The Darkmoor Philharmonic

Posted on February 2, 2019March 7, 2019 by Peyton Lionheart

In the first Wizard101 arc we learn the story of Malistaire and Sylvia. Even in death their love holds them together. A dark and mysterious man in a supernatural castle who goes too far. In Gothic literature this is a common theme. This is only fitting for our Phantom of The Opera esq love story. Let’s us take a look at the magic behind the music in the haunted sequel of this epic love story.

Main Theme

The orchestration begins with an eerie celesta solo accompanied by a shrill violin. The bass instruments soon follow, supporting the established sound. This theme calls and responds throughout the ensemble. It travels to the oboe and harp then follows to the flute and pizzicato strings soon after.

The choir and chimes enter at 00:39 seconds in. They trade off beats as the brass and strings emphasize the modulation of a minor chord to a major chord. This repetition develops into a different minor chord. This sets the mood of the dark essence of a Gothic castle.

We continue with a waltz which uses the same texture as before until timestamp 1:13. This is where we enter a Marleybone style orchestration with more organic sections. A change from the block-style Darkmoor tends to use. Then we jump back into the familiar melody introduced at the beginning. The orchestration lightens with several solos before its return to the start.

Tense Theme

The timpani, contrabass, and bassoon begin this section in a low rumble. They solo before the harp’s tone cluster 00:10 seconds in that introduces the high strings.

The alto flute introduces a maniacal theme, doubled by the grandiose pipe organ. This instrument is a familiar feature in pop culture when exploring the Gothic era and its music.

Timestamp 00:27 surprises us by clustering the tones within its chord progression. In the midst of this dissonance, a waltz occurs. The melody is a whisper, stressing tension on the non-chord tones. The bass line becomes overpowering. This reflects the feelings of our Wizard in the quest to conquer Castle Darkmoor.

The next section sneaks in, with arpeggiation in the woodwinds, celesta, and pizzicato strings. The music sneaks around the castle in espionage and exploration. The beginning theme returns in solo instruments, like a hollow echo of what came before.

Reunited Theme

A short piece plays in the Darkmoor reunion scene when Malistaire and Sylvia reunite. This is where they may finally be at rest together.

At timestamp 00:15, the upper strings enter the scene with the first violin sustaining a high note. This reminds us of the start of the main theme. The second violins and violas harmonize on the offbeats, swelling into them. We progress into a major modulation before the music halts into silence.

We continue as before, except now moving onward to a darker minor chord. The timpani interrupts, crescendoing into a tutti section of the ensemble. The great pipe organ swells in a twelve-tone row. In this form atonality all twelve keys are equally presented.

The romantic music begins at 00:58. The romance derives from tension tones added to chord. This makes us feel that we are wanting resolve. It is this tension that makes us expect something brilliant to happen at the climax of the music. Often, it’s a kiss. Here, it’s the finality of death as Malistaire and Sylvia cross to the other side of the veil. Together forever.

Large brass fanfares and orchestral jubilation continue as we say goodbye to Malistaire. Third times the charm, am I right?

Thank you, Starlights, for venturing with me through the Gothic music of Castle Darkmoor.

Disclaimer

Please note: I transcribed the music from the original/classic mode music scrolls. Not all of my transcriptions are 100% accurate, but they are close and the rhythm is properly notated

Skull Island’s Tavern Band

Posted on January 13, 2019July 1, 2021 by Peyton Lionheart

Somewhere in the Spiral, there’s a refuge for young pirates, orphaned when young who have turned to a life of crime. Marked by skull-shaped mountain, there is danger and treasure lurking all throughout the island region. Whether it’s hoodoo, dueling, brawling, treason, or smuggling, pirates ally with Captain Avery for their own safety and a large cut in the treasure of Captain Gold.

Main Theme

The pace is set immediately with a waltz-like rhythm with the percussion and quacking trumpets. The mood gives us the feeling that something is off, there is a mystery at hand and we’re just the pirate to look into it. This vibe continues as it moves into a 12/8 section 00:12 seconds into the piece, which means there’s three notes per beat. We are given one of the main arpeggios used throughout the soundtrack of Skull Island.

The arpeggio sets up our next section 00:20 seconds in, as the brass features the melody. We also carry over crescendoing chords sustained in the horns from the previous section. The harp twinkles down as the melody passes onto the low reeds, giving a dark and damp feeling, reminiscent of the sewer-like passages within the Skull Mountain.

The climax of the piece comes in at 00:52 seconds. We are no longer in a mysterious minor key, but now an adventurous major key. The violins stir the excitement on their high strings as the oboe plays the melody. The low voices crescendo as the piano strikes along on the downbeat. The resolution drives us forward with a feeling of hope in our adventures as a pirate.

We move on to a clambering call and response from the ensemble before a joyous celebration, alluding to Celestia’s crab march with the castanets and xylophone.

City Theme

The mood of this piece is serious. Unlike the spookiness, joy, and film-like nature of the other pieces, we begin with a fife- like military march with flutes and drums. After the strings play the main melody, we move into a major key at 00:39 seconds. The strings play rolling hills of arpeggios as other strings instruments accent the first note of each bar.

As the violins descend their quick sixteenth notes, the dynamic of the piece raises and adds in with more instruments. Percussion notably accents the first beat of each bar along with the strings section. After a cymbal roll, we begin a waltz with the brass. The low brass and plucked strings keep the time as the horns play the melody, eventually passing to the accordion.

We enter a new, flourishing section at 1:17 as the brass sustains the chords as the quick violins play speedy figures. The fife adds in to the violins to accent their melody. We end the phrase in a dissonant cluster that seems to be magically cleared by the flute’s ascending glissando.

Skyway Theme

The Skull Island Skyway Theme is a stark contrast to the other pieces. It is bright and joyous and begins with a fanfare, compared to the damp textures the other pieces convey. There is a certain kind of silliness to the piece, like a young child earning their sea legs.

The melody gets passed around from instrument to instrument, taking turns with the texture. Along with that, there is notable hemiola. A hemiola is a complex rhythmic figure where two groupings of three notes can be played as three groupings of two notes, which gives the piece syncopation. A famous hemiola is “America” from West Side Story.

Haunted Theme

The mood of the piece is established right away with the bass end of the piano, swaying back and forth between the notes. Notice how on the harp part, it develops the main arpeggio I pointed out earlier. Also take note of the how the horn pitch bends downward, also like the Main Theme.

This change of mood and instrumentation is what enhances a story. By developing the music along with the story, the music becomes more complex by giving itself a narrative to follow.

Vaguely like Stravinsky’s The Firebird, we hear the piano and horns play an aggressive melody before the tension breaks with a hauntingly beautiful waltz. The music fits well with the original story of Lasko, Manny, Mo, and Jack who were Ratbeard’s poisoned crew mates, murdered by Ratbeard himself. Lasko wanted his crewmates to have their final wishes before being released to the afterlife and one of them wanted to return a locket to their lost love.

Jungle Theme

The very first bit we hear in the music is the brass pitch bending upward rather than downward, developing a motive we’ve heard in previous pieces. As the brass starts the chord progression, the harp comes in with the arpeggio motif at 00:09 seconds in. This pattern continues as the bassoon comes in with a new idea 00:36 seconds into the piece.

The musical content is layered into the texture while the harp plays a new idea as an ostinato or repetitive figure. The percussion bangs away on the drums, representing the idea of danger in the jungle. This leads to the eventual arrival of the horn taking away the melody. The low strings heavily approach a new ostinato, replacing the melody. The harp and voices add-in, trading off the strings for the brass to lead the orchestra back to the beginning.

Thank you, Starlights, for venturing through the music of Skull Island with me. Have a wonderful night.

Disclaimer

Please note: I transcribed the music from the original/classic mode music scrolls. Not all of my transcriptions are 100% accurate, but they are close and the rhythm is properly notated

The Dragon Titan Army Band

Posted on January 4, 2019January 10, 2019 by Peyton Lionheart

Intended for Musician and Non-Musician Alike

"Things started turning darker. Kingsisle were talking about dark and epic Mordor Wagner 'Flight of The Valkyries' in The Ring Cycle. I am looking at concept art and the NPC characters had Russian military influence; All the architecture was darker - more foreboding."

- Nelson Everhart in "Musical Tour Of The Spiral 6: Dragonspyre"

“Main Theme”

Just as mentioned in Everhart’s video linked above, we begin our adventure in Dragonspyre with a world-stopping minor-Major seventh chord, which flourishes throughout the ensemble as the harp and woodwinds flutter downward, providing emotional dissonance. We typically associate the word “dissonant” with something that sounds bad, but in this piece, it provides an unsettling air.

The ninth of the chord is added to the melody bringing even more color and lending an elegant dissonance to the third tone. The third tone of the chord gives the emotion, so this dissonance that rubs against it creates a feeling of tension and suspension.

The intrada stops 00:10 seconds into the piece, bringing us a chord progression that starts in a minor key, then becomes uplifting and progresses back to the same chord with a picardy third. A picardy third is when a minor chord changes the third tone to become a Major chord. This progression carries along, developing the arpeggiating figures and changing the chords before it reaches a climax into a new section at 00:30 seconds. The strings play the main melody as the brass plays a counterline beneath, eventually joining together into a dismal setting at 00:40 seconds. The trumpet enters, bringing a sliver of hope before it fades away into the darker minor chords and ends.

The next section frolics dastardly within the woodwinds and harp, quickly arpeggiating, presenting the feeling of sneaking and slyness. The strings caress the melody beneath this texture, giving support to the voices above and conveying a kind of dark magic brewing within.

Picking up into timestamp 1:26, we transition into the brass as the bridge takes us into the next section, with heavy Lydian chord dissonances in the bass. The music is ascending into this one epic moment. At timestamp 1:45 we are given the antithesis to the main Wizard101 theme, an operatic technique. The same descending arpeggios and textures are used as the brass plays the ascending melody in a minor key. This reflects the darkness of the world and the danger the Wizard is in.

“Theme 1”

Calling back to the previous piece, we begin with the hard percussion, horns, and masculine choir. Through borrowed chords (chords that are similar to the key, but not the same) and chromatic mediants (chords that have slight or no relation to the key), we get a dark and enchanting texture. Also calling back to the previous piece, we have these four-note motifs played in the horns that bring us through the chord progression. The texture thickens with the addition of the woodwinds, but it

harkens forth, like a great army coming from the distance, closer and closer.

This brings us into the next section at 00:50 seconds which uses a repetitive eighth note figure in the horns as the rest of the orchestra brings forward tutti stabs, transitioning us into action. The same texture is still present, but now the melody in the brass and the high strings add-in, playing the chord progression while the trumpets sing in the higher register.

Next, the strings section glissandos in unbreaking unison as the flutes play descending Danny Elfman triplets. In film-scoring or in this case, game-scoring, notes in pairs of threes that have the same note on the first and third beat are considered “Danny Elfman triplets” because it is characteristic of his work in pieces such as his Batman Theme or Alice’s Theme. The triplets develop, changing notes along the chord progression, giving the piece sass.

As the texture from before returns, the arpeggio transforms from being a Danny Elfman triplet, to playing the entire arpeggio. The notes rock up and down, leading us to a flourish that counterpoints between the sections. The piece calms down and recapitulates the music before returning to the beginning.

“Theme 2”

A military march kicks the piece off, setting the texture and pace with some aggressive snare and bass drums. The dark minor tonality in the low brass gives us the feeling that something powerful is coming, and it is nearby. The choir joins in as the pauses in this motif get closer and closer until an ostinato in the strings takes off with the chimes adding further texture.

The solo trumpet comes in like before, continuing the style of the piece. The low brass and choir responds to the trumpet’s call. This idea repeats, leading to the addition of the strings. At 00:50 seconds, we introduce new musical content. The higher voices of the ensemble play ascending arpeggios, developing the arpeggiating ideas from the other pieces and giving the impression the single idea has split into two. While this is happening, the arpeggio splits among the other instruments, trading between them when they play, creating a more complex texture. Then, we return to the original arpeggio in the woodwinds as the rest of the ensemble sustains onto the chords. This idea trades off between the other instruments in the ensembles, growing in volume.

At timestamp 1:15, the woodwinds move onto a new idea. Great swooping arpeggios that feel like dragon wings fly over the melody that is being played by the strong brass. This texture is prominent in the next track as it comes to its climax as well. This presents the idea as something we can ground our emotions onto, so we will remember this section when it is recontextualized.

Then the ostinato kicks in as a power drive to the end. The brass plays familiar motifs from the previous melodies to latch on to our memories of the ever-dangerous Dragonspyre.

“Theme 3”

In the beginning, the drums set the tone of the piece with a stately march, keeping tempo for the horn’s repetitive melody. The lower brass joins the bass drum, thickening and supporting the texture as the woodwinds play the eighth note motif that the horns played in the melody.

The motion stops as the bass instruments play introducing the

orchestra which joins in with a similar motif. The idea develops through a different articulation by stabbing at the notes rather than playing them legato, or smoothly. Next, we are greeted by a familiar idea in the woodwinds, rocking back and forth between two notes before completing the rest of the arpeggio. This idea can be found in the other tracks and provides texture as the brass harmonizes. Finally, the choir joins in bringing the rest of the brass section, the strings, and additional percussive flourishes, such as crash cymbals.

The excitement halts as the orchestra becomes homophonic, playing in a similar fashion, but harmonizing together. Afterward, the trumpets lead us into a climactic section that develops the two-note repetition idea by playing the first two notes in the woodwinds only, while the strings and brass take the melody. A familiar idea, but now re-imagined in a flourishing major key before becoming tense and heroic to reflect our now deathly situation.

In the end, we come full circle to a military feeling before engaging in an anthem. Very patriotic in style, it presents the strength of Dragonspyre as a force to be reckoned with. This dissipates into the bras and chimes, leading us back to the beginning.

“Theme 4”

Once again, we are greeted by a familiar symphonic texture, giving Dragonspyre continuity in its musical identity. After establishing the mood, the piece drifts to become sad and wistful in the next section. The strings lull us as the harp gently caresses the arpeggios. The flutes join in, embellishing the texture.
The brass crescendos quickly as the rest of the orchestra comes in

referencing the homophonic texture from before. This leads us to a climactic point in which the repetitive arpeggio from before creates tension as the brass sustains the chords. The next section contrasts this texture with stabs. Ideas from the previous tracks peep throughout this piece, greeting us like an old friend for this finale.

At 00:51 seconds in, we hear a theme being carried from instrument to instrument. The theme goes deeper and deeper, much like our wizard coming closer and closer to Malistaire in the story. This theme is played in The Crown of Fire, during the time that our wizard is carried by the young Battle Drake to our final confrontation with Malistaire.

In the final section, the orchestra splits beats with the ensemble, creating syncopation before joining together. This thrilling moment dies down as the choir begins to solemnly sing. The flute and strings join in, introducing a new melody at timestamp 01:24. We enter a new key. It’s a major key, bright and happy. The future is looking bright and we are uplifted. Although the story is not over yet! Magic and mystery shroud us, and we can never be too sure whether those enemies we have conquered in the past may come back to haunt us.

Thank you, Starlights, for venturing through the music of Dragonspyre with me. Have a wonderful night.

Disclaimer

Please note: I transcribed the music from the original/classic mode music scrolls. Not all of my transcriptions are 100% accurate, but they are close and the rhythm is properly notated. The example in “Theme 1” comes from Nelson Everhart’s video, as linked.