Nobuo Uematsu’s Successful Experiment
One-Winged Angel is the main theme for the villain of Final Fantasy VII. Releasing in January 31, 1997, this piece of music has been a staple throughout video game original soundtrack history.
It is a piece of video game music and history that has been remixed and redone many times throughout the years, whether it be spin-offs or through a remade theme in the Advent Children Movie.
One-Winged Angel’s structure is a fusion of styles. The piece has vocals, which was a first for the composer to add into the soundtrack of the video game. Back then lyrics video game soundtracks were rare, so this was a groundbreaking piece of music that is still greatly renowned to this day. The fusion comes from Uematsu wanting to have a unique sound with the style of Stravinsky, and the rock of Jimi Hendrix. This piece has a rock sound to it, while being a full orchestral piece. It got the job done as over the years if a concert is performed for Final Fantasy Music, the orchestra will almost always play this piece.
One-Winged Angel was ahead of it’s time. The original version has a distinct midi sound, as that was the best the composer could deal with in terms of technology. The piece had to be compressed in ways to fit the game overall, however over the years it’s clear to see how that original piece started it all. It has been remixed countless times, always having a richer sound each time with full orchestral ensembles playing the piece. This would be whether the piece is performed and recorded for a new project in or not in the Final Fantasy franchise, or if it’s just performed in a concert.
Nobuo Uematsu strived for something new and exciting when composing One-Winged Angel, and it shows. The piece has such a distinctly eerie, yet catchy lyrical sound. The vocals are in Latin, except for the shout section shouting “Sephiroth”, the name of the antagonist. It’s not often I see a piece of music so closely identified to a fictional character. While themes are always made for characters of franchises now, Sephiroth’s theme is truly one of a kind.
One-Winged Angel’s rich history truly sticks out me, every version past the original just has it’s own take on the original, yet still keeps that same core of the piece. Nobuo Uematsu is a renowned composer of this day and age, and One-Winged Angel is just one of the many pieces he’s masterfully crafted.
Yet One-Winged Angel is something special, as it not only has a super catchy dark sound to it, it also does it’s job in making the antagonist look, and sound as scary and dark as he should be.
Original: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDD-iYkHBhc
Another version, Advent Children Movie Version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WgATwzubq8
Sources https://ultimatepopculture.fandom.com/wiki/One-Winged_Angel
https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/articles/nobuo-uematsu-music-final-fantasy
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