In this ninth article we are going to start with the analysis of the Temples of the Ocarina of Time. We will start with the Forest Temple which, in addition to being the first one that the player should visit, is the one that has more details to comment on. We leave you the rest of the articles here!

Temple of the Forest

It is no coincidence that the first Temple the game suggests you go to is the Forest Temple. Seven years have passed in which Link has been in a slumber. The vast majority of players will want to see what has happened in certain places in Hyrule and one of the most important places that remains in the nostalgia of the players is the Kokiri Forest, the initial place of the title. It is in the depths of the Lost Forest where we find the Temple of the Forest, one of the most inspired in the game. A temple with a narrative importance that over time is valued more and more positively and the place where you get the Arch of the Fairies, one of Link’s most characteristic weapons.

The theme of the Temple of the Forest lives up to the expectations generated by everything mentioned in the previous paragraph, being one of the most interesting themes . It begins in a totally new way for the player, considering the previous themes of the game. A percussion instrument with a very tight delay begins with the note Si (B), and you can hear bounces in the upper F # and B – this spectral bounce is slightly reminiscent of the theme of the interior of the Great Deku Tree. This effect works like a pedal, as it is present throughout the loop. Recall that the theme of the interior of the Great Deku Tree, began with an immutable pedal note until the end, specifically F # (dominant of B, which was the fundamental of the chord). In this case, we find exactly the same thing: B as the fundamental of E, since the theme is in a tonal center of E. Next we find a harmonic sequence carried by a kind of synthesizer (0:05). A fairly clean sound that, although it is not the same as the instrument used inside the Great Deku Tree, it is quite similar. The type of chord he performs is also similar in conception. We find a fundamental which, in this case, is not just an F # as in the tree interior theme, but alternates between E and F ♮. A succession of two notes that does not stop practically throughout the entire loop. To this base, remaining notes of two chords are added, which never fully conform because this instrument only plays two voices, but it is tremendously dense because the second voice (the upper voice in the example) lengthens its resonance until the next appearance with the same name.

In addition to the character of the piece where the different notes appear little by little, – a fact that resembles the first dungeon – we find a similarity to the theme of the Deku tree. If we remember, this theme was built in a Phrygian C, which alternated C and Db every two bars while accompanying a two-note melody at a distance of fourths. This conception is quite similar to the upper staff and even has a quite interesting melodic relationship.

If we compare both themes (we transport the Deku Tree theme to E), we observe how, in addition of matching harmoniously to perfection, the Re-Si jump is preserved in both songs. Taking into account that this D in the Forest Temple is the note of the highest melody, appearing quite frequently and that the turn is also in the Deku Tree theme, being the highest note as well and appearing after an ascending melodic progression We believe that these are enough points to establish a certain similarity. In the following video you can see how well they blend with each other.

As a third element, we find a very interesting set of notes played by a kind of bamboo flute (0 : 17). The sound of the flute, plus that of the synthesizer, is too close to the theme of the interior of the Great Deku Tree to be coincidental. However, not only the timbre of this element is important, but the notes it plays.

Let us remember that this temple is next to the Kokiri Forest and that Saria, Link’s childhood friend kokiri is somewhere in that temple. If we make a narrative summary:

We remember the Kokiri Forest and its accompanying characteristic element

We changed the tonal center, because things have changed a lot since Link left that place.

Weather has affected many places of Hyrule including the Kokiri Forest, once inhabited by the merry Kokiri but plagued by monsters when Link returns. The Kokiri Forest is blurred by time.

Link is back to help them. There is a return, a reversal of the road. You have to repeat the process, go back to helping nature. What was once helping the Deku Tree is now a complete forest.

We crossed the Forest Temple and heard the echoes of the past…

In addition, if we analyze the three notes of this element we can see how they are very similar to the theme of Lost Forests (which we already saw in the article part 3). Here is a video that tries to clarify what was explained above.

In conclusion, we see a rather interesting topic. It has a base, a harmonic and a timbral construction made up of a kind of flute and a synthesizer similar to the interior of the Great Deku Tree and an element that we recognize as a variation of the Kokiri Forest theme, without forgetting the melodic similarity that it keeps with the theme. of the Great Deku Tree. We understand that these references are not a coincidence because, in addition to not having similar relationships between other songs, belong to the same geographic set of the game , specifically to the initial area of ​​it and its return to it after a few hours of gameplay. The rest of the piece continues to combine these three elements, interspersed by two parts “B” in which the third element takes center stage, leaving a structure of “ABAB”.

We would like to close this ninth article with a reflection. The musical analysis tries to know not only the most evident elements at a glance, but delve into the deepest interpretations of a piece . This entails working on the fine line of what is intended or not by the composer. However, if something exists, it does not matter if it is intentional or not: it is there and comes to life when analyzed . We want to clarify this since many of the musico-narrative reflections and links that we carry out are still particular observations of music, interpreted with a communicative and cultural intention behind.

What do you think? Did you like the interpretation of that third element so characteristic? In the next article we will talk about other temples and the secrets that their sound section hides!