A Brief History on the Music of the Legend of Zelda

📷@_curtisperry

Given that you’re reading this, I assume that you love one of two things: live orchestras, or video games. Most likely, both. Few games better marry these two loves than The Legend of Zelda, which boasts a nearly forty-year legacy of spectacular scores. While each game has its own distinct musical identity, a few key themes have been reincarnated again and again, decades after their introduction. Their introduction, however, is well worth noting, as many of the most memorable and long-lasting Zelda themes were introduced in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

With the exception of the Overworld Theme, which dates back to the very first Legend of Zelda game, basically every other theme that we now associate with the series made its debut on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1992. This game introduced most of the legendary themes that we associate with the series, like Zelda’s Lullaby, the Great Fairy Fountain, Ganon’s theme, the Master Sword fanfare, the Hyrule Castle theme, and more, which have made appearances—sometimes prominent, others subtle—throughout the series. (I suppose you could say they Link them all together...) 

📷@_curtisperry

It is a singular example of a Zelda game whose soundtrack, despite technological limitations of the time, is fundamentally orchestral. Compared to the two previous Zelda games, which were released on the Nintendo Entertainment System, the expanded channels and instrument set of the SNES gave composer Koji Kondo considerably more room to play with the music, which enabled him to create an intentionally orchestral sound. He achieved beautiful music using synthetic horns, strings, and percussion, even when limited to just eight audio channels.  

In some ways, where music is concerned, A Link to the Past is the original Legend of Zelda game. It exemplifies Kondo’s ability to capture and transform the essence of characters and locations into musical themes, so many of which have become integral to the musical legacy of videogames as a medium. These themes have been orchestral from the beginning, which makes their onstage adaptations feel particularly appropriate—like they were always meant to be shared this way. So, whether you first heard Zelda’s Lullaby on the SNES, on a later Nintendo system, on YouTube, or in a concert hall, you can rest assured that you enjoyed it exactly the way it was intended to be enjoyed.