Soundtrack/Commentary/Spring BGM

*"They aren't* quite *right yet."*This article needs some work, perhaps some cleanup or addition of data.
## Sprouting, Cherry Blossoms

The theme of the twelfth instalment of the "Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin" music commentary is spring BGM in the village - the daytime BGM "Sprouting" and the nighttime BGM "Cherry Blossoms".

For Sakuna, who lives in the rice fields, the changing of the seasons is of great importance Even the tilt of the sun in each season is carefully calculated in this game, so whether you plant rice in the winter or in the spring, it will grow differently.

The first of these four seasons contains the spring daytime track "Sprouting".

To tell you the story behind the creation of the game, the initial plan was to have only two types of tracks for the village: day and night. After we sent the rough draft of the tracks, we received feedback that it would be difficult to cover the entire village with one BGM because the atmosphere of the village changes depending on the four seasons, and that eight tracks for the four seasons (day and night) would be too much work, so we suggested that we make four tracks for each of the four seasons and change the arrangements for day and night.

As you can imagine, it was five years ago, so my memory is a bit hazy on the exact exchange, but that's roughly how the composition of the village track was finalized.

This song is made with the image of "nursery rhymes / songs". While most pop songs have an A-B-C (chorus) progression, this song has an A-A'-B-A structure, inspired by the progression of famous songs such as "春の小川" and "花". This is also the reason the A melody starts out in a "seven-five" meter.

I used the hichiriki for the melody of this piece, which is unique. I hadn't thought of using hichiriki in other than gagaku-style pieces such as "Purification", but I thought it would be suitable for the simple melody of this piece.

(By the way, there is one more piece that uses the hichiriki. If you are interested in it, please look for it.)

Even as the A-A'-B-A progression is about to end, the chord has a royal progression from B♭ (subdominant) to C (dominant) toward the resolution, though it does not go directly to F (tonic), but repeats E♭ and F. There is a hidden rice-planting song point in the interlude section that reminds us of this modulated atmosphere, and the koto plays a phrase arranged from the second theme.

(See the attached MIDI, 12\_mebae.mid, in the article.)

In contrast to the nursery rhyme-like image of the daytime theme, the nighttime theme was arranged with a calm and relaxed adult atmosphere. Although there are no cherry blossoms in bloom on Hinoe Island, I titled the song with the image of a breezy night looking up at the cherry blossoms under the moonlight in mind.

Although the composition and melody are common, the instrumentation and chords are very different, and although the tempo is the same, the sense of rhythm is half the same. The shamisen melody is supported by the shakuhachi sub-melody, and the koto adds an elegant atmosphere.

(See the attached MIDI, 13\_sakura.mid, in the article.)

Since time always flows in the game, the music changes when changing from day to night or night to day while in the village, but because the tempo, composition, and melody are common, only the arrangement changes seamlessly - it's a pretty interesting way to switch. You only have the opportunity to listen twice a day, but be sure to listen for it.

Next time, I will introduce the three versions of the song "Blessings" for the meal scene: Plum, Bamboo, and Pine.