Symphony of the Night: A Classic Inspired by the Classics

Courtesy of US Gamer.

Konami’s Castlevania—a video game series centered around the everlasting conflict between the Belmont Clan, a family of vampire hunters, and the vampire lord Count Dracula, who is resurrected every century through nefarious means—has established itself as a gaming classic since its inception in the 1980s. Castlevania’s impact on the video game world extends beyond its action-packed gameplay and extensive lore—its music stands out as some of the most exciting and unique video game music of all time. Castlevania’s true claim to fame is perhaps its 1997 installment Symphony of the Night, which adopts a non-linear approach to gameplay and role-playing elements. Upon playing it for the first time in May, I immediately fell in love with its soundtrack, which features an idiosyncratic blend of musical styles ranging from classical, baroque, and romantic to jazz, rock, electronic, and metal.

Symphony of the Night takes place in 1796, in which Richter Belmont of the Belmont clan, having defeated Dracula four years earlier, inexplicably disappears while Dracula’s castle reappears. Meanwhile, Dracula’s half-human/half-vampire son Adrian, who goes by the moniker Alucard, mysteriously awakens from a self-imposed three-hundred-year slumber and enters the castle to confront the evil that lurks within. The player assumes the role of Alucard to traverse and fight their way through the castle, discovering new regions and uncovering secrets along the way.

The soundtrack to Symphony of the Night largely features the work of Japanese composer Michiru Yamane, marking her second time composing for the Castlevania series after Bloodlines (1994). Born in Kagawa Prefecture, Japan in 1963, Yamane began learning music at a young age, starting with the electric organ and eventually the piano. She later matriculated at the Aichi Prefectural University of the Arts, where she studied musical composition and joined the entertainment company Konami shortly before her fourth year at the college. Yamane cited her influences being modern artists such as the Japanese techno-pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra, American progressive-metal band Dream Theater, and film composer Jerry Goldsmith, as well as classical artists like Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Ravel, Debussy, and Bach.

In discussing her approach to composing music for Symphony of the Night, Yamane felt that there was “some affinity between the image of a vampire-infested world with the traditional classical music” that she grew up learning. She also enjoyed the rock-inspired music of older Castlevania titles, and thus wished to combine the classical elements of her musical upbringing with the “dynamic bass lines and groovy rhythms” that she felt were fundamental to the series. The image that Yamane envisioned was no doubt further realized by the visual art of Ayami Kojima, the character designer for Symphony of the Night. Kojima’s works were elegant, dark, beautiful, and grotesque, creating the gothic visual aesthetic that was ubiquitous with the Castlevania series.

One of the tracks that best captures this aesthetic is “Moonlight Nocturne,” which plays during the prologue of the game. Featuring a synthesized classical orchestra, a somber violin melody supported by blaring brass countermelodies, and tense chromatic movements by the viola, the track is reminiscent of symphonies of the Romantic era and serves as a cinematic introduction to the regal and dark fantasy world of Castlevania. While orchestral arrangements are commonly heard in video game music nowadays, the lush orchestration of “Moonlight Nocturne” is impressive given the technology available for game composers in 1997.

Unlike previous Castlevania games, Symphony of the Night was originally released on the PlayStation and thus took advantage of the console’s CD-ROM technology. Previously, game composers relied on programmable sound generators (PSG) which were built into the circuit boards of arcade cabinets and video game consoles. PSGs were limited in how many sounds could be produced simultaneously, and typically could only generate them through basic waveforms. The CD-ROM, however, allowed all music, sound effects, and dialogue to be pre-recorded and played in-game through CD audio while maintaining a pristine audio quality. With this technological frontier to explore, Yamane was afforded more freedom in expressing her musical ideas. Blending classical and popular styles in the soundtrack, Yamane made use of a wide variety of computer-generated instruments, including those from traditional orchestral ensembles as well as those commonly found in rock bands like electric guitars, synthesizers, and drums.

The CD-ROM format, though, was not without its downsides. Because the music was pre-recorded, there was no way to alter it during gameplay to make it more dynamic and interactive. As such, many composers for PlayStation games relied on musical looping. While looping music runs the risk of becoming tedious, the music of Symphony of the Night remains engaging and captivating because the compositions themselves are varied. Much of the music is tonal, meaning that each piece follows a linear structure where a theme is established and then developed further or contrasted. Because video games have an interactive format, the amount of time a player spends in a certain area of the castle, for example, is indeterminate. In order to account for the player’s movements and technological limitations, music is repeated as many times as necessary throughout given areas.

As with other Castlevania games, much of the music in Symphony of the Night revolves around the structure of the castle in the game itself. The castle is split into multiple interconnected sections, with each area having its distinct theme that plays and loops when the player enters and cuts out once the player leaves. Although the player is given the freedom to explore the castle at their own pace, certain areas require specific items and abilities to become accessible. As such, early gameplay involves progressing through preliminary areas such as the Entrance, Alchemy Lab, Marble Gallery, Outer Wall, and the Long Library.

When Alucard, representing the player, dashes past the castle gates and enters the dark hallways of the Entrance, he is accompanied only by the sounds of howling winds, crackling thunder, and the shrieks of monsters before the hallways brighten dramatically and the track “Dracula’s Castle” begins. Arguably Alucard’s theme, “Dracula’s Castle” features eerie synth and violin melodies supported by a driving rock accompaniment, giving it an elegant yet dark feeling and a theatrical flair. The next area, the Alchemy Lab, is underscored by “Dance of Gold” which features symphonic orchestration reminiscent of “Moonlight Nocturne” and a recurring descending circle-of-fifths motif to create a grandiose and dignified atmosphere. Juxtaposed with “Dance of Gold” is the more rhythmic referential theme of the next area, the Marble Gallery, which presents a striking blend of groovy synth bass lines with a springy lead melody that is played on a dulcimer. Upon arriving at the Outer Wall, we find ourselves with the track “Tower of Mist,” which borrows the melody of “Marble Gallery” but rearranges it with symphonic orchestration. Unlike the somewhat mischievous “Marble Gallery,” “Tower of Mist” exudes subdued tension through the use of a constant violin ostinato and an increasingly intricate texture, leading to a loud climax before dissipating.

When reaching the Long Library, the player is greeted with “Wood Carving Partita,” a piece where I believe Bach’s influence on Yamane’s compositional approach is most apparent. The orchestration consists of a harpsichord and a strings section, where they take turns playing the melody and providing accompaniment and counterpoint. Interestingly, the baroque mannerisms that “Wood Carving Partita” evokes is actually somewhat anachronistic, as baroque music was largely superseded by music of the Classical era by the 1750s. By blending the flavors of different eras of classical music, Yamane takes advantage of the cultural associations between classical music and an elite socioeconomic status, allowing the music to conjure an immersive, fictional yet believable idea of the past without the need for specific musical or historical knowledge.

Symphony of the Night serves as a testament to video game music’s intersection between art, technology, and storytelling. Although the game features so many brilliant works of music, they are not as widely accessible as traditional forms of music because they require engagement through gameplay. To this day, the music of Symphony of the Night remains one of Michiru Yamane’s most beloved works, demonstrating the transformative power that music can bring to gameplay and worldbuilding. Building upon previous innovations in game sound and her own eclectic musical influences, Yamane masterfully crafted the definitive soundtrack to a world of conflict between vampires and humans and the plight of one caught between them.