Phantom Train – Final Fantasy VI
This is “Phantom Train” from Square Enix’s RPG “Final Fantasy VI”.
It is composed by Nobuo Uematsu.
The song is played when two characters, Sabin and Cyan, accidentally board a train bound for the other world.
For the intro, I used a inverted form to give the impression of quietness.
There are a lot of dominant motions throughout the piece, giving it a powerful feel.
I think the highlight of the piece is the e-d#-d-c# semitone descending from bar 27.
I have written chord symbols, but the chords in the second half are not quite right, so please refer to them only for reference.
As a side note, Nobuo Uematsu started composing game music when he received a job from the former Square, and before that he had been working in a music-related field but was also struggling to maintain his living infrastructure. (interview here. Note:Japanese only)
I was surprised because I had imagined that he had built a successful career from the beginning.