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For your late Saturday night enjoyment, I have a Japanese OST to share!
Background Information Ichiban no Takaramono was released as the fifth single of the anime soundtrack for
Angel Beats . It is arguably one of the most popular songs from the OST and is well-known by the Japanese anime community.
There are three versions of this song, two of which were used as the endings of the anime's 10th and 13th episodes. Each version has its own set of lyrics, mood and character whilst still retaining the essence and message of the song. The version I have chosen for this post is the
Yui Final Version. Analysis and Observations Ichiban no Takaramono follows a standard pop song structure (Introduction, Verse 1, Chorus, Verse 2, Chorus, Instrumental, Chorus, Chorus Repeat, Coda) and yet, it is six minutes in length. The reason for this is a combination of the song's slow tempo and numerous episodes of instrumental breaks. There is an introduction, a small instrumental break between the first chorus and second verse, an extended instrumental break and a coda. While the voice has a prominent, melodic role, the importance of the other instruments in the music is highlighted in these instrumental episodes. As we sift through the several layers and colours in the music, it is incredibly satisfying as a result that the song both starts and ends with a simple, acoustic guitar. The other instruments which you can hear in the song are strings, piano, electric guitar, bass guitar and drums, all of which give the song a nice blend of ballad, pop, rock and film music styles. In short, this song is a great example of how instrumentation can be used to build momentum and create variety in the music.
Modulation, also commonly known as key changes, is significant to this song from both musicological and narrative perspectives. The song starts and has its verses in F major, contrasting with the choruses which are in A major. A major is the mediant key of F major which is fairly unusual and almost unsettling as an area to modulate to. However, this decision to have modulation embedded in the structural fabric of the song to can be attributed to the meaning in the lyrics; we have the singer reminiscing over her fondest memories before accepting with bittersweetness that she has to let go and move forward from them. We also have an uplifting key change from A to B flat major for the Chorus Repeat. While this is a fairly typical direction for music to modulate, up by semitone, for it to happen directly after a chorus is rare. Fittingly though, the lyrics that unravel as this occurs are "Going round-and-round and flowing, time is ever-changing." I see this key change as a final embrace and acknowledgement that change is inevitable but memory is immortal, alluding to the song's title and final lyrics "my most precious treasure." The song stays in B flat major for the rest of the song which has a subdominant relationship with F major. This is a far more stable tonal relationship and acts, therefore, as a resolution to this unrelenting tension between joy and sadness that governs the rest of the song. I could do an entire harmonic analysis of this song to illustrate just how effective it is in conveying the lyrical content but these are the major tonal areas that are explored and my theories why.
The singer, LiSa, predominantly uses her chest and mixed voice in
Ichiban no Takaramono. Her belts hold a great degree of strength in them but my favourite parts of the song actually come from the brief moments she transitions to head voice and sings lightly just before the chorus. By prefacing the chorus with these breathier vocalisations, the timbre and power in her belts are even more pronounced.
Additional Comments There is something raw and natural about the song, as if it were a direct expression of someone's experience. I discovered after I watched the anime that the singer, LiSa, is also the singing voice for the character Yui in the anime. I think this is a key reason why the song carries an immense amount of emotional weight, whilst still being able to reach and resonate beyond the context of the anime.
When I analysed this all the way back in Year 10 English as part of my first ever musicology assignment, one of the assessment requirements was to criticise something about the music. I found this quite difficult to do at first because I just love it way too much and to fault it was going against all the positive commentary I was making in my assignment about why the song is so musically interesting. Eventually, I admitted that to a listener with perhaps less patience or understanding of the song's meaning, the six-minute length might be a bit excessive. This was one of the first instances that I felt a calling towards music criticism as a student and realised that critiquing the music is not rejecting or hating on it, but as a means to empathise and accept alternative views. I hope to advocate a similar mindset to analysing music in my own classrooms in the future.
To really grasp how gorgeous this song is, whether you are interested in watching the anime or not, I have attached a link to the lyrics both in Japanese and with the English translation
here . As both an English tutor and aspiring Music educator, my instincts always gravitate towards the lyrics whenever I encounter intriguing musical material to gain a greater comprehension of the compositional choices. Although the song is in another language, I think music is able to communicate and invite curiosity and fascination, two reactions that do not need translations to occur to the listener.
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