BROOO THIS ONE WAS GREAT LMAO, the editing was stellar. I was so excited to discover what you were going to cover AND I LOVE THAT YOU CHOSE FONTAINE'S MUSIC CAUSE IT'S GOOD, IT'S FREAKING GOOD getting paimon's voice actor'ˢ ʳᵒᵒᵐᵐᵃᵗᵉ 's input on this was truly great and inspiring. I must admit, I even experienced a thought during this video. it just really makes you think thank you for your hard work and enjoy the foolishness of april!
i'm so glad somebody finally dives deeper into hoyo-mix. i've been obsessed with their soundtracks ever since, and i love how these artists are finally getting recognition! subbed :)
I mean, I understood the concept of leitmotifs and their use to guide and reinforce the story telling, but man, having them laid out in the bare like you did in this video made me notice them even harder than before. It's crazy what a skilled team under competent lead can achieve with just music.
Finally seeing you covering Genshin's OST again, I'm so glad!! What amuse me is that the 'Fontaine' song, is one of the main themes of the regions. Each region has their own main theme, and the leitmotif being used in main theme, also used for other themes to in that specific region, but not in the boring way. I'm no musician nor digging deep to the music theory, but I can mostly understand what you're talking about, so thank you very much for the explanations that are easy to digest! And for the departure of Yu Peng Chen, yes there are some agitations on whether the Genshin OSTs' quality will drop, but as we can see, Dimeng Yuan is more than capable to take the main head position that is given by Yu Peng Chen. Dimeng Yuan AFAIK also working at YPC's other works in the past too (as for example you can search Being Towards Death album), so we can argue that he works close with him. As for whether we will see YPC's work again or not, who knows, maybe YPC might strike again, since YPC only delegate the head producer to Dimeng Yuan. 👀 Once again, thank you very much for the video, and can't wait to see you cover other Genshin or HSR OST!!
I'm sure we'll hear from YPC again! I look forward to his future projects. It will be a little while before I make more Hoyo content but you can bet it's coming! Thanks so much
I had been hoping that you might make an analysis video on the Fontaine theme- it's the most phenomenal orchestral piece from the Genshin franchise so far in my opinion. Every time it plays, I feel like I've been whisked away to a dream-like masquerade ball under some sort of...strange blue lighting and can't help but twirl around like a f***ing idiot. Reminds me quite a bit of Shostakovich's Waltz no. 2 and Saint-Saëns's Danse Macabre (and now that you mention: the Bells of Notre Dame). I'm a huge sucker of all those delicious modulations. So much drama, so much theatrics ♫ ♪ Edit: 11:11 "Now our favourite *demented carousel* returns to spiral us into the 2nd half of the development" is my new favourite unusual sentence LMAO
I don't know if I have a real picture for some moments in this theme. However, I did write lyrics for it. I'm french, so I thought... why not lol Here's the lyrics/translation, for those who are interested : (English - translated) "Born in sin Without an ounce of pity Simply for the desire to exist The tide rises The divinity Will only have her eyes left to cry" It goes like this This prophecy The telling of a brand new tale with a tragic ending Waiting to be written The pen of our lives Will sign the work of a comedy First act Advancing on stage without shying away A role to play Thanks to your words I will embody it Act two, breathe slowly Stand up straight and look ahead Speak loudly and smile Feel it and live This role which, through you, comes to life Go, draw on yourself These emotions so strong in your voice Your body and soul Give them without forgetting your faith Get all the attention This from the prologue to the finale Make them believe a story A masquerade That no one will applaud "Act three: - What a treat! - Oh yes, our divinity is truly without equal! - That’s it, everyone look at me!” Go and keep playing and never stop again Again, again, again, again More, more and more as long as people love me Playing my role up to perfection With no exception How long will I have to fool the world? Act four, keep going like this Patience, have peace of mind This day will come quickly The promised climax Will arrive Much sooner than we think We just need to see The show Act five Where your role seems to be coming to an end Irrevocable As punished will be all the guilty So dance for me, for them Unify the earth and the skies So that humans and gods Can see in your play An ending that pleases both "The tide rises The divinity Can only cry" (French) "Né dans le péché Sans once de pitié Simplement pour le désir d'exister Se lève la marée La divinité N'aura que ses yeux pour pleurer" Se déroule ainsi Cette prophétie Le récit d'un tout nouveau conte à fin tragique Attend d'être écrit La plume de nos vies Signera l'œuvre d'une comédie Acte premier Avançant sur scène sans me défiler Un rôle à jouer Grâce à tes mots je l'incarnerai Acte deux, respire lentement Tiens-toi droite et regarde devant Parle fort et souris Ressens-la et vis Ce rôle qui, par toi, prend vie Va, puise en toi Ces émotions si fortes dans ta voix Ton corps et âme Donne-les sans oublier ta foi Attire-toi tous les regards Ce du prologue jusqu'au final Fais-leur croire une histoire Une mascarade Que personne n'applaudira "Acte trois : - Quel régal ! - Oh oui, notre divinité est vraiment sans égale ! - C'est cela, regardez tous vers moi !" Va et continue de jouer sans jamais t'arrêter encore Encore, encore, encore, encore Encore, encore et toujours plus tant que les gens m'adorent Jouant mon rôle à la perfection Sans exception Vais-je longtemps devoir duper le monde ? Acte quatre, continue ainsi Patience, aie l'esprit tranquille Ce jour viendra vite L'apogée promise Arrivera Bien plus tôt que l'on ne croit Il nous suffit de voir Le spectacle Acte cinq Où ton rôle semble toucher à sa fin Irrévocable Car punis seront tous les coupables Alors danse pour moi, pour eux Unifie la terre et les cieux Afin qu'humains et dieux Puissent voir dans ton jeu Une fin qui plait aux deux "Se lève la marée La divinité Ne peut plus que pleurer"
I learned so much about the soundtrack to Hunchback of Notre Dame, wow! I did get haunted mansion vibes from the whole thing overall. What wonderful writing and orchestration! Also thank you so much for working so hard on this, we all would've been fine with just a regular shitpost for the day but you went and surprised us with smart music things. Idk who that person was at the end though, no clue whatsoever...*winks with two eyes*
Hoyoverse is actually a music company which makes games to promote their music.... Tbh, they manage to get a lot of talented people in Hoyomix and not just one man.
for theme two, a vivid image has been etched into my mind: that of the sinner's final dance as their great plan is concluded and the sacrifice is made deterring the fate thrust upon them.
Not sure if anyone's mentioned, but something interesting to note is that in Genshin, the theme for a region's Archon has motifs present for the region's theme itself. However, in the case of Fontaine and 'Fontaine', this is slightly different. Furina's theme is lacking the themes present in 'Fontaine', because she isn't the *real* god of Fontaine, she is just pretending to be so. However, Focalors' theme contains these themes because she IS the real god of the region.
To me, theme 3 sounds more like a dialogue between the lower part sung by vocals and the higher part played by strings, the vocals representing the despair of the people crying wolf and finding no solution - with doom, hopelessness, total abandon of hope. The higher voice, the strings, respond with a somewhat brighter (since they're played higher) phrase - maybe there is still hope - only to be interrupted by vocals again spelling disaster. The strings try yet again to plead with the vocals, and yet again they're cut short by the vocals, but now with the entirety of the orchestra joining in, completely overpowering the (mostly) solo strings. The same thing happens with theme 2 (reprise), where the major part is cut short compared to the first time the theme is played. The strings-led theme is interrupted by vocals, and it, I think, serves the exact same purpose - to convey the struggle and the conflict, not yet apparent, but very much palpable and present in the Fontaine region and, by extension, the Fontaine piece.
As a complete neophyte in musicology it always blows my mind when someone like you explain a whole piece and how it conveys it's message with simple sound. What do you need to do to get as much knowledge as you? Do you actually grasp the concepts you talk about in the video on the first few listenings or do you have to extensively study the music first?
I didn't know most of this until a few weeks ago! I do get a few details out of my first few listens. For this, I knew "Fontaine" was in 3/4 and had three sections, and that the second section probably dipped into major key territory. I also knew which parts made me emotional and might be worth a closer look, like the "prophecy/reckoning" phrase near the end. ...And I knew Yu-Peng Chen had moved on. But every video starts with hours of study, and that's where most of this comes from!
Thank you for covering this! Always a pleasure hearing music analysis like this, and especially for this beautiful piece. It's amazing how Fontaine hit different from initial release and listen after more story and musical context that came two patches after
I am so emotionally scarred by the story and how the music changed me that just listening to the "Fontaine" track makes me tear up. At first because I know what the music does not yet know. Then because I feel the pain of discovering what the music discovers again.
You know, I was listening to this track again today and I experienced another thought. I love the part that starts from 11:58, and I really like your "what goes up must come down". I'll be honest, I don't remember when in the fontaine archon quests this track plays, but whenever I listen to that first descent at 12:07 I always feel a bit of anguish, and it's almost as if I felt the pressure of the water level rising pressing on my chest. Just like fontainians, people can't escape water, and that part specifically gives me strong imagery of being stuck in a room that's slowly filling up. I can still breathe because my head is above water, but for how long is that going to be true? In that situation you know what's to come next, the prophecy is unavoidable and drowning is imminent. It's like looking at your last hope and then realizing that it won't help you and you're feeling your stomach sinking for just that moment. I might be a bit dramatic but I like when music makes me slightly uncomfy like this! What's funny is that I feel it that strongly only for that first descent, probably because of how big of a change in direction that is. The following part tells me "this situation is hopeless and unavoidable" but to me it's less tangible. I just really like the feeling this recapitulation invokes in me and thought it was cool to share!
Very cool, yes! Thank you. I agree, it's beautiful. While it never plays exactly like this in the game, I believe it plays in most or all of the tracks with "theme 3" in them, which all play towards the very end of the story
I'm not very familiar with that soundtrack, but it's worth mentioning that in the same interview I mentioned at the end, Yuan said FFVI is the game that made him choose this career!
@@JonathanBarouch That explains why the battle theme was so classic JRPG. anyway here's the opera scene that probably influenced fontaine's a bit. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WwHrQdC02FY.html
prettyyy sure the thing you said about the first ost is wrong, it's not the first one, 'fontaine' indeed doesn't play in-game, it's only found in the regions first respective album, just like 'sumeru', 'liyue' and 'inazuma', there's also a 'mondstadt' track but it isn't in any albums, they've played it at some concerts tho
You're right, I was totally unaware of "Monstadt!" As for the others I can't double check for Inazuma or Sumeru at the moment but "Liyue" plays very frequently in Liyue Harbor, just not its second half which didn't debut until the first Lantern Rite.
I don't know if you have already noticed, or if someone already pointed it out But Inazuma's music takes a lot of inspirarion from Naruto's themes, which I found very funny
@@JonathanBarouch Hakushin's Lullaby, A Harmonious Rest and Her Legacy are some of the OSTs in which I found some hints here and there You might be able to hear some similarities between "Her Legacy" and "Early Summer Rain" or "Guren" (not the opening) "A Harmonious Rest" reminds me a little bit of "Sadness and Sorrow", tho this might be because they share the same type of flute I believe Pretty sure I have heard some better examples somewhere Love your videos btw Looking forward for the next one
Hi! I see you mainly do video game music videos (at least as of recently), but can I suggest music from something not a game? It’s from my favorite anime, Violet Evergarden. The story is emotional to all hell and in a grounded European setting, and the producer of the show’s soundtrack is a personal favorite of mine. Evan Call loves to work with orchestras to give the shows he works on this beautiful and calming tone. He also worked on Frieren Beyond Journey’s End! I’d love to see what you can glean from Evergarden’s soundtrack: Violet Evergarden Automemories.
Also, I should say this video is awesome. I’m a musician, but I know squat about music theory. Very much just a play what’s on the page sort of guy 😅. I’ve also been a day one player of both Genshin and Star Rail so your channels is already one of my favs
@@JonathanBarouch seemed like one of those controversy videos (ik it was for april fools but now that its not anymore...) its a really great video that doesn't match the title
I also somewhat worry about Yu Peng Chen's departure but good thing Dimeng Yuan work with Yu Peng Chen for quite a while and we have heard Dimeng Yuan's work even long before Yu Peng Chen's departure to make it we as player didn't notice the music change and the quality is somewhat same But me personally will never experience again boss theme that tell the boss story and POV like what usually Yu Peng Chen do for example Fatui Boss theme (Tartaglia, La Signora and Scaramouche boss theme)
"genshin's new storyline is pretty good" thats not actually a "first" as you called it, there's sumeru the track "Fontaine" does actually play in the game i appreciate your work but you need to fact check better in the future
I don’t believe, “Liyue,” “Inazuma,” “Sumeru,” or “Fontaine” play in their complete form in-game. They are broken into pieces and used separately, sometimes near perfectly, sometimes just an adaptation.
@JonathanBarouch the track containing the fontaine leitmotif plays in the city of Fontaine every now and then. It's titled: Le Souvenir avec le crepuscule.
All the themes titled with their respective region's name serve as leitmotifs for many tracks in their region, with one of them usually being a special rendition that plays in the main city every now and then. The most memorable for me are definitely the Sumeru and Fontaine city music.
That sounds spot on to me. One of the major complaints of why people drop Genshin Impact is the story. The Fontaine arc is the only time I've heard any genuine praise for the story. There is just so much pointless dialogue that people end up skipping through all of it and end up dropping the game altogether. It's made worse when you compare it to others so it is an accurate statement.
![Exploring (the track called) "Fontaine" with Paimon's Voice Actor'ˢ ʳᵒᵒᵐᵐᵃᵗᵉ [Genshin Impact]](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
