Inside The Score - The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Castle Courtyard

Now you see me, now you don’t

Here is where the game of cat and mouse starts. Stealth missions became a staple of the Zelda series after debuting in Ocarina of Time; yet another thread for the series to pursue and expand. Every installment in the series after this has had at least one stealth mission. Like the mini-games, it is a change of gameplay that adds variety to this action-adventure game. This stealth mechanic will get more serious when we reach the Gerudo.

Link also has his first encounter with the ranch owners and Epona’s Song outside the castle, familiarizing the player with these characters already. By the way, since the developers traveled to Bavaria in order to study European architecture for their realistic game, it is no wonder that Hyrule Castle takes its design cues from the famous Schloss Neuschwanstein Castle there which is as classic a castle as you can get; it is the kind of building people picture whenever they think of a fantasy castle, a white fortress atop a mountain.

This is not a prop or a picture in a book, it is an actual building although not remotely medieval since it is from the 1800s. Yes, it is also the inspiration behind Disneyland castle. Fantasy castles tend to be based on the prettier romantic era ones even if the stories are supposed to be medieval

You need to get past the guards in order to actually sneak into the castle. But inside, the level of strategy is upgraded with the huge innovation of the guards actually patrolling the gardens of the castle. It seems those helmets are a hindrance to their vision and hearing though. The music also plays a hiding game between piccolo and clarinet.

Musical Analysis

Structure: Section 1 / Section 2

Time Signature: 4/4

Tempo: 125

Melodic and Harmonic Profiles: C Blues

Even though getting to meet princess Zelda is not a light matter, the guards of Hyrule are still a benevolent bunch that will not cause any damage to Link; the music reflects the light hearted and fun nature of the mission—the stakes for failing are low— you would certainly not hear this tune accompanying the stealth mission in Gerudo fortress. Where the sense of gravitas is higher.

This right here is Koji Kondo flexing his Saturday morning cartoon chops, with a cue that could sit comfortably on a Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck sketch. in fact, it has more than a passing resemblance to the classic opening titles from The Pink Panther movie, using similar motifs to the Henry Mancini’s iconic track:

The mischievous panther also used to play games with his would be captors

And why not, if this tone fits perfectly with the actions we are seeing. Kondo himself has singled out this track as his favorite from the entire soundtrack due to how it captures the evasive nature of Link while he sneaked into the castle. The clarinets move, the piccolo moves. The guards move, Link moves. a call and response that captures the action as if one instrument is hiding from the other; meanwhile, the pizzicatos can be thought as the small, quiet steps you take, giving the piece a kind of mickey mousing effect.

Section 2 showcases us an even more bluesier side that captures the mischievous nature of the operation. Since the entire piece is based on a blues tradition, modal and traditional harmony rules pretty much go outside the window. Just a lot of chromaticisms and tritones on top of the classic dominant blues chords I IV V.

Section 1: C7 – F7 – C7

Section 2: G7 – F7 – C7

Pure Mancini, a favorite composer of Koji Kondo. But wait, blues played with violins and clarinets? Where is all the brass from The Pink Panther? We have to remember this is still a medieval castle, so Koji probably knew he could not go that far and maybe upset the Royal Family with some unheard jazzier sound. It being his favorite track also shows his preference for spicy jazz tone in place of romantic orchestra (Even so, the royal family certainly likes its jazz, as the next cue for the princess will elucidate).

This same piece is used in another part of the game. Can you remember which part?