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The Legend of Zelda series has always incorporated music into it’s lore in one way or another. From use as a teleportation item in the original Legend of Zelda, to more specific plot devices like Ocarina of Time, instruments and music are a consistent element in the series.
One of the notable mechanics of the N64 Zelda games is the use of the ocarina tunes to interact with the game world. By necessity they are short pieces, but that hasn’t stopped people from producing entire covers and arrangements around them. In today’s case, we have an orchestral arrangement of the “Song of Healing” from Majora’s Mask by George R. Powell titled “Then The Healing Came.”
The arrangement is ultimately a cinematic reimagining of the original track. Powell begins with an original introduction. The instruments set a solemn but mystic tone, that evokes a very cinematic experience. When the melody enters, at the 0’58,” it’s done so with a solo on the flute. Accompanied by a celeste and sustained chords in the violins, this first presentation of the theme has a haunting and magical tone that ends up being a perfect fit for the melancholic source material.
The piece later builds up with vocals, brass, and drums, giving the repeated theme a grander sound. However, this soon quiets back down to just the celeste and bells. I particularly like how the arrangement captures the spirit of the song’s use in the game, which is primarily to bring peace to tormented souls that you encounter. The calm tone, low key atmosphere, and light orchestration make this an arrangement that shows respect for the source piece while also showcasing this artist’s music chops.
Heard any good orchestral arrangements of game music this week? Fell free to share them with us in the comments below. You can check out George R. Powell’s “Then The Healing Came” on OC ReMix [2] and you can check out more of Powell’s music work on his Soundcloud [3] page.