Ante Bellum Original Soundtrack: Dev Diary #1
Anyone who loves the Ante Bellum Main Theme will be delighted to know that some of the most recognisable sections from it have been turned into motifs and scattered throughout the new original soundtrack.
Motifs: the "Empire" theme
The primary and most recognisable motif within the Ante Bellum OST is the "Empire" theme. This is the tune that drives the already-released main theme. It represents the rise and fall of empires - triumph and sorrow - in all of their glory, reflecting on Ante Bellum's primary focus of unresolved conflict around Europe (in particular, around Francia and Iberia).
When creating the OST I decided to expand and augment this glorious motif in various ways to convey different moods and feelings. I have appended some of these to this post for you to listen to and will discuss each one in turn below.
1. Empire Theme - Despondent
This variant is a slow and drawn-out version of the motif which appears in the piece "Commiserations". In fact, the whole piece is a sad mixture of various version of the motif. The time signature, general melody and harmonic structure has completely changed to give a more depressing and sombre effect. In this usage it is intended to represent defeat, destruction and daunting challenge of rebuilding.
Imagine this playing when you lose a war.
2. Empire Theme - Jubilant
The Jubilant variant is intentionally the exact opposite of the Despondent variant. It appears in the piece "Victorious War", which is purposefully placed right next to "Commiserations" in the track list. In this variant the theme has been shifted from a minor key to a major key and the rhythmic undertones are more upbeat. This create a positive, celebratory atmosphere, almost like a dance or a feast or a festival. This is exactly the intention, as the whole "Victorious War" piece is a close parallel of the main theme and is meant to capture the mood of a recently successful and victorious empire.
Imagine this playing when you win a war.
3. Empire Theme - Inverted
This is an interesting spin on the main theme that pops up primarily in "Lothair's Memento" and "Empire's Downfall". This is no coincidence. Generally, this motif is slower and more measured than the original, but key difference is that the melody has been augmented slightly and inverted. Inversion is where the steps between notes go in the opposite direction. The main theme melody generally trends downward, ending lower than where it started; when inverted it trends upward. The result makes it sound familiar, but different at the same time. It feels broken, which is exactly the mood I am trying to portray with it; confusion, decadence and misdirection.
Imagine this playing when you get an average leader and your empire stagnates and starts to crumble.
In addition to the above, there are a couple other variants of the main theme motif which hopefully you will pick up around the place as you listen to the music!
As a bonus, the second key motif that was created out of the Main Theme is the rapid organ ostinato that begins as the Main Theme builds up to its second reinstatement. This motif pops up in various places around the OST, often to create a mellowing, or sobering, effect. I'll leave it to you to spot it around the place, so be sure to listen out for it! One example, as heard on the solo violin in "Empire's Downfall", is given in the audio excerpts below.
Next week I will take a detailed look at the "Catholic" theme, its place in Ante Bellum and how it relates to Themes of the Old World.
The Ante Bellum Original Soundtrack releases worldwide on 4 February 2022.
- Utopia