Duration: 2:37

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This recently caught my attention again.

I think that many people interpret this piece not how Yasunori Mitsuda intended. Including myself when I did the first arrangement. I think it is supposed to be a piece with exotic roots, but the overall feeling is mysical/magical. Not because the instruments/mix dictate it to be, but rather because the absence of a clear intention makes the listener think that.

And this is one of the pieces where I do not want to alter the original feeling, solely because it fits so perfectly (In my opinion, Chrono Trigger's music is, composition-wise, generally nigh perfect in almost every way).

It is about that supposedly very powerful magician of Zeal, with hardly any known background. Regarding Zeal itself, I identify it with a stale basic sound stage (percussion), and bells or similar detuned instruments (the rather artificial sound fits the architecture. Apparently Mitsuda had a similar idea, as you can tell from the other Zeal-related themes.).

So the basic structure is the percussion and the bells. The lead instrument symbolises Schala. The subtlety of the instruments and the melody is the analogy to the player hardly getting a glimpse of who she is; hence she remains that "mystical" child that is to wonder about within the more dominantly present theme of Zeal itself.

Nevertheless the melody gives the incentive to pay attention to it (as opposed to pieces, where the melody is "there" but not sought after by the listener). It is also slightly melancholic in its nature, which reflects the fact that the little background you get about her life is mainly about her being abused by the Zeal magicians for her abilities, along with the quiet, lonely and beautiful impression the player gets otherwise.

I noticed that in my old arrangement, what I did basically was taking out the entire "mystical" thing and then I replaced it by (way too much) flat, non-equalized reverb. Because the melody was struggling with a ton of overtones, I just carved it out heavily. I think that was wrong, as it makes the kingdom of Zeal a blurry background and focusing on Schala, as if she was a rather normal character that the player actually interacts with.

Whatever. In the end, I think this one here is an infintely much better arrangement. And this is why you should learn the oboe.