I thought it was original…

The first Final Fantasy I played was actually FFVII. I know it sounds like I didn’t know anything about the franchise before FFVII, and that is true. I didn’t.
But while I played through FFVII, I listened to a lot of the music accompanyment and I thought that the guy/girl/team composing it all was very original with the entire score.
But now I’m playing FF Anthology (I’m on FFV right now) and I am hearing so much that is the same. I downloaded the midi’s for IV, V, VI and the rest, as well.
What I’m gathering is that Nobuo Uematsu copied his own work to save time and energy, only making slight changes to "update" the various themes. Notably, I recognized "Prelude."
Who wants to shed some light on what went on with the making of the various OST’s for the games? A little background and insight as to why they were copied and what everyone thinks of the matter.

Same series, same music.

Prelude is basically the series’ theme, so of course it’s left unchanged throughout the main series.

What I’m gathering is that Nobuo Uematsu copied his own work to save time and energy, only making slight changes to "update" the various themes. Notably, I recognized "Prelude."

Copied his own work? LOL

The Prelude is the whole series main theme. It was left out only in one game, Final Fantasy VIII. Then you have the Chocobo’s theme, which has always been the same melody, but went through many different musical types (jazzy, rocky, etc…) and then you have the last theme that has always been present in a Final Fantasy game (the main game series, not the spin-offs), and it’s the theme Final Fantasy, which is the theme that plays almost always during the end-credit and at the beginning of some titles (like when Kain and Cecil get out of Baron, or during the game selection screen in FF XII).

One exception to that rule is FFIX, which saw the remake of some old themes from the Nes in its goal to make it more evident that this last series hourray on the PSOne would be perceived as an hommage to the series (the game’s theme was Memories, after all).

So saying Uematsu only copied his work from games to games is something only an ignorant would say.

Aeris’ Theme is actually Celes’ theme from ff vi with some changes.

But still, he did a lot of work for each game

lol Aeris theme is nothing like Celes’s theme, listen to the 2 themes again. there is some notes that looks alike, but come on, this is obviously not the same theme.

Just the same composer.

Sorry, I wanted to say that Aeris Theme sounds a lot like Aria De Mezzo Carattere.

just the beginning notes, other then that, the melody is completely different.

What I’m gathering is that Nobuo Uematsu copied his own work to save time and energy

Yeah he should probably sue himself too…

Notably, I recognized "Prelude."

No fucking way I never knew it was the same song in ever single Final Fantasy game, it must be the theme song or something. my god your genious lol.

A ‘prelude’ is a peice that preludes something. it is a song that is played before something larger.

he only kept a few songs, because the fans love them, and also it’s creates a theme.

he did the right thing. if the game designers had said, ‘ok, so we are not going to have a chocobo this time’, we will have a motorbike, nobuo would have had to write a new song.

but the designers wanted to keep in certain fun elements, and because the elements were returning again and again he had to keep the same song so that the theme attachted to those elments is the same.

the battle themes are different, end themes, and most of the music in between.

it’s only really the chocobo theme, and the prelude that are the same.

but the prelude changes every time, and so does the chocobo theme. A Mamba chocobo is different from a Waltz chocobo.

so he even changed the theme to match the game but still keeping the familiar melody.

Geez, look at John Williams!!! He copied himself in almost all the Superman movies!!! He’s so lazy and lame!!!

If anyone is dumb enough to not realize this is obvious sarcasm… You’re no smarter than Antilles.

Speaking of similarities, I noticed a part of the FFVI Opera sounding like Aeris’ theme. It was only for about a handful of notes, otherwise, I haven’t noticed too many similarities in Uematsu’s music. I think a piece in one of the classics sounds like a fantasy of another piece in another classic. I cannot remember which though. x_x

BTW, John Williams rocks.

Speaking of similarities, I noticed a part of the FFVI Opera sounding like Aeris’ theme. It was only for about a handful of notes, otherwise, I haven’t noticed too many similarities in Uematsu’s music. I think a piece in one of the classics sounds like a fantasy of another piece in another classic. I cannot remember which though. x_x

BTW, John Williams rocks.

That, he does.

But did you know that the Time magazine made an article about Nobuo Uematsu saying he was the James Horner, John William and Danny Elfman of videogame musics?

That, he certainly is.