Final Fantasy V: Original Sound Version

Final Fantasy V: Original Sound Version is the complete soundtrack of Final Fantasy V. Because the game was not released outside of Japan until the PlayStation version was produced, the soundtrack was virtually unknown in the music industry until the release of Final Fantasy V Anthology.

During production, Final Fantasy V was originally designed to include more than a hundred different themes. Nobuo Uematsu felt the number would make the album unpurchasable for the children in the audience, as it would require a two-disc release, and cut down the track list to 50 tunes. The soundtrack was nevertheless released as a two-disc set.

Reception for the soundtrack was lukewarm, with some critics stating the album did not live up to Final Fantasy IV's soundtrack. Despite this, some of its themes became popular among the Final Fantasy community, such as "Clash on the Big Bridge" and "Dear Friends".

Final Fantasy V's music produced two arranged compilations: Final Fantasy V: Dear Friends, and the respective Piano Collections album. A remastered version was also released.

Track List
Note: English titles are taken from the Music Player included in Final Fantasy V Advance.

Disc 1

 * 1) "Main Theme of Final Fantasy V" - 2:37
 * Played in the Super Nintendo opening sequence.
 * 1) "Opening Theme" - 4:30
 * Played during the game introduction.
 * 1) "Four Hearts" - 1:44
 * Overworld theme of the First World.
 * 1) "Hurry! Hurry!!" - 0:44
 * Played during tight situations, such as the escape from Karnak Castle.
 * 1) "Lenna's Theme" - 1:58
 * Played during defining moments regarding Lenna Charlotte Tycoon.
 * 1) "Dungeon" - 2:31'''
 * Played while the party visits some dungeons, such as the Pirates' Hideout or Underground Waterway.
 * 1) "Battle 1" - 1:14
 * Played during Random Encounters.
 * 1) "Victory Fanfare" - 0:44
 * Played whenever the player wins a battle.
 * 1) "Requiem" - 0:28
 * Plays whenever the player loses a battle.
 * 1) "Pirates Ahoy" - 2:07
 * Played when the party reaches the Pirate Base.
 * 1) "Town Theme" - 2:19
 * Played while the party visits some towns, such as Tule.
 * 1) "Good Night" - 0:07
 * Played when the party rests at an Inn.
 * 1) "Sealed Away" - 1:48
 * Played when the party visits temples or shrines, such as the Wind Shrine, the Walse Tower, or the Sealed Castle.
 * 1) "Cursed Lands" - 1:55
 * Played when the party visits the Ship Graveyard and Karnak.
 * 1) "Deception" - 1:18
 * Played when the party encounters Siren.
 * 1) "Harvest" - 1:46
 * Played when the party visits some towns, such as Carwen or Crescent.
 * 1) "To the North Mountain" - 1:57
 * Played when the party climbs the North Mountain or the Drakenvale.
 * 1) "Close Call" - 1:22
 * Played during tight situations when a villain is present.
 * 1) "Battle 2" - 2:30
 * Played during generic boss battles.
 * 1) "Spreading Grand Wings" - 1:49
 * Played when the party rides the Wind Drake.
 * 1) "Royal Palace" - 1:40
 * Played whenever the party visits a castle in Bartz's world.
 * 1) "Fire Ship" - 1:40
 * Played when the party enters the Fire-Powered Ship.
 * 1) "Run!" - 0:51
 * Played when the party retreats from the exploding Ronka Ruins.
 * 1) "Sorrows of Parting" - 2:37
 * Played during moments when a character dies, such as Syldra or Galuf Halm Baldesion.
 * 1) "Library of Ancients" - 2:36
 * Played when the party explores the Library of the Ancients.
 * 1) "Reminiscence" - 1:37
 * Played during the cutscene involving Lenna and Faris at Castle Tycoon and during the pursuit at Gohn.
 * 1) "Musica Machina" - 1:49
 * Played when the player visits the Ronka Ruins or the Catapult.
 * 1) "The Day Will Come" - 1:53
 * Played at various touching moments, such as when Galuf Halm Baldesion reunites with Krile Mayer Baldesion.
 * 1) "What?" - 0:54
 * Played when the party visits the Chocobo Forest.
 * 1) "Mambo de Chocobo" - 1:12
 * Played when the party rides the black chocobo.
 * 1) "Home, Sweet Home" - 2:42
 * Played when the party visits Lix.
 * 1) "Music Box" - 1:50
 * Played when Bartz listens to his mother's music box.
 * 1) "The Airship" - 2:03
 * Played when the player rides the airship.
 * 1) "The Evil Lord Exdeath" - 2:24
 * Played during any cutscenes involving Exdeath.

Disc 2

 * 1) "Exdeath's Castle" - 2:23
 * Played when the party visits Castle Exdeath, the Barrier Tower and the Fork Tower.
 * 1) "The Dawn Warriors" - 2:16
 * Played when the party reaches Xezat's Fleet and during Bal's attack on Castle Exdeath.
 * 1) "Clash on the Big Bridge" - 2:29
 * Played in all battles against Gilgamesh, bar the first one.
 * 1) "Unknown Lands" - 2:24
 * Overworld theme of Galuf's World.
 * 1) "Moogles' Theme" - 1:29
 * Played when the party visits the Moogle Village.
 * 1) "The Castle of Dawn" - 2:04
 * Played when the player visits the Castle of Bal and Castle Surgate.
 * 1) "Beyond the Deep Blue Sea" - 1:46
 * Overworld underwater theme.
 * 1) "Legend of the Deep Forest" - 2:37
 * Played when the party visits the Great Forest of Moore.
 * 1) "Tycoon Waltz" - 2:16
 * Played during the ball at Castle Tycoon.
 * 1) "Boko's Theme" - 1:14
 * Played whenever the party rides Boco.
 * 1) "A New World" - 2:15
 * Overworld theme of the Merged World.
 * 1) "Sealed Book" - 1:49
 * Played during the cutscene at the Library of the Ancients when the Sealed Tome is read, and when the party visits a tablet chamber or the inner chamber of the Sealed Castle.
 * 1) "Slumber of Ancient Earth" - 2:29
 * Played at the Pyramid of Moore and Desert of Shifting Sands.
 * 1) "Prelude to the Void" - 3:57
 * Played when the party walks through the Interdimensional Rift.
 * 1) "In Search of Light" - 1:40
 * Played during the last floor of the Interdimensional Rift.
 * 1) "The Decisive Battle" - 4:26
 * Played during any battle against Exdeath and the bosses in the Sealed Temple.
 * 1) "The Final Battle" - 4:04
 * Played during the battle against Neo Exdeath and Enuo.
 * 1) "The Silent Beyond" - 5:42
 * Played during the ending scene.
 * 1) "Dear Friends" - 4:02
 * Played during the ending scene.
 * 1) "Final Fantasy" - 3:33
 * 2) "Ending Theme" - 8:16
 * Played during the credit roll.
 * 1) "The Prelude" - 1:46
 * Played after the credit roll and in the Final Fantasy V Advance main menu.
 * 1) "Fanfare 1" - 0:08
 * Played when the party obtains a key item.
 * 1) "Fanfare 2" - 0:12
 * 2) "I'm a Dancer" - 0:16
 * Plays when Bartz approaches any group of Dancers for a "private dance". It is a remix of Bizet's "Carmen".
 * 1) "Piano Lesson 1" - 0:12
 * Plays during the first time Bartz plays a new piano.
 * 1) "Piano Lesson 2" - 0:13
 * Plays during the second time Bartz plays a new piano.
 * 1) "Piano Lesson 3" - 0:13
 * Plays during the third time Bartz plays a new piano.
 * 1) "Piano Lesson 4" - 0:27
 * Plays during the fourth time Bartz plays a new piano.
 * 1) "Piano Lesson 5" - 0:08
 * Plays during the fifth time Bartz plays a new piano. The tune played is Schubert's "Marche Militaire No. 1".
 * 1) "Piano Lesson 6" - 0:09
 * Plays during the sixth time Bartz plays a new piano. The tune played is Stephen Foster's "Beautiful Dreamer".
 * 1) "Piano Lesson 7" - 0:08
 * Plays during the seventh time Bartz plays a new piano. The tune played is Mozart's "Rondo Alla Turca".
 * 1) "Piano Lesson 8" - 0:13
 * Plays when Bartz plays a new piano the last time before acquiring mastership. The tune played is Debussy's "Arabesque No. 1".

Liner notes (translated from the original Japanese)
The liner notes in the soundtrack include a message from composer Nobuo Uematsu and a transcript of a dialogue between Uematsu and the series' illustrator Yoshitaka Amano.

Message from Nobuo Uematsu
Dawn... In the light of day, the tower of the Dragon rises up, as the thick mist disappears into the turning blue sky. Tycoon castle reveals its shape. This, in fact, is the original introduction scene to Final Fantasy V.

It was last winter when Mr. Sakaguchi gave me this 150-page thick scenery. Since then, New Year's had passed, snow had melted, turning into rivers, and spring came and went. While fireworks boomed up in the summer sky, the crickets' chirp had faded when fall came about. And now, the deadline is up. For the FFV team members, everything seemed like a wind blowing from another world. As we brought out a masterpiece to the world from that octopus-shaped, sushi-packed torture room, we asked ourselves, "Can we really fight 24 hours?" And the answer was, "We will fight 8,760 hours!! Huff, huff, huff, huff."

"Whew! How about some tea?"

"Huff, huff, oh, thanks."

Thus, this was one of the many situations in making the game. My first job is to read the scenes carefully. Everything starts here, reading everyday, again and again, until I've memorized it.

Hmm, okay. Hmm, oh, I get it. Yes. Oh yes, hmmm.

zzzzz.

!!??

NO! I was sleeping!!?

Afterwards, I start listing songs that are needed for the game. This is the toughest part. Counting my memos, I find that more than 100 songs are required. Noooo!! I'll have to reduce it to 50, and that is this album. I wanted to put it all on a single CD, because kids don't have much money, but... Forgive me! The quality is much better than FF4's now. Oh, speaking of quality, Mr. Akao again programmed the music for me. Say something, Akao.

Uematsu: Akao? Hey, say something. Oh, wait. There's no space left.

Akao: (sob). That's okay I'm just a little.

Uematsu: Hey, don't cry, Akao. Here. Wipe your tears, and let's go get something to eat. I'll treat. Um. How about some natto rice?

Dialogue between Uematsu and Amano 9/21/1992
AMANO: It's interesting how children like my kids, who don't seem to be interested in music at all, like to go to musical concerts based on video games.

UEMATSU: Yes.

AMANO: And they're listening to game music, even while studying. That's why they acquire a sense of melody. Knowing melody is an important thing. Knowing a melody will eventually lead them into orchestra, pulling them into orchestra, and pulling them into a wider variety of music.

UEMATSU: Kids who are not interested in music may like a certain song in a game, and may eventually begin to like the music itself.

AMANO: Yes, and when devices such as the Famicom put graphics, sound, and text into one, everything seems to be like a scene from a movie. It's like the chocobo theme, for example, where the image of a chocobo comes into your head immediately.

UEMATSU: Don't you think it will nice if, like, kids in elementary school now would group up as college students and talk about Final Fantasy, remembering a small part of their childhood?

AMANO: It's possible it would happen. There's no doubt that such a series like Final Fantasy has the effect to stick in one's head.

UEMATSU: Yeah, like: "La la la~. Do you remember this song?" "Oh, hey, it's the FF1 city theme, isn't it?"

GRAPHICS AND TEXT COMING TOGETHER AS ONE

AMANO: Nobuo-san, how do you come up with a song? I know there's a certain theme attached to them, but...

UEMATSU: Theme. You mean like melody? If I were to make, say, 50 songs, I get all the titles first. Then, I start composing.

AMANO: Sure, like following the scenery.

UEMATSU: It's pretty easy, when there's a script to follow. You understand the meaning of a song, and you try to create something that relates to such.

AMANO: Don't poems automatically give you a melody of a song?

UEMATSU: Not always, but sometimes. Short words are oftentimes better than long stories.

AMANO: Graphics, too. Remember "Dawn"*? You never saw my pictures, while I never listened to your music, but the two came together as one. It might be a normal thing, but it sure felt strange to me.

UEMATSU: Yes, the title can be nothing BUT "Dawn."

AMANO: Yes, I am a painter, while you're a musician. We both based that for "Dawn," and the result became one.

* Dawn/1991 was an exhibit based on Final Fantasy. Mr. Amano displayed his art works, while Mr. Uematsu composed the exhibit's background music.

A PRODIGY ENJOYING MUSIC

UEMATSU: Yoshitaka-san, tell me about your tastes in music.

AMANO: Hmm. I don't know for sure. I don't really like picking a certain thing from something that has such wide variety.

UEMATSU: So, you're really into any kind of genre?

AMANO: You could say that. As for my works, I draw alone. There's a sense of music, even when there IS no music. My image expands, while I find a song that suits my emotions. Do you see? It's like when your music paints a certain image.

UEMATSU: Yes, I understand.

AMANO: Do you have any certain genres in your music?

UEMATSU: No, I like almost any kind of music, for I'm a prodigy for enjoying music. There are two types of people: one that makes a conclusion about a song; and one that goes into a song, exploring the true meaning of it. For me, I have the abnormal ability to enjoy any type of music, so there are no songs that seem bad.

LOOKING OUT FOR MORE OF THE TWO'S COMBINED WORKS

UEMATSU: By the way, how are your new works, now that they're on LD (laser disc)?

AMANO: It's the first time my pictures ever turned digital.

UEMATSU: Is it a moving picture?

AMANO: I don't know for sure. I heard that there are some effects zooming up, though. We're trying to choose the background music now.

UEMATSU: Are any of my songs in it? (laughs)

AMANO: Of course!

UEMATSU: I'm looking forward to the completed work, then!

Limited edition
The limited edition of the soundtrack comes in a single jewel case that holds both CDs and the CDs are gold-pressed. The cover is black with the logo and the text in gold print. The kanji on the front say "20-man-mai toppo kinen," which translate vaguely into "breakthrough commemoration of 200,000 pieces".

Sheet Music
Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version Piano Solo Sheet Music is a book published by DOREMI Music Publishing back in 1993, containing Asako Niwa's solo piano arrangements for the music on the Final Fantasy V: Original Sound Version. The difficulty level is from beginner to intermediate.

Links

 * VGMdb - Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version
 * VGMdb - Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version (reprint)
 * VGMdb - Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version (reprint)

Final Fantasy V Original Sound Version