Euphetre's theme: Schreuiviër d'r Esteurnia
208Schreuiviër d'r Esteurnia
This is a song for one of my newer (well, i designed her in 2016) OC's, Euphetre van Nanistherre, the King-Empress of the Kingdom of Wallenchia
Because this is a traditional Sylvy song for an OC, i think i should go for the classic long description where i don't hold back, so let's go! First we'll talk about the song, then we'll talk about the character
About the title;
"Schreuiviër d'r Esteurnia" means "writer of history" in English, it's a title in the Wallenchian language, which is a fictional language inspired by many different European languages (for example; Dutch, Serbian, Polish, French, German, Swedish, Norse, Finnish, and Danish), i find linguistics and the development of languages very interesting, so i thought about mixing the things together that i like most about many different languages, while still upholding a cohesive pattern as to actually give the language some realism in how it developed
About the song;
I tried going for an early 2000's vibe, using mostly instruments from MIDI sound modules from that time, but i did mix on some modern VST's
Since Euphetre is a monarch (but with an actual personality mind you!), the "front" of the music should sound fancy, meaning harpsichords and strings should get some spotlight
You might have also noticed the 3/4 time signature, it is a waltz fitting for a noble, but this waltz IS 200 BPM, so it's pretty exciting too
If you listen closely, you can hear the sound of a girl singing in the background, this is because Euphetre is a beautiful and honourable character on the outside, but the disharmonic notes imply a more complicated side to her
Speaking of disharmony, chromatic elements play a key role in this song, especially at 1:05, if you listen closely to the background arp, you can hear some "wrong" notes, but these are very deliberate and follow a pattern of "when" they are wrong, symbolising an orderly chaos, while still staying hidden (this says a lot about Euphetre's character and i really wanted to show that in the composition)
I tried to include some call and response motifs, i really like those
I tried focusing a lot on making the mixing/mastering feel a little "fuller" this time, giving extra emphasis to the lower and higher ends, in particular, i wanted the main chorus part to really feel like a "boom, it's there!" thing, showing both an orderly regal fancy side, but also an adventurous chaotic side of Euphetre
About the character;
Euphetre van Nanistherre is the King-Empress of the Kingdom of Wallenchia
Why is her title "King-Empress"?
It is an English translation of her Wallenchian title, there are no "male" and "female" titles in the Wallenchian language, but the first king of Wallenchia happened to be male, so that is how it is translated in English, but the first empress (controlling multiple smaller kingdoms and city-states as well as their own realm) of Wallenchia was female, so that is why Euphetre's title is King-Empress
Euphetre was raised to be the next ruler of Wallenchia and her vassals, but she was often busy ignoring her duties, preferring to write books under a secret pseudoname, often fantasy stories, but sometimes critiquing the problems in her own country, because in reality, she felt like the title of a ruler had little real power, she was convinced that real power lies in her people's hearts, and for those to be won over, she saw literature as a powerful asset
Euphetre is a very creative and idealistic person, preferring to serve her people, rather than rule them
She often tries to avoid violence, preferring to use diplomacy and intimidation by her armies to pressure her enemies into submission, but this doesn't always work unfortunately, and the axe she wields isn't just for show, she has gained a reputation for being surprisingly crude in her handling of the weapon, but she makes up for her crude technique by not holding back in her swings, giving her the somewhat mocking but mildly scary nickname "eggcracker" (the egg is an important symbol in Wallenchian culture)
In public, she speaks in a very clear and direct way, but in casual settings, she can be quite excited and gossipy
She values the respect of her people a lot, and her ultimate goal as a ruler is to improve the quality of life and equality of her people...and then those outside of Wallenchia's current borders, whetever they welcome her with open arms or not
Her favourite colour is red, and she loves to eat meat