Uploaded April 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
🎵 Sheet Music & Parts ➤ [Removed by Nintendo JP]
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You guys voted, so here it is! - An orchestral arrangement of the first overworld theme from Golden Sun: The Lost Age, colloquially known as "Traversing Weyard".
--------------------
➤ Analysis:
Similarly to "The Angarian Journey" - the overworld to the first game, "Golden Sun" - Sakuraba employs certain techniques to evoke a triumphant, determined, march-like overworld theme.
To start, there is a heavy tread of I-V-I-V (heard here in the tubas and cellos at 0:02), creating the characteristic "om-pa om-pa" march rhythm. This is combined with a snare drum (which I have restored here as they were unintentionally lost in Sakuraba's original - see: youtu.be/5XryhVMWCdI ), and brass fanfares. All of these create a familiar sounding march aesthetic.
Outside of instrumentation, Sakuraba also employs tertiary modulations (e.g. C - Ab (0:05), and Ab - F (0:39)) which are a common film music progression used for evoking triumph. The use of suspended 4ths resolving traditionally down to the 3rd also enforces this, such as Gsus4 (G-C-D to G-B-D; 0:09) and Csus4 (C-F-G to C-E-G; 0:17).
To enhance this aesthetic further, I have added in some periodic woodwind scalic runs, brass rips and glissandi for added excitement, as well as additional bass drum, timpani and cymbals to contribute to the march-like feel.
When the first section repeats (0:19), instead of a direct repeat, I added an additional string layer (violin I), increased the wind material and added a bright glockenspiel to top off the melody.
By 0:34 we move to a new section via a tertiary modulation (C - Ab) that opens with a gorgeous major 7th chord (Ab - C - Eb - G). To mark this shift, I decided to retain the bass guitar from Sakuraba's original (for added nostalgia!) but also added in some Sakuraba-esque arpeggios in the harp and celesta. Here, we also get two tertiary modulations back-to-back, with Ab - F - Ab (0:39) - exciting stuff!
As we start to climb at 0:43, Sakuraba breaks the 4-bar regular phrasing and ends this phrase after only 2 bars. Combined with the ascending tertiary harmony (Ab - Bb - C), this interruption of the phrasing only serves to enhance the track's excitement as we return to the tonic key of C major with a mighty brass fanfare (0:46).
Although not as audible in Sakuraba's original, here (0:47) he employs a C-pedal over which is placed a dominant chord (so G-B-D over a pedal of C). This creates a semitonal clash (B-C) that resolves outwards in contrary motion alongside another tertiary modulation (G-B-D move upwards to Ab-C-Eb, while the C shifts down to Ab). This combo earns Sakuraba at least 100 Brownie points and further exemplifies the triumphant aesthetic. To enhance this progression, I added in several glissandi instruments to highlight this contrary motion.
This phrase repeats once more (0:55), now with an additional melody soaring high above in the violins and winds as we get one final tertiary modulation (Ab - C) combined with Sakuraba's classic arpeggios (1:00).
--------------------
The score was created in Sibelius 7.5, and the audio was created in Cubase using sample libraries from EastWest, Vienna Symphonic and AmpleSound Bass.
★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, Vienna Symphonic Library, AmpleSound Bass
★Tags: Golden, Sun, Golden Sun, The Lost Age, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Orchestra, Orchestral, Orchestration, Arrangement, Remix, Cover, Traversing Weyard, Overworld Theme
#GoldenSun
#Orchestra
#TraversingWeyard
🎵 Sheet Music & Parts ➤ [Removed by Nintendo JP]
💗 MIDI / XML / Sibelius ➤ bit.ly/TandABundle
🎹 Commissions ➤ jshaw.co.uk/commissions
🎮 More Arrangements ➤ jshaw.co.uk/TandA
👍 Facebook ➤ bit.ly/TandAFacebook
🐦 Twitter ➤ bit.ly/TandATwitter
🎵 Bandcamp ➤ bit.ly/TandABandcamp
🎵 Spotify ➤ bit.ly/TandASpotify
🎵 Deezer ➤ bit.ly/TandADeezer
🎵 YouTube Music ➤ bit.ly/TandAYouTube
🎵 Apple Music / iTunes ➤ bit.ly/TandAApple
You guys voted, so here it is! - An orchestral arrangement of the first overworld theme from Golden Sun: The Lost Age, colloquially known as "Traversing Weyard".
--------------------
➤ Analysis:
Similarly to "The Angarian Journey" - the overworld to the first game, "Golden Sun" - Sakuraba employs certain techniques to evoke a triumphant, determined, march-like overworld theme.
To start, there is a heavy tread of I-V-I-V (heard here in the tubas and cellos at 0:02), creating the characteristic "om-pa om-pa" march rhythm. This is combined with a snare drum (which I have restored here as they were unintentionally lost in Sakuraba's original - see: youtu.be/5XryhVMWCdI ), and brass fanfares. All of these create a familiar sounding march aesthetic.
Outside of instrumentation, Sakuraba also employs tertiary modulations (e.g. C - Ab (0:05), and Ab - F (0:39)) which are a common film music progression used for evoking triumph. The use of suspended 4ths resolving traditionally down to the 3rd also enforces this, such as Gsus4 (G-C-D to G-B-D; 0:09) and Csus4 (C-F-G to C-E-G; 0:17).
To enhance this aesthetic further, I have added in some periodic woodwind scalic runs, brass rips and glissandi for added excitement, as well as additional bass drum, timpani and cymbals to contribute to the march-like feel.
When the first section repeats (0:19), instead of a direct repeat, I added an additional string layer (violin I), increased the wind material and added a bright glockenspiel to top off the melody.
By 0:34 we move to a new section via a tertiary modulation (C - Ab) that opens with a gorgeous major 7th chord (Ab - C - Eb - G). To mark this shift, I decided to retain the bass guitar from Sakuraba's original (for added nostalgia!) but also added in some Sakuraba-esque arpeggios in the harp and celesta. Here, we also get two tertiary modulations back-to-back, with Ab - F - Ab (0:39) - exciting stuff!
As we start to climb at 0:43, Sakuraba breaks the 4-bar regular phrasing and ends this phrase after only 2 bars. Combined with the ascending tertiary harmony (Ab - Bb - C), this interruption of the phrasing only serves to enhance the track's excitement as we return to the tonic key of C major with a mighty brass fanfare (0:46).
Although not as audible in Sakuraba's original, here (0:47) he employs a C-pedal over which is placed a dominant chord (so G-B-D over a pedal of C). This creates a semitonal clash (B-C) that resolves outwards in contrary motion alongside another tertiary modulation (G-B-D move upwards to Ab-C-Eb, while the C shifts down to Ab). This combo earns Sakuraba at least 100 Brownie points and further exemplifies the triumphant aesthetic. To enhance this progression, I added in several glissandi instruments to highlight this contrary motion.
This phrase repeats once more (0:55), now with an additional melody soaring high above in the violins and winds as we get one final tertiary modulation (Ab - C) combined with Sakuraba's classic arpeggios (1:00).
--------------------
The score was created in Sibelius 7.5, and the audio was created in Cubase using sample libraries from EastWest, Vienna Symphonic and AmpleSound Bass.
★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, Vienna Symphonic Library, AmpleSound Bass
★Tags: Golden, Sun, Golden Sun, The Lost Age, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, Orchestra, Orchestral, Orchestration, Arrangement, Remix, Cover, Traversing Weyard, Overworld Theme
#GoldenSun
#Orchestra
#TraversingWeyard
