Music of the Final Fantasy series 1001643 225334657 2008-07-13T03:58:06Z 58.178.44.173 /* Final Fantasy XIII */ {{Articleissues|OR=August 2007|unreferenced=April 2007|rewrite=August 2007}} {{Music of Final Fantasy}} The music of ''Final Fantasy'' refers to the soundtracks of the ''[[Final Fantasy]]'' series of console-based, usually plot-intensive [[Japan]]ese [[console role-playing game|role-playing games]]. The series' music ranges from very light background music to emotionally intense interweavings of character and situation [[leitmotifs]]. The music in the game is usually orchestrated. Its most important composer is [[Nobuo Uematsu]]. ''Final Fantasy'' is such a [[Popular culture|popular]] series that many accompanying [[album]]s and [[compilation album|compilations]] have been produced. ==Recurring themes== Although most of the music changes from game to game, there are several recurring tracks, or [[leitmotifs]]. The "Prelude", or "Crystal Theme" as some fans refer to it, is a track played at the beginning of most of the games, either on the title screen or in the opener. It is also the song played on the formation screen in the original ''[[Final Fantasy (video game)|Final Fantasy]]''. It plays in the middle of the game on occasion, usually in the '''Crystal Rooms''' of ''[[Final Fantasy III]]'', ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'' and ''[[Final Fantasy V]]''. In some games it sometimes plays after the credits, such as in [[Final Fantasy VIII]] and [[Final Fantasy IX]]. However, during [[Final Fantasy VIII]] "The Prelude" was incorporated into the ending theme but with [[Final Fantasy IX]] it appears as a separate track on official soundtrack. "The Prelude" does make a proper appearance during [[Final Fantasy VIII]] as the game over music, which is appropriately titled "The Loser". A highly remixed version also appears in an early scene in ''[[Final Fantasy X]]''. The track also appears in [[Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]] during the conversation with Culex, a Final Fantasy based boss. Another important theme is the appropriately named "Final Fantasy" (aka "Prologue"), which was originally titled "Ahead on our Way", a title later given to the main theme of ''Final Fantasy V'', although this game's piece is completely different. It serves as an opening theme in the original ''Final Fantasy'', ''Final Fantasy III'' and ''Final Fantasy IV''."Final Fantasy" also plays during the ending of most games after the credits roll; however, it is currently not found in ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'', and is also absent from [[Final Fantasy X]]. In ''[[Final Fantasy XII]]'', it is used on the title screen and during the load game screen (where one would load a game from their memory card), which would also mark the earliest the theme had appeared in a Final Fantasy game (most other games used it after the player had completed the opening mission and had set off on the game's main story, but not as a theme in an opening title sequence). The fanfare played after battles is a recurring theme as well, as are the introductory notes and bass lines of the regular battle theme in most games. While the bass line vanished in ''Final Fantasy VII'' for the normal battle theme, it returned later in the track "Birth of a god" (It can be heard early on before the looping part of the track starts) and also in the final boss battle music of ''Final Fantasy VIII''. The [[Chocobo]] theme also recurs, in all Final Fantasy titles since ''[[Final Fantasy II]]''. It is often remixed in a different way for each game. It is titled with the suffix "de Chocobo," and is prefixed by the name of the style it is played in. For example {{audio|Final Fantasy VI - Techno de Chocobo.ogg|'''Techno de Chocobo'''}} from ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' features a dance remix, while "Cinco de Chocobo" from ''Final Fantasy VII'' features a [[cool jazz]] remix in [[Time signature|5/4 time]]. Moogles, who first appeared in Final Fantasy III, also have a theme generally associated with them that has appeared in various games, officially titled "Critter Tripper Fritter!?" on the ''1987-1994'' album. This music is also noteworthy as being the only traditional Final Fantasy anthem to have been present in the [[Gamecube]] title ''[[Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles]]''. Another recurring theme on the game soundtracks is the presence of choir/orchestra ensemble [[Hymn]]s pieces, resembling [[Gregorian Chant]], pieces such as {{audio|Final Fantasy X - Song of Prayer.ogg|'''Hymn of the Fayth'''}} from ''Final Fantasy X''. Not all songs reappear multiple times. Some reappear once, and some reappear in pieces. For instance an unreleased dungeon theme in Final Fantasy II later received its debut in Final Fantasy VI. The Pandemonium Theme in Final Fantasy II later reappeared heavily remixed in Final Fantasy IX as well. ==''Final Fantasy III''== {{main|Music of Final Fantasy III}} The music of ''[[Final Fantasy III]]'' was composed by regular series composer [[Nobuo Uematsu]]. ''Final Fantasy III Original Sound Version'', a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by [[Square Co.]]/[[NTT Publishing]] in 1991, and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing in 1994 and 2004. The soundtrack to the [[Final Fantasy III (Nintendo DS)|remake of Final Fantasy III]] for the [[Nintendo DS]], ''Final Fantasy III Original Soundtrack'' was released by NTT Publishing in 2006, with revamped versions of the songs and additional tracks. A vocal [[arrangement]] album entitled ''Final Fantasy III Yūkyū no Kaze Densetsu'', or literally ''Final Fantasy III Legend of the Eternal Wind'' containing a selection of musical tracks from the game. The tracks were performed by Nobuo Uematsu and Dido, a duo composed of Michiaki Kato and Shizuru Ohtaka. The album was released by Data M in 1990 and by Polystar in 1994. The music received positive reviews from critics, and is lauded as one of the best soundtracks of any NES game. Several songs from the soundtrack remain popular today, and have been performed numerous times in orchestral concert series such as the ''[[Tour de Japon|Tour de Japon: Music from Final Fantasy]]'' concert series and the ''Distant Worlds - Music from Final Fantasy'' series. Music from the game has also been published in arranged albums and compilations by Square as well as outside groups. ==''Final Fantasy IV''== {{main|Music of Final Fantasy IV}} The music of ''[[Final Fantasy IV]]'' was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The ''Final Fantasy IV Original Sound Version'', a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by [[Square Co.]]/[[NTT Publishing]], and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing. It was released in North America by [[Tokyopop]] as ''Final Fantasy IV Official Soundtrack: Music from Final Fantasy Chronicles'', with one additional track. It has since been re-released multiple times with slight changes as part of the ''Final Fantasy Finest Box'' and as ''Final Fantasy IV DS OST''. An [[arrangement|arranged]] album entitled ''Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon'', containing a selection of musical tracks from the game performed in the style of [[Celtic music]] by [[Máire Breatnach]], was released by Square and later re-released by NTT Publishing. Additionally, a collection of [[piano]] arrangements composed by Nobuo Uematsu and played by [[Toshiyuki Mori]] titled ''Piano Collections Final Fantasy IV'' was released by NTT Publishing. The music was overall well received; reviewers have praised the quality of the original composition despite the limited medium, and reacted favorably to the arranged soundtracks. Several songs, especially "Theme of Love", remain popular today, and have been performed numerous times in orchestral concert series, as well as been published in arranged and compilation albums by Square as well as outside groups. ==''Final Fantasy V''== {{main|Music of Final Fantasy V}} The music of ''[[Final Fantasy V]]'' was composed by regular series composer [[Nobuo Uematsu]]. The ''Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version'', a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by [[Square Co.]]/[[NTT Publishing]], and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing after the game was brought to North America as part of the ''[[Final Fantasy Anthology]]''. An [[arrangement|arranged]] album entitled ''Final Fantasy V Dear Friends'', containing a selection of musical tracks from the game arranged in multiple styles, including live and vocal versions, was released by Square/NTT Publishing and later re-released by NTT Publishing. Additionally, a collection of [[piano]] arrangements composed by Nobuo Uematsu, arranged by Shirou Satou and played by [[Toshiyuki Mori]] titled ''Piano Collections Final Fantasy V'' was released by Square/NTT Publishing, and re-released by NTT Publishing. The music received mixed reviews; while some reviewers enjoyed the soundtrack and found it to be underrated, others felt it was only of middling quality. Several songs, especially "Dear Friends", remain popular today, and have been performed numerous times in orchestral concert series such as the ''Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy'' concert series, named after the ''Final Fantasy V'' song, and the [[Orchestral Game Concert]] series. Music from the soundtrack has also been published in arranged and compilation albums by Square as well as outside groups. ==''Final Fantasy VI''== {{main|Music of Final Fantasy VI}} The music of ''[[Final Fantasy VI]]'' was composed by regular series composer [[Nobuo Uematsu]]. The ''Final Fantasy VI Original Sound Version'', a compilation of all the music in the game, was released in Japan by [[NTT Publishing]] in 1994 and re-released by [[Square Enix]] in 2004. The album was released by [[Square Co.]]/NTT Publishing in North America in 1994 under the name ''Kefka<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Domain''. Selected tracks from the official soundtrack were later released as part of the ''Music From FFV and FFVI Video Games'' album that was included with the release of ''[[Final Fantasy Anthology]]'', and two [[EP]]s were produced containing character theme tracks entitled ''Final Fantasy VI Stars Vol. 1'' and ''Vol. 2''. A special [[orchestra]]l [[arrangement]] of selected tracks from the game, arranged by Shiro Sagisu and Tsuneyoshi Saito and performed by the Milan Symphony Orchestra, was released under the title ''Final Fantasy VI Grand Finale'' by NTT Publishing in 1994 and 2004, and a collection of [[piano]] arrangements, arranged by Shirou Satou and performed by Reiko Nomura, was released under the title ''Piano Collections Final Fantasy VI'' by Square/NTT Publishing in 1994 and by NTT Publishing in 2001. Additionally, a single containing unused and remixed songs from the game was released as ''Final Fantasy VI Special Tracks'' by NTT Publishing in 1994. The music received very positive reviews, with reviewers finding it to be one of the best video game music soundtracks ever composed. Several songs, particularly "Aria di Mezzo Carattere", remain popular today, and have been performed numerous times in orchestral concert series such as the ''Dear Friends: Music from Final Fantasy'' concert series and the [[Orchestral Game Concert]] series. Music from the soundtrack has also been published in arranged albums and compilations by Square as well as outside groups. ==''Final Fantasy VII & Compilation of Final Fantasy VII''== ===''Final Fantasy VII''=== ''[[Final Fantasy VII: Original Sound Track]]'' is an album that contains the musical tracks from the game, performed by Nobuo Uematsu. It was first released on [[February 10]], [[1997]], in Japan, by DigiCube, and was subsequently re-released on [[May 10]], [[2004]] by Square Enix. A limited edition of the soundtrack was also released. The most popular song from the game's soundtrack is "[[One-Winged Angel]]", a Latin choral track played during the battle with Safer Sephiroth. "One-Winged Angel" is the first music track in the ''Final Fantasy'' series to feature digitized voices. The music was composed by Nobuo Uematsu. The lyrics were taken from the same medieval poetry featured in [[Carl Orff]]'s [[Carmina Burana (Orff)|Carmina Burana]]. The lyrics can be found in the songs "Estuans interius", "O Fortuna" ("Sors immanis..."), "Veni, veni, venias" and "Ave formosissima" ("Gloriosa" and "Generosa"). An orchestrated version, arranged by [[Shirou Hamaguchi]], was performed for the ''Reunion Tracks'' album (with a sans chorus version included as a hidden track). "One-Winged Angel" was the first song in a Final Fantasy game to have spoken words instead of the "ah" sounds from previous songs like "Dancing Mad". ===''Final Fantasy VII Advent Children''=== ''[[Music of Final Fantasy VII#Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Original Soundtrack|Final Fantasy VII Advent Children Original Soundtrack]]'' is a soundtrack with similar songs to the original game, rearranged by [[Nobuo Uematsu]] and various other composers. The soundtrack contains three tracks from the original game's Piano Collections. It also features a host tracks from ''Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack'', but rearranged in a rock style, notably "Let the Battles Begin!" and "Fight On!" A former Japanese rock band [[Boøwy]]'s singer [[Kyosuke Himuro]]'s song "Calling", from his 1989 album ''[[Neo Fascio]]'', was used in the ending credits. [[Tetsuya Nomura]] has noted that Himuro's music has been highly influential in his own work, and when asked about his contribution to the film, Himuro said that he was happy his work would be used in "the best CG movie ever made in Japan." "One-Winged Angel" is also featured in this album as "Advent: One-Winged Angel". The style of the song is [[symphonic power metal]]. The song is played over the final battle scene between Cloud and Sephiroth. While the [[Black Mages]] performed the heavy metal portion of the [[arrangement]], [[Koji Haijima]] [[conducting|conducted]] the [[orchestra]]. The song features different lyrics than those of the original from the ''Carmina Burana'', though both versions are in Latin. ===''Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII''=== Nobuo Uematsu had no part in ''[[Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII Original Soundtrack]]''. Instead, it was composed by [[Masashi Hamauzu]], who worked with Uematsu on the [[Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack|''Final Fantasy X'' soundtrack]] and is scheduled to compose the soundtrack for ''[[Final Fantasy XIII]]''. The game includes two vocal songs, both performed by [[Gackt]]: “REDEMPTION”, the main theme song for the game, and “LONGING”, which is played while Vincent is battling Omega from the inside. Unlike most of the entries under ''[[Compilation of Final Fantasy VII]]'', ''Dirge of Cerberus'' features no music from the original game. ==''Final Fantasy VIII''== {{main|Music of Final Fantasy VIII}} The music of ''[[Final Fantasy VIII]]'' was composed by regular series composer [[Nobuo Uematsu]]. The ''Final Fantasy VIII Original Soundtrack'', a compilation of all music in the game, was released on four [[Compact Disc]]s by [[DigiCube]] in Japan, and by [[Square Electronic Arts|Square EA]] in North America. A special [[orchestra]]l [[arrangement]] of selected tracks from the game—arranged by [[Shiro Hamaguchi]]—was released under the title ''Fithos Lusec Wecos Vinosec Final Fantasy VIII'', and a collection of [[piano]] arrangements—performed by Shinko Ogata—was released under the title ''Piano Collections Final Fantasy VIII''. The game's soundtrack is best known for two songs: "Liberi Fatali," a [[Latin]] [[choir|choral]] piece that is played during the introduction to the game, and "Eyes on Me," a [[popular music|pop song]] serving as the game's theme, performed by [[China|Chinese]] singer [[Faye Wong]]. Reviewers were generally pleased with the music, although several cited issues while comparing the score to previous games or looking at individual tracks. ==''Final Fantasy IX''== {{main|Music of Final Fantasy IX}} The music of ''[[Final Fantasy IX]]'' was composed by regular series composer [[Nobuo Uematsu]]. It was his last exclusive ''Final Fantasy'' score. The ''Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack'', a compilation of all music in the game, was originally released on four [[Compact Disc]]s by [[DigiCube]] in 2000, and was re-released by [[Square Enix]] in 2004. A [[Greatest hits|Best Of]] and [[arrangement|arranged]] [[soundtrack]] [[album]] of musical tracks from the game entitled ''Final Fantasy IX: Uematsu's Best Selection'' was released in 2000 by [[Tokyopop|Tokyopop Soundtrax]]. ''Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack PLUS'', an album of music from the game's [[full motion video]]s and extra tracks, was released by DigiCube in 2000 and re-released in 2004, and a collection of piano arrangements of songs from the original soundtrack composed by [[Shiro Hamaguchi]] and performed by Louis Leerink was released as ''Piano Collections Final Fantasy IX'' in 2001. The game's soundtrack is best known for the song "Melodies of Life", the theme song of the game, performed by [[Emiko Shiratori]] in [[Japanese language|Japanese]] and [[English language|English]]. The song was released as a [[single (music)|single]] by [[King Records]] in 2000. The soundtrack was based around a theme of [[medieval music]], and was heavily inspired by previous ''Final Fantasy'' games, incorporating themes and motifs from earlier soundtracks. The music was overall well received; reviewers found the soundtrack to be both well done and enjoyable, though opinions were mixed as to the reliance on music of previous games. Several songs, especially "Melodies of Life" and "Vamo' Alla Flamenco", remain popular today, and have been performed numerous times in orchestral concert series, as well as been published in arranged and compilation albums by Square as well as outside groups. ==''Final Fantasy X'' == {{main|Music of Final Fantasy X}} The music of ''[[Final Fantasy X]]'' was composed by regular series composer [[Nobuo Uematsu]], along with [[Masashi Hamauzu]] and [[Junya Nakano]]. It was the first ''Final Fantasy'' game in which Uematsu was not the sole composer. The ''Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack'' was released on four [[Compact Disc]]s in 2001 by [[DigiCube]], and was re-released in 2004 by [[Square Enix]]. Prior to the album's [[North America]]n release, a reduced version entitled ''Final Fantasy X Original Soundtrack'' was released on a single disk by [[Tokyopop]] in 2002. An [[extended play|EP]] entitled ''feel/Go dream: Yuna & Tidus'' containing additional singles not present in the game was released by DigiCube in 2001. ''Piano Collections Final Fantasy X'', a collection of [[piano]] arrangements of the original soundtracks by Masashi Hamauzu and performed by [[Aki Kuroda]], was released by DigiCube in 2002 and re-released by Square EA in 2004. A collection of vocal arrangements of songs from the game arranged by Katsumi Suyama along with [[radio drama]] tracks was released as ''Final Fantasy X Vocal Collection'' in 2002 by DigiCube. The game's soundtrack is best known for the song "Suteki da ne", the theme song of the game, performed by Japanese folk singer [[Ritsuki Nakano]], known as "RIKKI", in [[Japanese language|Japanese]] for both the Japanese and [[English language|English]] versions of the game. The song was released as a [[single (music)|single]] by DigiCube in 2001 and was re-released by Square Enix in 2004. The music was well received overall; reviewers praised the additions to the soundtrack by the two new composers for the series. They especially praised Hamauzu, both for his work in the original soundtrack and in arranging the songs for ''Piano Collections Final Fantasy X''. Several songs, especially "Suteki da ne" and "Zanarkand", remain popular today, and have been performed numerous times in orchestral concert series, as well as been published in arranged and compilation albums by Square as well as outside groups. ==''Final Fantasy X-2''== {{main|Music of Final Fantasy X-2}} The music of ''[[Final Fantasy X-2]]'' was composed by [[Noriko Matsueda]] and [[Takahito Eguchi]]. Regular series composer [[Nobuo Uematsu]] did not contribute any of the music, despite having composed the majority of the soundtrack for the prequel, ''[[Final Fantasy X]]''. The ''Final Fantasy X-2 Original Soundtrack'' was released on two [[Compact Disc]]s in 2003 by [[Avex]]. After the release of ''Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission'', an album entitled ''Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission Original Soundtrack'' composed of the songs added to the soundtrack for that game was released in 2003 by Avex. ''Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection'', a collection of [[piano]] arrangements of the original soundtracks by Noriko Matsueda, Takahito Eguchi, Hiroko Kokubu, Masahiro Sayama, and Febian Reza Pane, was released by Avex in [[2004]]. A [[single (music)|single]] by [[Kumi Koda]] entitled ''real Emotion/1000 no Kotoba'', based on the theme song for the game and the ending credits song, was published by [[Rhythm Zone]] prior to the game's release in 2003. Another single, titled ''Eternity ~Memories of Waves and Light~ Music from Final Fantasy X-2'', was released by Avex in 2003 along with the original soundtrack. It consisted of live arrangements of several of the game's songs, composed and arranged by Noriko Matsueda and Takahito Eguchi. A set of three singles entitled ''Final Fantasy X-2 Vocal Collection- Paine'', ''Rikku'', and ''Yuna'' was published by Avex in 2003, with each single including vocal arrangements of songs from the game, sung by the respective character's voice actress. The soundtrack received mixed reviews from critics; while several felt that the music was good and keeping in tone with the game, others found it to be odd and shallow. Several reviewers attributed the change to the lack of participation by Uematsu. ''Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission Original Soundtrack'' and ''Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection'', on the other hand, were very well received by critics, who felt that they were far superior to the original soundtrack. The singles for the soundtrack were poorly received by critics, who found a few of the songs to be enjoyable but all of the singles to be overpriced. ==''Final Fantasy XI''== Like the game itself, ''Final Fantasy XI'''s score is quite different from that of its predecessors. One major difference is the way that the music is presented: Because of the game's massively-multiplayer nature, most of the music in it is either for specific areas or battles, and only a few compositions were made for certain events or characters (usually only heard during cutscenes). ''Final Fantasy XI'' was [[video game music|scored]] by [[Nobuo Uematsu]], [[Naoshi Mizuta]], and [[Kumi Tanioka]]. With the majority of the music in the game's music being composed by Mizuta alone, this makes ''Final Fantasy XI'' the first main-series Final Fantasy game with which Nobuo Uematsu was not heavily involved. Most of the music that Uematsu composed for the game is used in cutscenes, which includes the opening CG cutscene; he also composed the chocobo and airship music, as well as one area-specific composition for East and West Ronfaure. As stated earlier, Mizuta composed the majority of the music for ''Final Fantasy XI'', this includeds most of the area-specific music and all of the battle music. Tanioka compositions for ''Final Fantasy XI'' includes the themes for the different character races and genders of the game as well as the music for the [[Vana'diel|Republic of Bastok]] and its surrounding areas (Gustaberg and the Metalworks). The expansion packs, ''[[Rise of the Zilart]]'', ''[[Chains of Promathia]]'', and ''[[Treasures of Aht Urhgan]]'', were scored by Mizuta alone after Tanioka left to pursue other projects and Uematsu left Square-Enix to start his career as a freelance composer. "Jeuno -Starlight Celebration-", a holiday arrangement composed by Mizuta, was released on December 2004. "Distant Worlds", a vocal arrangement performed by [[Izumi Masuda]], composed by Uematsu, and arranged by Mizuta, was later released in a July [[2005]] patch for ''Chains of Promathia''. ==''Final Fantasy XII''== {{main|Music of Final Fantasy XII}} The [[Final Fantasy XII Original Soundtrack|Final Fantasy XII soundtrack]] is mainly composed by [[Hitoshi Sakimoto]] with 6 compositions being contributed by his fellow [[Ogre Battle]] composers [[Hayato Matsuo]] and [[Masaharu Iwata]], and featuring arrangements by Sakimoto of musical series' staples such as the Chocobo theme and victory fanfare originally composed by [[Nobuo Uematsu]]. The music is similar in styling and sound to Sakimoto's previous [[Ivalice]] based projects, [[Final Fantasy Tactics]] and [[Vagrant Story]]. <br /> Nobuo Uematsu contributed a vocal theme, [[Kiss Me Good-Bye]], featured during the game's epilogue, and violinist [[Taro Hakase]] contributed a piece named ''Symphonic Poem "Hope"'' featured during the game's ending credits. Aside from ''Opening Movie (Theme of FINAL FANTASY XII)'', ''Ending Movie'', ''Symphonic Poem "Hope"'' and ''Kiss Me Goodbye'' which are all orchestrated or feature live instruments, all music in the game was composed using [[synthesizer|synthesizers]]. ==''Final Fantasy XIII''== Still in production, this title's soundtrack is being composed by [[Masashi Hamauzu]], though its main theme song will be composed by [[Nobuo Uematsu]].[http://na.square-enix.com/e306/titles/fabula/ff13/]. ''[[Final Fantasy Versus XIII]]'' will feature music by [[Yoko Shimomura]], who composed the music for [[Kingdom Hearts]] and its sequels and also worked with Uematsu and [[Koji Kondo]] in making the score for [[Super Mario RPG]]. The main theme appearing on the trailers of Final Fantasy Versus XIII is titled Somnus. == ''Final Fantasy Tactics'' and the world of Ivalice == [[Hitoshi Sakimoto]] and [[Masaharu Iwata]] shared compositional duties for 1997's [[Final Fantasy Tactics]]. Director [[Yasumi Matsuno]] had previously recruited the two on his earlier [[Tactical role-playing game|tactics RPG]] projects, the [[Ogre Battle]] series. Sakimoto returned to compose the series' [[Gameboy Advance]] outing, [[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance]], with a main theme being contributed by [[Nobuo Uematsu]] and additional battle tracks by ''Kaori Ohkoshi'' and ''Ayako Saso''. The soundtrack to 2007's [[Final Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Rift|Final Fantasy Tactics A2]] was again handled by Sakimoto. It features original compositions and arrangements of [[Final Fantasy Tactics Advance|FFTA]] and [[Final Fantasy XII]] tracks such as ''Penelo's Theme'', ''Boss Battle'', and ''The Salikawood'' done by members of Sakimoto's [[Basiscape]] crew including ''Masaharu Iwata'', ''Kimihiro Abe'' and ''Mitsuhiro Kaneda'', as well as an arrangement of Uematsu's main theme for the first FFTA. == ''Final Fantasy Unlimited'' == Final Fantasy Unlimited's music was composed by [[Nobuo Uematsu]] and [[Shirou Hamaguchi]]. ==Arranged Albums== Starting with ''[[Final Fantasy VI: Grand Finale]]'' albums were released that contained orchestrations of a selection of tracks from the Original Sound Track. This practice was discontinued after Final Fantasy VIII, however Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack Plus contained a large number of orchestrated tracks. The ''Final Fantasy'' soundtracks have also joined the catalogue of the [[iTunes Music Store]]. == Public performances == From 2003 through 2005 Nobuo Uematsu put together several concerts titled [[Dear Friends: Music From Final Fantasy|Music from FINAL FANTASY]] both in Japan and US where he performed with an Orchestra ensemble and his own band: [[The Black Mages]]. [http://www.square-enix-usa.com/uematsu/concert/more_friends.html]. This popular concert series has now been rebranded as ''[[Video Game Symphony|PLAY! A Video Game Symphony]]''. Uematsu composed the fanfare that opens every PLAY! performance around the globe. In Australia, [[Eminence Symphony Orchestra]] has also performed tracks from the Final Fantasy series. Music from Final Fantasy was first performed outside of Japan as a part of the [[Symphonic Game Music Concert]] series in [[Germany]]. ''Final Fantasy'' music has also been performed by the [[London Symphony Orchestra]]. On [[November 17]], [[2003]], Square Enix U.S.A. launched an [[AOL Radio]] station dedicated to music from the Final Fantasy series, initially carrying complete tracks from ''[[Final Fantasy XI]]'' in addition to [[Sampling (music)|samplings]] from ''Final Fantasy VII'' through ''Final Fantasy X''.{{Fact|date=October 2007}} In the [[2004 Summer Olympics]], the American [[synchronized swimming]] duo consisting of Alison Bartosik and Anna Kozlova were awarded the bronze medal for their performance to the song 'Liberi Fatali' from ''Final Fantasy VIII''. Several bands internationally perform and have released cover versions of Final Fantasy music, including [http://www.nrelement.com/ nR Element], a eurodance techno-opera band, which released a dance vocal version of "The Promised Land" from Final Fantasy II and a trance remix of "Prelude." == Sheet Music Collections == Arranged for the piano and published by Japanese company DOREMI Music Publishing[http://www.doremi.co.jp/Doremi/ATC01.do], music from the original soundtracks of every serial ''Final Fantasy'' game (with the single exception of ''Final Fantasy V'') is available for purchase through the official SquareSound website. [http://www.squaresound.com/sheetmusic.html]. All songs in each book have been rewritten by Asako Niwa as beginning to intermediate level piano solos, though they are meant to sound as much like the originals as possible. The music from ''Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles'' and the movie ''Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children'' is available as well. Additionally, the actual piano sheet music from each of the nine ''Final Fantasy Piano Collections'' albums has recently been published as nine corresponding music books by Yamaha Music Media [http://www.ymm.co.jp/]. Each book contains the original music, exactly as arranged and performed on the albums. Unlike the Original Score arrangements, these pieces are intended only for advanced players as they are generally much more difficult. Currently, the only separately available books are for games IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, and X-2, and are only available in Japan. The sheet music for Final Fantasy XI Piano Collections is thus far only available as part of the "Final Fantasy XI OST Premium Box Set" which is available for direct purchase from the online store of Square-Enix. ==References== {{reflist|2}} == See also == * [[Computer and video game music]] * [[Shirou Hamaguchi]] * [[Masashi Hamauzu]] * [[Junya Nakano]] * [[Nobuo Uematsu]] * [[Hitoshi Sakimoto]] * [[Elliot Goldenthal]] * [[:Category:Final Fantasy albums]] ==External links== *[http://www.squareenixmusic.com/ Square Enix Music Online] *[http://www.squaresound.com/ SquareSound] *[http://www.x111.com/ffmo/ Final Fantasy Music Online] *[http://www.ffsymphony.net/ Final Fantasy Symphony] *[http://www.fflyrics.com/index.html Final Fantasy Opera House] Lyrics. *[http://www.ffmusic.info/ Daryl's Library - Final Fantasy CDs] *[http://www.sound-test.org/ Sound-Test - Featuring Music from Final Fantasy] {{Final Fantasy series}} [[Category:Final Fantasy music|*]] [[de:Final Fantasy Soundtracks]] [[fr:Liste des albums de musique de Final Fantasy]]