Music of the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series
The
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Original Soundtrack was released by
Creation and influence
Kumi Tanioka has described the musical style for the soundtrack to Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles as being based on "ancient instruments".[1] She says that the idea came to her while looking at illustrations of the game world, which gave her the idea of making "world music", where the tracks would "not [be] limited to a single country or culture".[2] She also credits Hidenori Iwasaki, the synthesizer operator for the game, with doing "fantastic technical work" that brought her vision to life.[2] For the soundtrack to Ring of Fates, Tanioka purposefully did not focus on "world music", instead focusing on "creating a new landscape containing the same atmosphere".[2] The piano performances in the Ring of Fates soundtrack were done by Kumi Tanioka. She did the performances herself rather than use an outside performer as most Final Fantasy soundtracks have done primarily because she "likes to play piano", and were done without any sheet music, as she preferred instead to improvise.[2] She took extensive piano lessons as a child, and lists piano and choral music as the biggest influences on her musical style. She also claims to have been influenced by music from a wide variety of cultures, such as Indonesian, Irish and Balinese music.[2] She did not compose the soundtrack for The Crystal Bearers; this role was instead performed by Hidenori Iwasaki.[3]
Tanioka has said that in composing the soundtrack for Echoes of Time she tried to "paint the world in an ethnic manner once again".[4] She said that she tried throughout the soundtracks of the first four Crystal Chronicles games to "maintain a common atmosphere between each installment, [but] always introduce a new concept".[4] With Echoes of Time Tanioka wanted to go back to the "tribal" concept of the original Crystal Chronicles. She said in regards to the soundtrack that "instead of the traditional sound endemic to the specific areas, I wanted to use them as one flavor and blend many colors just like Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles" and that many of the tracks she created would be "actually impossible to perform" in real life.[4]
Albums
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Original Soundtrack
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Original Soundtrack | |
---|---|
Soundtrack album by | |
Released | August 20, 2003 |
Length | Disc one - 66:22 Disc two - 65:16 |
Label | Pony Canyon |
Producer | Square Enix |
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, containing the majority of the musical tracks from the game, and was composed by
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: A Musical Journey was a European promotional album which was given alongside the game on March 11, 2004 if the game had been pre-ordered. It contains six tracks from the soundtrack, including "Kaze no Ne" in both Japanese and English, the only time the English version has been released. It was published by Nintendo of Europe, and covers a duration of 17:37.[5]
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Original Soundtrack sold over 5,800 copies.[6] It was well received; Daniel Space of RPGFan praised it, saying that "the music is fun, extremely well written and interesting to hear". He enjoyed the alternative instruments used in the tunes, calling them "successful in providing imagery of renaissance times", although he felt that much more of them would have begun to drag the soundtrack down.[1] Chris of Square Enix Music Online also enjoyed the soundtrack, although he noted that it was "not for everyone". He did, however, feel that the constant use of Renaissance-themed music resulted in a "lack of diversity of styles" that made several of the tracks "bland and indistinctive".[7] Jared of Square Enix Music Online was more enthusiastic about the soundtrack, terming it "a stunning soundtrack full of feeling and emotion" and praising its "unique" style.[8] As a promotional album, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - A Musical Journey was not as noted by critics. Jared felt that it was "a decent look into the soundtrack of Crystal Chronicles", but not as good of a sampler disc as it could have been due to the track selection.[5]
Track listing
Disc one | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Disc two | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates Original Soundtrack
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates, containing all of the musical tracks from the game, and was composed and produced by Kumi Tanioka. The ending theme song for the game, "A World Without Stars" (星のない世界, Hoshi no Nai Sekai), was sung by Aiko, though it was not included in the album, and Nobuo Uematsu contributed one track to the soundtrack. The soundtrack continues the musical theme of "ancient instruments" prevalent in the Crystal Chronicles soundtrack, but additionally incorporates more modern orchestral instruments such as string and horn pieces. The tracks on the album cover a wide range of emotional themes, from "joyful and whimsical tracks" to "lugubrious emotional tracks" to "bombastic battle tracks".[9] In keeping with the lighthearted nature of the game, any darker-themed tracks are exaggerated to make them less serious. The soundtrack spans 57 tracks, covering a duration of 1:16:06. It was released on September 19, 2007 in Japan by Square Enix bearing the catalog number SQEX-10101.[9] The single for Hoshi no Nai Sekai, released in 2007, sold 112,000 copies and reached #2 on the Oricon singles chart.[6]
Ring of Fates was well received by reviewers; Neal Chandran of RPGFan, although finding the original soundtrack to be "bland", felt that the Crystal Chronicles soundtrack was "quite varied, exciting, and dare I say really freaking good" and praised the variety of styles and moods of the tracks.[9] Chris was also enthusiastic about the soundtrack, praising it as "one of the finest accompaniments to a Final Fantasy game ever produced". He noted, however, that the soundtrack works best as a "flowing" work or accompaniment to the game, with a lack of individual tracks that stood out as memorable.[10] Don of Square Enix Music Online was much harsher towards the soundtrack, terming it an "extremely underwhelming album". He disapproved of the change from the medieval instrumentation to a more orchestral score, and felt that the pieces had much less emotional intensity than the Crystal Chronicles soundtrack.[11]
Track listing[9] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time Original Soundtrack
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time, containing the majority of the musical tracks from the game, and was composed by Kumi Tanioka. It was released by Square Enix on February 18, 2009. Like previous Crystal Chronicles soundtracks, Echoes incorporates a variety of instruments, including oboes, xylophones, marimbas and Latin guitars. Unlike the previous Crystal Chronicles soundtracks, the Echoes does not include a theme song. The soundtrack spans 51 tracks over 2 discs, covering a duration of 2:07:30, and has the catalog numbers SQEX-10137~8.[3][12]
Track listing
Disc one | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Disc two | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Original Soundtrack
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack album of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Crystal Bearers, containing the majority of the musical tracks from the game, composed by
Track listing
No. | Title | Japanese title | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Moonlight Serenade" | 月光小夜曲 ~Moonlight Serenade~ | 0:45 |
2. | "Crystal Bearers Ramble" | クリスタルベアラーランブル | 2:49 |
3. | "The Sacred Haven" | 聖なる安息の地 | 1:46 |
4. | "Zu Ambush ~ Sky Dive!" | スカイダイブ! | 2:01 |
5. | "Trouble Up Ahead" | Trouble Up Ahead | 1:58 |
6. | "An Unlikely Guest" | 招かれざるもの | 0:54 |
7. | "Unknown Enemy" | Unknown Enemy | 1:46 |
8. | "Emergency!" | エマージェンシー! | 3:44 |
9. | "The Royal Army" | 王国軍 | 1:35 |
10. | "Alfitaria Capital City" | 王都アルフィタリア | 3:33 |
11. | "Althea" | アルテア | 1:27 |
12. | "Together on the Run" | Together on the Run | 0:32 |
13. | "Getaway" | ランナウェイ | 3:26 |
14. | "Ruins" | 遺跡 | 2:37 |
15. | "The World is Changing" | リザレクション | 2:09 |
16. | "Lett Highlands" | レト平原 | 2:48 |
17. | "Catch and Throw" | Catch and Throw | 2:43 |
18. | "The Pioneer Spirit" | 荒野 ~Eastern Wildlands~ | 2:43 |
19. | "Neighborhood Tinkerer" | シド | 1:55 |
20. | "Bridge Town" | 橋の街 | 1:03 |
21. | "High Commander" | 参謀長 | 2:14 |
22. | "Chase The Hostile" | 追跡 | 1:07 |
23. | "The Lost Tribe" | 失われた種族 | 1:51 |
24. | "Bahamut Strikes" | バハムートストライク | 1:49 |
25. | "Bahamut's Rage" | バハムートの怒り | 2:33 |
26. | "Prison Sands" | Prison Sands | 2:04 |
27. | "Snarky Tough Guy" | Snarky Tough Guy | 2:29 |
28. | "Surfin' Layle" | サーフィン レイル | 2:26 |
29. | "Selkie Guild" | セルキーズギルド | 2:29 |
30. | "Costa Faguita" | コスタ・ファギータ | 2:25 |
31. | "Girls, We Have to Win!" | Girls, We Have to Win! | 2:25 |
32. | "Belle Handles it Solo" | ベル | 1:04 |
33. | "Crystal Locomotive" | セルキートレイン | 2:32 |
34. | "Authority" | 権力 | 1:08 |
35. | "Hide and Seek" | ハイド&シーク | 2:32 |
36. | "Dig! Dig! Dig!" | Dig! Dig Dig! | 1:24 |
37. | "Jingle Medley" | ジングルメドレー | 0:42 |
No. | Title | Japanese title | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Beyond the Horizon" | Beyond the Horizon | 2:31 |
2. | "Raging Ambition" | 燃え上がる野望 | 1:54 |
3. | "The Awakened Beast" | バレットレイン | 2:27 |
4. | "Snowfields" | 雪原 | 2:59 |
5. | "Freezing Heat" | Freezing Heat | 2:21 |
6. | "Rivelgauge Monastery" | リベルゴーシュ修道院 | 2:19 |
7. | "Vineyard" | 小さなドメーヌ | 2:33 |
8. | "Queen's Garden" | 王都庭園 | 2:53 |
9. | "Kickerbaul" | ケッカバウ | 2:22 |
10. | "Chocobo" | チョコボ | 1:53 |
11. | "Infiltration" | 潜入 | 1:58 |
12. | "Althea's Waltz" | アルテアワルツ | 3:10 |
13. | "Moonless Starry Night" | 星月夜 | 1:47 |
14. | "Veo Lu Sluice" | 約束のうるおい | 1:37 |
15. | "A Moment of Repose" | 休息 | 1:07 |
16. | "Existence and Oblivion" | 存在と不在の狭間 | 2:31 |
17. | "Moogle Woods" | モーグリの森 | 2:31 |
18. | "Aerial Prison" | 浮遊監獄 | 2:34 |
19. | "Blockade Buster" | Blockade Buster | 2:23 |
20. | "The Taint of Power" | クリスタルストライクバック | 1:28 |
21. | "Narrow Escape" | 脱出 | 3:46 |
22. | "Quiet Lament" | Quiet Lament | 1:26 |
23. | "A Hero's Resolve" | A Hero's Resolve | 0:41 |
24. | "Hidden Tales of Adventure" | Hidden Tales of Adventure | 2:43 |
25. | "Ephemeron" | 儚きもの | 1:54 |
26. | "For the Kingdom" | 王国の為に | 1:11 |
27. | "Destiny" | 運命 | 2:36 |
28. | "Final Showdown" | Final Showdown | 3:05 |
29. | "Indomitable" | Indomitable | 3:07 |
30. | "This is the End for You!" | This is the End for You! | 3:39 |
31. | "Kuule tää unelmain" | 聖なる安息の地 ~Kuule tää unelmain~ | 1:47 |
32. | "Majestic Theme" | 栄華なるテーマ | 3:22 |
33. | "Leave it to Me!" | オレにまかせろ! | 0:53 |
Piano Collections
On April 7, 2021, Square Enix released Piano Collections Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles to correspond with the release of the remastered edition of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. The ten-track, 40:38 album contains piano arrangements by Kumi Tanioka of her compositions for the game, performed by Tanioka with accompaniment by Yui Morishita on four duets. Patrick Gann of RPGFan heavily praised the album, particularly the duets.[13]
Singles
Kaze no Ne
"Sound of the Wind" (カゼノネ, Kaze no Ne) is the opening song of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, composed by Kumi Tanioka and performed by
Patrick Gann of RPGFan called "Kaze no Ne" one of the few singles he had purchased that was "worth holding onto". He described all of the tracks as "beautiful", and felt that the arranged version of "Sound of the Wind" was "charming and enigmatic".[14] Dave of Square Enix Music Online concurred, calling the single "a potentially excellent addition to anyone's discography". He described Yae's voice as "angelic" "mature" and "fresh" and summed up the album as "a definitive Yae experience accessible to game music fans".[15]
Hoshi no Nai Sekai / Yokogao
"Hoshi no Nai Sekai"/"Yokogao" is
Neal Chandran approved of "Hoshi no Nai Sekai" / "Yokogao", finding it to be enjoyable despite its short length. He felt that "A World Without Stars" was a "terrific piece, and that the other two songs, while "not as strong", were "still decent tracks that were easy on the ears", and approved of the instrumental versions included in the single.[16] Don also appreciated the soundtrack, calling it "a nice choice" and saying that it "complements a rather weak original soundtrack". He felt that the balance in the songs between the piano and electric guitar was well done.[17]
Track listing | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Legacy
Unlike the soundtracks to the numbered Final Fantasy games, no songs from the Crystal Chronicles soundtracks have appeared in any
References
- ^ a b c Space, Daniel. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles OST". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
- ^ a b c d e Jeriaska; Kumi, Tanioka (2008-03-29). "Interview with Kumi Tanioka". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2012-09-08. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- ^ a b Chris. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Echoes of Time Soundtrack: Review by Chris". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- ^ a b c Tanioka, Kumi. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time liner notes". Archived from the original on 2012-04-08. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
- ^ a b Jared. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles - A Musical Journey: Review by Jared". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on 2012-06-16. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ a b オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 [Oricon Ranking Information Service 'You Big Tree']. Oricon (in Japanese). Retrieved 2018-06-20.
- ^ Chris. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Original Soundtrack: Review by Chris". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ Jared. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Original Soundtrack: Review by Jared". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ a b c d Chandran, Neal. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates OST". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
- ^ Chris. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates Soundtrack: Review by Chris". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on 2012-08-22. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ Don. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates Soundtrack: Review by Don". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2009-01-26.
- ^ Gann, Patrick (2009-03-21). "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Echoes of Time OST". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2009-04-05.
- ^ Gann, Patrick (2021-11-12). "Piano Collections Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles". RPGFan. Retrieved 2021-12-02.
- ^ a b Gann, Patrick. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Opening Theme - Sound of the Wind". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2009-01-14.
- ^ Dave. "Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Kaze No Ne - Yae: Review by Dave". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
- ^ a b Chandran, Neal. "aiko - A World Without Stars / Profile". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2009-01-16.
- ^ Don. "FF Crystal Chronicles Ring of Fates: Hoshi No Nai Sekai: Review by Don". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on 2012-08-31. Retrieved 2009-01-30.
- ^ "Games in Concert" (in Dutch). Gamer.nl. Archived from the original on 2009-04-18. Retrieved 2009-02-12.
External links
- Official Kumi Tanioka Site
- Official Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Original Soundtrack home page at Pony Canyon
- Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: Ring of Fates Original Soundtrack home page at Square Enix