Burden of Truth

About “Importance of Truth” The PSP game “Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII” introduces a new musical theme/melody to the Final Fantasy VII series. This theme is expressed by many instruments in many song arrangements throughout the game. “Importance of Truth” (CD1, Track 10) is the complete piano solo arrangement of the main theme. “Succession” (CD 1, Track 2) is a short excerpt from “Importance of Truth” (measures 9‐26), but it is the most recognizable part of the song, because this is what is played on the main title screen of the game and on the official website for the game. Also, a different excerpt from “Importance of Truth” (measures 35‐42) is played when previewing the game from the PSP menu (under Game ‐> UMDTM). “Together with Pride” (CD 1, Track 24) is another complete solo piano arrangement, very similar to “Importance of Truth”, but differing from it in several ways, such as: (1) The recording has more reverberation effects; (2) The tempo is more consistent in many parts; (3) Some notes are slightly different; (4) Its grand finale is shorter. The music was composed by Takeharu Ishimoto. About This Transcription As far as I know, no official sheet music exists for “Importance of Truth” (or for any Crisis Core theme song, for that matter), hence the need for transcription. This is an unofficial transcription done by me (Patrick J. Barnes), a mere Final Fantasy fan and piano player who has no official association with the makers of Final Fantasy or its music. I have been playing video game music “by ear” for about 20 years, so hopefully this transcription is pretty close to the original. However, note that this transcription doesn’t include markings for dynamics (volume changes), tempo changes, or pedal markings, so use some discretion. This sheet music can be found at the following website: http://pjbarnes.com/sheetmusic If you have any requests, corrections, comments, etc., contact me at: pjbarnes@gmail.com Alternate Rhythm Interpretations for “Importance of Truth” There are two places in the song in particular where I struggled with how to transcribe the rhythm, so I’d like to share my thoughts on them and to provide an alternate interpretation for them. Measures 5, 6, 7, 8: Measures 5‐8 each consist of a series of 6 notes that are basically eighth notes, with one caveat: there is a dramatic pause between the 5th and 6th notes. Also, overall, the last half of the measure is slightly longer than the first half. This can be interpreted in at least two different ways: (1) The 5th note is actually a dotted eighth note. A slight tempo reduction still needs to be accounted for, but this is simply a “ritardando” (slow down tempo) at the end of the measure, with an “a tempo” (resume normal tempo) at the beginning of the next measure. (2) The 5th note is still an eighth note, but the “ritardando” starts between the 5th and 6th notes, right after beat 3, for dramatic effect. I think the first interpretation is a very natural and straightforward one, and it was my initial interpretation, so this is how I transcribed it. However, I have plenty of reasons to support the second interpretation: (1) Measure 5 does not have the pause and sounds like an eighth note; (2) “Together with Pride”, the alternate piano arrangement with a more consistent tempo, does not have the pause here in any of these measures; (3) A very similar effect may be going on (see below) in measures 9 and 11; and (4) This liberal expression actually seems to fit the genre. Measures 9, 11, 23, 25 (equivalent to title screen measures 1, 3, 15, 17): In measures 9 and 11 (and 23 and 25), the timing of the final three melody notes beginning on beat 3 (D, E, A) is similarly subject to interpretation. Which of the following is it? (1) Dotted eighth, dotted eighth, eighth. (2) Eighth, quarter, eighth. (With “ritardando” right after beat 3.) Again, the first interpretation is probably the most natural and common. After all, the last note truly is shorter than the other two. This was my initial interpretation, so this is how I transcribed it. However, “Together with Pride” supports the second interpretation in measures 9 and 11 and 23 (but supports the first interpretation in measure 25). Also, if the alternate interpretation that I described for measures 5‐8 is correct, then the alternate interpretation for these measures is even more likely, since they are similar. (I suppose that yet another interpretation could be that these three notes are triplet quarter notes, but that doesn’t seem consistent with any of the other rhythms in the piece.) Again, feel free to contact me if you have any opinions on how I have transcribed anything. Patrick J. Barnes (pjbarnes@gmail.com)