Arranging the music of one song...

"Marsh of the Qu Tribe"

Primary Game: Final Fantasy IX (Square , 2000, PS1), music by Nobuo Uematsu

Posted 2022-04-22, evaluated by Liontamer


Hey there fellow planet-dwellers, tree-huggers, and mouth-breathers, and happy Earth Day! :-D To celebrate the importance of our singular shared home, we've got Jorito (Jorrith Schaap) assembling a baker's dozen of performers (including Earth Kid!) in a grandiose tribute to Gaia's wetlands!

Credits:

We've heard Jorito and Earth Kid warp the nobility of "Cid's Theme" into a pop piece; now Jorito's wrangled an elite team-up for an earnest orchestral and choral transformation of one of FF9's oddest themes, "Marsh of the Qu Tribe". :-) Jorito writes in:

"I was wondering what a combination of folk and orchestral instruments could sound like, and "Qu's Marsh," as an oddball track for an oddball group of characters, was inspiring with its melodic material and the challenge to translate it into a fun arrangement. Things got a bit out of hand while arranging, but if you were ever curious what kind of adventures and epic stories could await you whilst catching frogs in the marsh, well, this might just be the track for you."

I love spontaneous concepts like this! For the non-musicians among us like myself, how can you not envy the story here? Whenever I come up with random musical ideas, I record them onto my iPhone, but I don't have the skill or werewithal to ideate and then manifest a full-fledged arrangement with a bevy of talented instrumentalists. Maybe I should just ask Jorito to make an idea of mine a reality, as it's obvious that large scopes are comfortably in his wheelhouse. :-)

Steve Pordon and Mattias Häggström Gerdt's past pair of OC ReMixes of this theme both lean into odd instrumentation much like the original source tune, so it's refreshing to hear Jorrith conceptualize something in a different style entirely. If you had to heroically trek through Qu's Marsh in some sort of expanded journey within a future Final Fantasy IX Remake(?!), this could easily be the backdrop, whether spliced into segments depending on the scenario and stress levels, or taken as a whole within an evolving extended cinematic. Respect once again to -- is there any argument at this point? -- OCR's most ambitious and prolific big project collaborator!

Liontamer

Discussion

Latest 5 comments/reviews; view the complete thread or post your own.
avatar
CJthemusicdude
on 2024-03-30 21:07:01

I didn't realize how big of a collab effort this was until after I listened to it. It has high quality seeping throughout the song. The placement of the main motif was very well done. This would be a fantastic part of a video game soundtrack!

avatar
Jorito
on 2022-04-23 05:36:50

Thanks for all the kind words, guys!

avatar
HarlemHeat360
on 2022-04-22 23:07:01

Wow! This was such a gorgeous collaborative effort. I love the fact that it took me on a journey even though it really didn't have to. The opening was really beautiful and the arrangement really took a song from FFIX that was middling for me to this beautiful presentation of the marshes. Then you just ramp it up in the middle and all of a sudden, I'm ready to go catch some frogs! Truly inspiring track.

avatar
djpretzel
on 2022-04-22 18:00:30

Beautiful mix! I actually got "Stairway to Heaven" vibes on the intro, perhaps due to the renaissance-style melodic motif recorders. So much to love, from the mixed woodwind and brass instrumentation to the singing/choir to the oscillation between intimate epic. French horn stands out with a solo that conveys the richness/tone of the instrument, but really everyone involved delivers, in spades - these types of things are insanely difficult to pull off make work, so I'll echo @Liontamer's tip of the hat to coordinator/arrange extraordinaire, @Jorito. Bravo!

avatar
Liontamer
on 2022-04-22 12:18:12
What did you think? Post your opinion of this ReMix.

Sources Arranged (1 Song)


Primary Game:
Final Fantasy IX (Square , 2000, PS1)
Music by Nobuo Uematsu
Songs:
"Marsh of the Qu Tribe"

Tags (26)


Genre:
Cinematic,Classical,Folk
Mood:
Epic,Mellow,Mystical
Instrumentation:
Acoustic,Bassoon,Brass,Clarinet,Dulcimer,Flute,French Horn,Harp,Mandolin,Marimba,Oboe,Orchestral,Singing,Trombone,Trumpet,Tuba,Violin,Woodwinds
Additional:
Origin > Collaboration
Production > Live Instruments

File Information


Name:
Final_Fantasy_9_Mysteries_of_the_Marsh_OC_ReMix.mp3
Size:
10,004,448 bytes
MD5:
5ae69fc91f01d858e1dc0ebf3a985430
Bitrate:
220Kbps
Duration:
6:00

Promotion

8-bit Jazz Heroes - Press Start
View All

Latest Albums

View All

Latest ReMixes