. Sanctus = Holy, and Agnus = Lamb), which I thought fitting for an event related to Alchemy (arguably the religion of Golden Suns universe).
The Cubase file for this arrangement hit my limit on MIDI tracks (I can only have 64 per project!), so I had to use two projects to create it. Thus the Cubase footage above is the raw MIDI information, rather than the tweaked MIDI (as I couldnt fit it all into one project!). I think its time to upgrade my workstation!
The score was created in Sibelius 7.5, and the audio was created in Cubase using the brilliant EastWest sample libraries.
★Game: Golden Sun
★Developer: Camelot Software Planning
★Publisher: Nintendo
★Composer(s): Motoi Sakuraba
★Software: Sibelius 7.5, Cubase Elements 7, Adobe Premiere Elements 15, EastWest Sample Libraries
★Tags: Golden Sun, Golden, Sun, The Lost Age, Golden Sun The Lost Age, TLA, GS, Golden Sun Orchestra, Golden Sun Cover, Golden Sun Remix, Golden Sun Arrangement, Sol Sanctum, Erupts, Catastrophe, Sol Sanctum Erupts
#GoldenSun
#Orchestra
#TheLostAge Sol Sanctum Erupts | Orchestral Cover](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ie9_oMmfcng/mqdefault.jpg)



