I can’t quite explain why I enjoy waltzes so much. I grew up
classical music, but I listened and sang to it so often that I soon became tired
of chamber ornamentation and for years wouldn’t touch the genre. But in the
same way Fleetwood Mac came back into my collection so did classical music.
Those early, formative years were so steeped in “The Chain” and “Ave Maria”
that somewhere in the reptile part of my brain they’ve become fused to my
enjoyment of music. It’s the waltz, in particular though, that I hold an
affinity for. It’s so simple at its base, but the bouncy form and light stride
are soothing.
As I was getting back into classical music I discovered that
many of my favorite video game soundtracks held songs indebted to European
composers. I first noticed it with the stunning Mario Galaxy score and I worked my way backwards until I was at the
games that enthralled me as a child; the Pokémon series. I played all of them
from Crystal onward a truly
mindboggling amount, but the one game cartridge that still holds my heart is
Pokémon Emerald. Even as I’ve grown and moved away from video games it stands
as a touchstone in my nostalgic galleries. This was, in part, due to the music.
I didn’t truly notice it at the time, and I certainly didn’t examine the score
under close scrutiny, but those bit-compositions were wonderful. One song was
better than the rest. One song had such a strong stake in my childhood that I
jumped with joy when I found a fully orchestrated version. “Lillycove City” is,
and continues to be, one of the best songs ever placed into a video game. The
waltz has all the trademarks of a grand ¾ track. It bounces along with a
spirited, yet calm, energy and the main melody line has a great habit of
sneaking into my mind, making me hum along. But it’s the small immaculately
crafted touches on the sides of that main melody that cement this track as
flawless. The airy accordion in the back ground floats effortlessly along with
the swaying string section, and the composer was obviously had a flexible mind.
The track elegantly flows from staccato lines that give plucked violins the
spotlight only seconds before languid legato sections sweep in carrying the
song away to its climax. At its base the song seems infused with a smile
inducing energy that reminds me of Miyazaki films as much as it does European
ball rooms.
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