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Abstract

Ever since I was a child, I was always enamored with the aspects of a film or video game’s soundtrack more so than anything else. After intaking any time of visual media, the first thing I would do was take to YouTube and listen to the soundtrack on its own. It wasn’t until high school that I realized that most other people do not do this, and I decided to make it something I wanted to understand and pursue further. Some of my favorite soundtracks are those of the Final Fantasy series of games, and they have had a massive impact on my taste and inspirations. I had never been sucked into a musical world more than I was when I first played Final Fantasy X. I loved their clever use and reworking of leitmotifs to fit the on-screen scenario. In particular, the themes written to accompany various battles never fails to get my blood running, and they are the parts of the game I look forward to the most almost exclusively for the music. There is something magical about the feeling you get when a motif you are already familiar with gets repurposed in a different piece and you can sing along with it, despite never hearing it before in your life. I believe that the mark of a skilled composer comes in their versatility to successfully recreate a variety of styles, therefore, one of the main goals I wanted to challenge myself with was to showcase a broad range of techniques and genres. In essence, this is my take on a Final Fantasy score: I wanted to create a vast ecosystem of contrasting themes through repurposed leitmotifs that would come together to tell an overarching story. Additionally, the idea of sorting pieces by “elements” has always been fascinating to me, and I wanted to give it a shot.

Advisor

Findley, Dylan

Department

Music

Disciplines

Composition

Keywords

composition, soundtrack, music, orchestral, electronic

Publication Date

2024

Degree Granted

Bachelor of Music

Document Type

Senior Independent Study Thesis

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© Copyright 2024 Alexander Jacob Nathanson