Here is the beautiful Aerith’s Theme from the video game series Final Fantasy. Aerith Gainsborough is a young flower seller who joins the mercenary hero Cloud Strife and his anti-government group in the pursuit of the evil Sephiroth. Her theme is played several times throughout the game, serving as a leitmotif during flashback scenes and also at her sad demise at the hands of Sephiroth. A leitmotif is a recurring musical idea (a melody, chord sequence, rhythm or a combination of these) which is associated with a particular idea, character or place. They are often used by film music composers to help build a sense of continuity (think of the famous example from the film Jaws).
Follow the first part of the theme A from 43 seconds and notice when the melody moves in leaps or steps.
Today, the genre of video game music has broken out of the console and computer, and become an international obsession. Major orchestras frequently hold concerts of the best-loved game music that sell out the world’s biggest concert halls, and there are now Grammy and BAFTA awards for video game music. In the UK, classical radio stations like BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM regularly broadcast video game music.
Discover more video game music here:
Hayes Music blog 