Inside The Score - The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask - Song of Healing (Piano Version)

Entrusted with a soul

The music that signifies that a powerful exorcism, an alleviation has taken place in the world of Termina. That Link has been entrusted with a precious vow of confidence directly from the soul of a sentient being. The moments where the piano rendition of the Majora’s Mask main theme plays are the ones that address some of the thematic beats of the game in the most direct manner; like acceptance and faith. With this, Link acquires his most precious masks, in which the feelings and wishes of the person that has passed to the other side are now contained. It comes down to the Hero of Time to fulfill these promises.

Thus we end up appropriately with a poignant rendition of the Song of Healing, the piece arranged for piano as a classic staple of melancholy; from the nocturnes of Chopin to the latest media soundtrack, the sad piano piece always sets the mood for someone looking up while rain is pouring on their face, thinking about what just happened.

Musical Analysis

Structure: Section 0 / Section 1 / Section 2 / Section 3 / Section 4

Time Signature: 3/4

Tempo: Dynamic (from 74 to 113)

Melodic and Harmonic Profiles: F Lydian; F Ionian/Major

That’s right, the pianoforte (the actual name of the instrument) finds one of its greatest strengths as an instrument precisely on its very name; a capacity for very dynamic performances ranging from very delicate to very aggressive, and spanning a huge register from the lower spectrum up to piercing highs. So the emotions already present in a melody accompanied by chords can be greatly amplified by making use of the dynamics, and multiple texture (monophony, homophony, polyphony) of a piano. For the Song of Healing the piano notes are not only managed with different velocities (dynamics) but the added arpeggio on the left hand gives the piece an extra layer that enriches the harmony with fullness and performance opportunities. This is as dynamic as it gets on a Nintendo 64. Just like the main theme from Ocarina of Time, Zelda’s Lullaby, Kondo adds romantic seventh chords to color the music in the arpeggios from Section 3 and 4.

Bb – Am7 – Gm7 – Fmaj7

Bb – Am7 – Bbmaj7 – Bm7 (b5) – E

On this piece, the only other instruments is the same string pad that welcomed Link to Termina, playing the exact same notes of the Clock Tower cue. Definitively when it comes to a tear jerker less can be more.

The second companion has joined the fellowship. Just like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz or the party from Journey to the West, they will have to work together to heal each other, combining their abilities in order to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts. What kinds of lessons will Link learn here? He already had to deal with monkeys on his previous travels, now it is a small children who needs to be calmed.