[noumenal]

http://www.vgmusic.com/music/console.../nes/nemo1.mid

This is music from Little Nemo: The Dream Master. Any thoughts? I have many.

A friend of mine wanted to know if this was "good" video-game music. I say yes.

[krastian]

Yeah, Nemo has some really memorable NES music......fun game too. I was thinking about putting together a compilation of the best NES music ever....I have quite a few "full game soundtracks" and random mp3's/wav files.

[noumenal]

It expresses a reluctance to begin, but also a rather importunate demand for adventure.

In the first section, longing to explore (as represented by the chromatic second chord, which gives the brief impression of immediate modulation to other "lands") is repressed by a constant pounding rhythm and a tonic pedal, which keep everything grounded (ultimately, the adventurous harmony turns out only to support a chromatic descent from scale-degree 5 to scale-degree 3: nothing too exciting after all).

The second section, however, breaks free from the tyranny of the tonic pedal, the bass embarking on a melodic flight (moving stepwise and around the circle of fifths in a lovely symmetrical way), but adventure is scary, so it's cast in the relative minor. Our requirements for adventure fulfilled momentarily, section 2 slides back into section 1 in an evasive common-tone progression that avoids the authentic cadence in the minor key: danger averted. The cadence is elided almost imperceptibly. Our hero steps back into timidity.

So, the music wonderfully expresses the start of a grand adventure, at once bursting with excitement and hanging back, cautious of the danger ahead. Due to the lack of any perfect authentic cadences, this music could just repeat over and over, moving between the sections, as long as it takes to finish the level. They work a lot like a song in a verse/chorus structure, but without a bridge or final cadential section.


LOL