What videogame music can be up to classic music?
- Thread starter Moeez
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"Lullaby Set" is...something else, after you beat the game, man.
Try video game music that is classical music. there's a lot of it about. Even with older games.
Just because old games run on hardware that can't reproduce decent sound, doesn't mean the music itself is that simplistic.
For that matter, modern games are quite something too.
Consider: super mario galaxy
I mean, the video explicitly demonstrates something which is created and performed along the traditions of classical music anyway. (There are quite a few grand instrumental themes in Mario Galaxy, as well as instrumental remixes of classic mario music.)
Or, to take an old example, Try final fantasy 6. (Some more familiar with final fantasy 7 might think this sounds awfully familiar.)
Aria De Mezzo Charattere - "Aria of the main character". Created in operatic style, but due to the SNES's technical limits, converted into a set of less than impressive sounds.
Yet, it is arguably one of the most powerful bits of video game music I've ever come across.
In it's original game form, you'd hear it like this:
(It starts about 40 seconds in)
As an instrumental arrangement with proper instruments, it sounds like this:
But, since the scene involved is essentially an opera, and thus a vocal arrangement, it's also enlightening having it performed as an actual operatic piece.
If that isn't a statement in and of itself, I don't know what is.
Just because old games run on hardware that can't reproduce decent sound, doesn't mean the music itself is that simplistic.
For that matter, modern games are quite something too.
Consider: super mario galaxy
I mean, the video explicitly demonstrates something which is created and performed along the traditions of classical music anyway. (There are quite a few grand instrumental themes in Mario Galaxy, as well as instrumental remixes of classic mario music.)
Or, to take an old example, Try final fantasy 6. (Some more familiar with final fantasy 7 might think this sounds awfully familiar.)
Aria De Mezzo Charattere - "Aria of the main character". Created in operatic style, but due to the SNES's technical limits, converted into a set of less than impressive sounds.
Yet, it is arguably one of the most powerful bits of video game music I've ever come across.
In it's original game form, you'd hear it like this:
(It starts about 40 seconds in)
As an instrumental arrangement with proper instruments, it sounds like this:
But, since the scene involved is essentially an opera, and thus a vocal arrangement, it's also enlightening having it performed as an actual operatic piece.
If that isn't a statement in and of itself, I don't know what is.
These are pretty darn good to listen to. I sometimes didn't even play the games right away and would let this run a few times.
Love it!
Love it!
No matter what you do or say, the elitists never change their minds. If she wants to miss out on all the beautiful music being composed nowadays, music not just in videogames but in movies, etc, then fine. More for us.
That is both unfortunate and frustrating. I played the cello for 10+ years, and while I respect and love the classics, especially Bach, I also loved when we did more modern music, or soundtrack music. When I was in high school I remember the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were big, and we played selections from the soundtrack, and it was amazingly fun. And I love hearing modern pop artists experiment with adding strings and more "classic" instruments to their music.Moeez said:
As for video game soundtracks, a lot of the ones I'd say have already been mentioned, but I'll repeat: Mass Effect 2 is awesome. Assassin's Creed 2, and Brotherhood, moreso Brotherhood, but both are amazing, by Jesper Kyd. The Halo Theme is beautiful and definitely isn't afraid to showcase its strings.
Ah, a fellow cellist! You guys playing POTC music, I guess cellists also like to have fun! Great insight.VivaciousDeimos said:That is both unfortunate and frustrating. I played the cello for 10+ years, and while I respect and love the classics, especially Bach, I also loved when we did more modern music, or soundtrack music. When I was in high school I remember the Pirates of the Caribbean movies were big, and we played selections from the soundtrack, and it was amazingly fun. And I love hearing modern pop artists experiment with adding strings and more "classic" instruments to their music.Moeez said:
As for video game soundtracks, a lot of the ones I'd say have already been mentioned, but I'll repeat: Mass Effect 2 is awesome. Assassin's Creed 2, and Brotherhood, moreso Brotherhood, but both are amazing, by Jesper Kyd. The Halo Theme is beautiful and definitely isn't afraid to showcase its strings.
Ah, but what you don't realize is that not all classical music is the same. And there is a hierarchy of value in art music just as in popular music...and for serious elitists like this girlfriend sounds to be, what you've provided wouldn't do the trick. Why? Because Opera doesn't have as much value for the art music snobs...it has words and was too popular (unless it is Wagner). So providing video game music that is like opera wouldn't help. Providing video game music that is like the French Impressionists also wouldn't help...the real snobs place the utmost value on Austro-German symphonic music of the "long 19th Century"/"Common Practice Period" -- because that is "the best" music...as determined by the field of Musicology...which was invented by a bunch of Germans in the second half of the 19th Century who where trying to manufacture a unified German culture to go along with the newly manufactured German state.CrystalShadow said:
This isn't about what music is actually good...but about cultural value and superiority.
touché. It's difficult to say anything to a person that is that much of a snob. XDtrooper6 said:
Thing is, if you constrain anything to that degree, then there's unlikely to be anything left. Because, after all, any videogame that has any music created specifically for it, will have had music created by a modern composer.
And at best, that means music constrained to fit a certain very limited definition of 'good' music is going to be both incredibly rare, and, well, let's face it, even if it fits the technical criteria, is still going to end up being snubbed because it's not actually old enough.
Pity really. Some people can't see the forest for the trees.
With all due respect, I don't think there is anything inherently wrong with not liking a particular style of music, nor is there is problem with listening almost solely to music you find enjoyable. I rarely, if ever, listen to rap music and country music, but I will give it a chance now and then if a friend recommends it. It seems that she has given music featured in video games a listen on a few different occasions and has decided she hasn't liked anything she has heard yet. We can't and shouldn't fault her for the things she finds appealing. It's a very subjective subject and no amount of force will cause her to change her mind and suddenly like it.trooper6 said:
If she's willing to give anything listed in this thread a listen, good for her. She's showing a willingness to be open minded and at least give it a try. If it just turns out that she doesn't find any of it appealing, then there isn't anything we can do about it. If she takes to bashing it, then I could see there being a problem with her reaction or attitude.
Yeah, I didn't put up that video because it's the Japanese version. Now, I'm not sure what language the 'opera' was written in (it's a scene for a computer game, after all.), so it's difficult to say which would be more authentic.Moeez said:
Judging by what the piece is called, it's not out of the realms of possibility that it was written in italian, since that is the traditional language for a large number of operas. (and the language used for the title of the song.)
Definitely Ace Combat 5, some of the best music I've seen in a game. Show her this
If she's more into the "gregorian chant" sort of music
Oh, and the Halo score has some good somewhat classical music, mostly chants. But yea, almost all the Ace Combats have amazing sountracks.
If she's more into the "gregorian chant" sort of music
Oh, and the Halo score has some good somewhat classical music, mostly chants. But yea, almost all the Ace Combats have amazing sountracks.
There issue is not that she doesn't like it (though I'll come back to that in a second). Everyone has different tastes. But that she says, to quote the OP: "She thought videogame music isn't sophisticated enough to match old classical music, and I'm sure most people would say not much of any other music is."TheKruzdawg said:
The issue is "sophisticated enough." This is where Janet Levy's "Covert and Casual Values" is useful. When people say "sophisticated" or "complicated" they mean sophisticated or complicated harmonically. They are using as a universal value to judge all music one criteria--developmental harmonic complexity--which was primarily the concern of a group German composers from 1750-1900. The judgement then says, French classical music isn't as good because its harmony isn't sophisticated enough. And of course popular music or film music can't be as good because its harmony isn't sophisticated enough.
But there are musical values other than complicated harmony. The blues, as a genre, uses only 3 chords. That's it. By the values that says Beethoven is the best composer ever, that this girlfriend seems to hold, no blues ever can be good music. The Blues isn't interested in complex harmony. It is interested in complex timbre. Jazz is interested in complex improvisation. There are genres interested in complex rhythm. And others interested in complex melody or complex ornamentation. Still others value simplicity rather than complexity.
I like art music, but I don't dismiss other music from being good because it doesn't match the values of art music.
This is like listening to a folk singer and saying that folk singer sucks because they don't sing like an opera singer. No duh, the folk singer isn't trying to sing like an opera singer.
Now on to the second issue. Sure, listen to the music you like. But (and this is were "Anything but Heavy Metal" is useful) genres often carry meaning beyond their sounds.
On the first day of my classes, as a way to illustrate this, I often ask my students "What kind of music do you like?" I often hear, "I like all music, but not country." Of course, when I press them, it turns out that a) they don't actually like all music and b) they don't really know anything about country music--they wouldn't know Patsy Cline from Taylor Swift. With further questioning, these kids often like folk music...or they say they do. They often say they like the blues as well, maybe even bluegrass. I then play some songs in these different genres...that are the exact same song, often sounding the same as well (Maybe "John Henry"). What's the difference if it isn't the sound? When we talk about it, it turns out, most of the time, its because they associate country with conservatism and a part of the country they don't like and they don't want anyone to think they are conservative. In short, they want people to think of them a certain way, so they say, "I don't like country."
Similarly, I point out that never, in all my years of teaching, has any student ever said to me, "I like all music, but not classical."--even though I'm pretty sure there are many students in class who don't like classical music. But there is anxiety that if you *say* you don't like classical music, people will think you are uncultured. On the flipside, people who say things like "I like classical music and don't like any popular music," tend to be broadcasting a lot more than just their musical taste.
Moeez said:
Around the one minute mark the cellos take the melody, and I don't know exactly what it is about it, but it remains one of my favorite melodies, and every time I hear it I smile a goofy little smile, and I loved playing it.
This is very true, and I agree with you, but...this is difficult to express, because it is so subjective...but the attitude of elitism, I think, is somewhat problematic. I don't really care much for rap or heavy metal, and so I don't listen to them much, but I don't disregard the genres as inherently not as good, it's simply a matter of personal taste. But I feel like elitists tend to hold the attitude that rap for a random example (or video game music), isn't as good because it's not the [insert chosen genre here] that they like, and think is better. Does that make sense? And I mean, music is so subjective, maybe you are entitled to think that your chosen music is inherently better than everyone elses, but I would hope that people would be open minded enough to acknowledge, that while something may not be to their tastes, it's still a valid form of expression.TheKruzdawg said:
EDIT: It seems I have been ninja'd by the good gentleman above me:
*Tips hat* Well said.trooper6 said: