Rhapsody on Themes from the Legend of Zelda

[arnerich]

Here's a Rhapsody I composed using only themes from the Legend of Zelda. I'm a big fan of the series. I think this piece makes for a good introduction to classical music for first time listeners. Hope you enjoy it.

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[perfect_pitch]

If you really want to build viewers to your channel - you're going to need to play it live and record it. No one really cares about a bunch of scrolling notes...

Believe me, as someone who does the same thing you are doing (arranging music).

[arnerich]

If you really want to build viewers to your channel - you're going to need to play it live and record it. No one really cares about a bunch of scrolling notes...

Believe me, as someone who does the same thing you are doing (arranging music).

Sure, I’d like to add viewers to my YouTube channel. I agree a live video would be more effective. Although I'd like to encourage young non-musicians to take an interests in music and I think it's beneficial to have videos synced with sheet music for that reason.

But let’s be clear, this is no arrangement. I composed this piece based on themes from the Legend of Zelda in the same way Brahms composed his Academic Festival overture based off popular student drinking songs.

I’m a fan Koji Kondo and I’ll give credit where it’s due. But do you think anyone would say my double fugue in the development section is an arrangement? No way! Also, each of the three sections of the sonata form; exposition, development and recapitulation are all exactly 64 measures in length. That was no accident. I accounted for ever measure of this piece. It’s overall structure and harmonic layout were all taken into consideration. From beginning to end this piece bears my unique fingerprint and only I could have composed it. 

[perfect_pitch]

I’m a fan Koji Kondo and I’ll give credit where it’s due. But do you think anyone would say my double fugue in the development section is an arrangement?

Yes, it contains paraphrases and material used by Koji Kondo... it's still an arrangement. You've taken his material and although added in your own as well, is still an arrangement. If you took out everything that WAS Koji Kondo's music and left it, you wouldn't have much left.

[arnerich]

Yes, it contains paraphrases and material used by Koji Kondo... it's still an arrangement. You've taken his material and although added in your own as well, is still an arrangement. If you took out everything that WAS Koji Kondo's music and left it, you wouldn't have much left.

Give Koji the bulk of the credit if you want, he deserves it. I've got plenty of original compositions I'm more proud of any how. I do know one thing, he may have made the tunes but I made it a masterpiece.

[milchhpiano]

Shying away from the conversation on arrangements for a moment...

The 13 year old inside of me is jumping with excitement over this piece right now. The music from Zelda was the first I learned to play on the piano and I made several transcriptions back in the day when Ichigo's had a prominent forum community. Although I improvised with the themes back then (and still do to entertain kids), I never thought to sketch it out like this! Big kudos for the effort you put into this, I certainly enjoyed it.

As a learned, academic musician however, my criticisms lie in the drama, scope and how the harmony develops. Part of this comes in the confusion that it is both considered a rhapsody as well as being in sonata form. Those are two very different treatments of composition, both which approach themes with a different sort of aesthetic (yes, I'm going there, so I'm going to try and limit the length of this post). What might make it stronger is to place it in one camp or the other. If it's a sonata, make sure the listener can really hear the start and end of each theme, when it's transitioning into another section, and to truly make a solidified start and end of the exposition, development and recap. If it weren't for the subtitles of each section, I wouldn't have been able to follow the form with my ear. If it's a rhapsody, I believe there must be more attention made to the drama. This is even more in the camp of talking aesthetics, however I think what is missing is the sense of discovering a new theme and how we can follow a journey between each of them.

Technically, I think the fugue needs to be simplified (or pushed further, depending on how you look at it) to accommodate a more traditional and systematic approach to writing a fugue. I'm not an expert on writing fugues so I unfortunately cannot tell you exactly what to do, however the fact that it doesn't evoke the treatment of subjects like Bach is where it falls short for me. I know you're not trying to imitate Bach here but to use the fugue in your own style, but as your goal is laid out to use this piece as a cross-over for young musicians getting into classical music you might want to consider a less romantic approach to the fugue.

Wrapping this up, I still want to say brava for what you have here. I am impressed, and I hope my comments help you in some tiny small way in your future work!

[kalospiano]

very nice piece! Memories of youth coming back to mind always liked zelda's music.
I don't think that the performance video is necessarily better than the scrolling notes. There are many users who like looking at the notes while listening to the music, not to mention those who'd like to play it. There are youtubers like "thenameisgsarci" who have thousands followers, and all their videos are scrolling music sheets.

[perfect_pitch]

I do know one thing, he may have made the tunes but I made it a masterpiece.

That statement alone completely outlines either how arrogant you are... or pompous.

You didn't make this a masterpiece, Koji Kondo WROTE a masterpiece... I've got no problem if you have your own compositions, but don't make statements like the one above - that shows a level of dillusion, not commonly found in sane people.

However, on a nicer note - some of your original compositions are well written and sound quite lovely...

[arnerich]

That statement alone completely outlines either how arrogant you are... or pompous.

You didn't make this a masterpiece, Koji Kondo WROTE a masterpiece... I've got no problem if you have your own compositions, but don't make statements like the one above - that shows a level of dillusion, not commonly found in sane people.

However, on a nicer note - some of your original compositions are well written and sound quite lovely...

I will admit I do have an arrogant side occasionally. I spend years on my compositions and I put a great deal of thought and time into them. I know Koji deserves most of the credit, but I also know my contribution is substantial. I'd hate for my hard work to be completely over looked and so I got defensive.

I'm glad my compositions pleased you. All the best to you.