A Place to Call Home (theme)

"A Place to Call Home" is a theme of Final Fantasy IX. It was composed by Nobuo Uematsu.

"A Place to Call Home" is a short, melodic piece based on the D Dorian mode and is contrapuntal in nature. However, some of these elements are more or less apparent, or even non-existent, in the many reiterations heard throughout Final Fantasy IX. Despite its shortness, the theme has been included in many official arrangements and compilations and played several times during live performances along with the game's main theme, "Melodies of Life".

Final Fantasy IX
"A Place to Call Home" plays during the opening cutscenes of the game and its title screen. It is an important theme for its game, being connected to Terra and having several arrangements and being included in several themes which play in areas related to the world: "Oeilvert" plays at the eponymous location; "Chamber of a Thousand Faces" plays at the same location, during the narration of the story of Terra by the stone faces; "Ipsen's Castle" plays at the location of said name, and "The Four Mirrors" plays during events succeeding the visit to the location; "Terra" plays as Zidane explores the world.

"A Place to Call Home" is the first track of the first disc of the Final Fantasy IX: Original Soundtrack album. "Oeilvert" and "Chamber of a Thousand Faces" are the twenty-first and twenty-second tracks of the third disc of the album, respectively; "Ipsen's Castle", "The Four Mirrors" and "Terra" are the third, fourth and sixth tracks of the fourth disc of the album.

Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
An arrangement of "A Place to Call Home" by Takeharu Ishimoto titled ""A Place to Call Home -arrange-" from FINAL FANTASY IX" makes an appearance in Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy as a dungeon theme. The Dies Irae theme from the Catholic funeral Mass is mixed into the harmony.

""A Place to Call Home -arrange-" from FINAL FANTASY IX" is the thirty-seventh track of the first disc of the Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy Original Soundtrack.

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
"A Place to Call Home" is an opening theme in Final Fantasy IX Series Play. While the opening theme plays, the following words appear across the screen:

Piano Collections: Final Fantasy IX
A piano arrangement of the theme is heard on the Piano Collections album. It is the third track of the album.

Final Fantasy Song Book "Mahoroba"
The theme is included using a simple arrangement of drums and flutes as a short opening track for the Song Book Mahoroba album. it is the first track of the album and an alternate version plays as a hidden track after a minute of silence following the final track, Revolving Light.

SQ Chips
The song appears in the SQ Chips VILLAGE/VANGUARD Customer Bonus CD of the 8-bit arrangement album featuring tracks from several Square Enix games. It is the fifth track in the bonus CD.

Final Fantasy IX Chips
The song is part of the 8-bit arrangement album as its first track.

Live performances
The theme is often coupled with the song "Melodies of Life" during live orchestral performances.

20020220 music from Final Fantasy
The theme was included as a medley with "Melodies of Life", "The Place I'll Return to Someday ~ Melodies of Life", for the 20020220 concert. This would be the first instance in the now-common tradition of coupling both themes together during live performances.

It was the thirteenth track of the album, and is the eight track of the second disc of the album of the concert's recording.

More Friends - Music from Final Fantasy
"A Place to Call Home ~ Melodies of Life" was performed at this concert, of which it was the eleventh track of the line-up.

VOICES: Music from Final Fantasy
"A Place to Call Home ~ Melodies of Life" was included on the live concert held on February 18th, 2006, at the Pacifico Yokohoma Conference and Convention Center in Japan.

Distant Worlds II: More Music from Final Fantasy
"A Place to Call Home - Melodies of Life" was included in this concert tour, successor to Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy, of which it was the fourth song.

Final Fantasy IX: Uematsu's Best Selection
"A Place to Call Home" was included in this "best-of" release by Tokyopop Soundtrax as its first track.

Etymology
The place referred to in the title is a matter of speculation. Terra, being the Genomes' birthplace, is likely to be "the place Zidane would return to someday". This hypothesis is supported by the fact that "Oeilvert", "Ipsen's Heritage" (Ipsen's Castle's theme) and "The Four Medallions" (also played in Ipsen's Castle) are rearranged versions of "The Place I'll Return to Someday", and both places are connected to Terra. This is almost confirmed as "Terra", which is the theme played when the player first enters Terra, is also a mixed version of "The Place I'll Return to Someday". The theme's name may also refer to Garnet returning to her birthplace Madain Sari; Memoria might as well be such a place.