Ovelia's Theme - Final Fantasy Tactics (solo piano arr. by Toby Sherriff, v.2)

[@Tohlemiach]

God, that one part where it starts modulating like crazy will never fail to give me chills. Probably my favorite chord progression ever.

[@purpleschala]

I know right!??! that part is just SO GOOD!!! absolutely brilliant

[@plaboo]

I am not very versed into music, could you point out what part you are talking about? :D

[@Tohlemiach]

@@plaboo It starts at 1:18 and goes until 1:40, then it does the same thing at 3:16 to 3:38.

[@SirMechT]

I don't understand how you don't have at least 1 million of subscribers, amazing arrangements, simple love it, you got just one more fan ❤️

[@purpleschala]

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! i am amazed and grateful at how many people I do have, I never dreamed it would be this many!!! Thank you for listening!

[@zio009]

I'm running a D&D campaign based on Final Fantasy Tactics. We actually just finished our session fighting a Lucavi about thirty minutes before you posted this. They recently finally met Ovelia and are getting intwined with her and Delita's story. Anyway, all this to say I listen to your entire FFT collection about once a week, and I use several of your recordings as background music for the game. Your performance of Requiem and Hero's Theme almost brought my players to tears tonight. Thank you for what you do, and for helping me bring the beauty of FFT to my friends!

[@Julian-br7wb]

What a great idea for a campaign!

[@LMMotoss]

You've got to link some of the resources you used...this sounds dope AF

[@purpleschala]

OMG THIS TOTALLY MADE MY DAY I COULD CRY AHHHHHHHH!!!! ♥♥♥♥♥♥ Tactics based D&D!??!! This sounds absolutely amazing and I wish so badly I could join or at the very least spectate!!! Honestly it sounds like you're the one doing all the heavy lifting introducing FFT, I am just so honored you would use my covers as a musical backdrop to help set the scene!! Thank you, thank you so much, you're awesome!!!!

[@zio009]

@@purpleschala I would love to have you join (although knowing the plot might give you a small edge hahaha)! I use Delita and Ovelia's themes to really understand their character motivations, and all of your songs help keep me motivated and in the mindset of Ivalice's sprawling drama. I've also included characters and plotlines from XII, Tactics Advance, and Tactics A2. But the main focus is on Tactics, from the explosion of Ziekden, to Delita kidnapping Ovelia from Orbonne, to the church using the Zodiac Stones to control the world. It's a lot of writing and work to pull it all together, but I know when your rendition of Delita's theme plays as he becomes the Hero King, it will all have been worth it!

[@zio009]

@@LMMotoss haha I really only rely on my extensive knowledge of Final Fantasy and of D&D to pull it off. Just oodles of homebrew. I did handdraw a custom original take on Ivalice that I'm pretty proud of. I've written the Scriptures of Germonique, and heavily elaborated on the structure of the Church of Glabados and all its members. We just finished our 30th session, I probably have 200 pages worth of homemade material.

[@theancientsam]

I feel lucky to be one of the few who watch these. Hidden gem for sure! I really wish more people could see your work

[@purpleschala]

thank you so much! I'm just grateful to anyone who stops by to listen! =)

[@raph017]

You need to stop , my ears cannot take that much greatness at once. This was amazing

[@purpleschala]

omg that's very kind of you, thank you!!!!!

[@flaurel]

This is the most wholesome comments section and for a good reason! Beautifully played!

[@purpleschala]

AHH THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

[@DaviVasc]

Fantastic work purpleschala. The part that kicks in at 1:18 is my favorite from this theme. And the inclusion of the Hero Theme at the end was such a nice touch! I've beaten this game for the first this year but somehow this music makes me feel like I've known these characters and themes my whole life lol Thank you for posting this!

[@vgaudiophile5397]

T_T I'm not crying; YOU'RE CRYING!!!

[@MoisesNieto]

I haven't played FFT or know its OST very well, but your FFT covers are always so amazing 💙 You can tell how much passion and effort you put on them!

[@purpleschala]

THANK YOU SO MUCH MOISES OMG!!!!! 😭♥ I still absolutely love your arrangement/cover of Pub from the Zodiac album!!! it was so good!!

[@willlauzon3744]

Dude play final fantasy tactics psx. You will be glad you did. My personal favourite final fantasy game. Not saying it's the best (it is though)

[@DogmaBeoulve]

Brava! That was absolutely beautiful! I feel like the music from Tactics is often overlooked and I really love this beautiful, blast from the past

[@GoatFelon]

So good! I don't know what it is exactly, but something about Hitoshi Sakimoto's compositions for the Tactics games (as well as FF XII) has always stood out to me as different from other well known games/composers, and I absolutely love it. Maybe it's specific melodies in some cases, but I think it has more to do with the general harmonic textures of his pieces... I'm not really sure how to describe it beyond that lol. Ever since I played FF Tactics Advance I was in love with the music, and had to go listen to the original Tactics and FFXII soundtracks. Ovelia's theme is one of my absolute favourites, and you played it beautifully! I really ought to actually play this game one of these days...

[@purpleschala]

oh I understand and agree completely about Sakimoto. His music has stood out to me from the very first time I heard it on Radiant Silvergun. Then when i played Tactics for the first time I was just totally, incredibly blown away and have been a diehard fan ever since. He's just at a level of complexity that just goes beyond most vgm in his harmonies and orchestration, you're completely right!! I love Tactics to bits, but I understand that it can be hard to get through, especially nowadays, so I don't blame you at all if you do try and find it's just not to your liking. It's very grindy and battles take hours, but the music and story is totally worth it!

[@kotokid31]

I purposely waited all day to watch this because I wanted to watch right before bed. Like, it's that much of a treat.

[@purpleschala]

omg you're too kind!! i'm so honored, thank you!!!

[@JuIioSouza]

I've lost count of how many times I have listen to your playing of ovelia's theme and worries. It has such a special meaning for me because I used it to calm down before tests many many times. And now I have this amazing arrangement as well. Thank you so much, schala!

[@DuoBeard]

Jesus!!! You gave me goosebumps!!! Literal tears here, thank you 🙏 You always amaze me

[@amoneyisthename]

Woooooooooowwwwwwwwwww. This is instantly one of my all-time favorites of yours. There's a lot of variety, but it works beautifully. As much as I want an album released, I'm super appreciative that you're making sure that everything is in tip-top shape. If you're reviewing some of your older works, Under the Stars and A Chapel are some of my favorite OST tracks.

[@KaraComparetto]

I am in awe as always LOL

[@purpleschala]

OMG GIRL!!!! 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍 STOP

[@Cakevspie94]

Amazing, as always! Thank you for allowing me to relive some wonderful memories of Tactics.

[@ludvicious]

You're renewing my appreciation of this soundtrack! Awesome work!

[@GuitarSVD]

Oh I love this arrangement and amazing performance on this one!! You really get the emotion out ❤

[@jeffreyhartmannmusic]

Sounds really wonderful PS !!! Elegant and flowing.... a treat....thanks for sharing my talented friend... jeff

[@purpleschala]

Thanks Jeff!

[@crafteariee]

What a gorgeous take on Ovelia's theme! Thank you for your lovely playing; FF Tactics is quite underrated but it's pretty good!

[@purpleschala]

thank you so much!!! It's such a fantastic game!!! =)

[@silentfanatic]

This is a really unique take. Always love to see what you come up with, especially with Ivalice.

[@purpleschala]

aww thank you so much!! it's a wonderful arrangement and a great vehicle to reimagine Ovelia's life while performing it. I'm so glad you liked it!

[@koji_h]

Continuing to add depth to an already amazing OST. So good!

[@purpleschala]

thank you so much Koji!! that means a lot!

[@johnfenske7764]

Beautiful as always! Thanks for taking the time to write your wonderful blather :)

[@purpleschala]

hahaha thank you for listening and taking the time to read it all!!!! OTL

[@Thornstream]

Thanks you so much for doing this! Your way to play these songs is so amazing.

[@purpleschala]

aww thank you so much!!!! I'm so glad you enjoy them.

[@yukineswan]

This takes me back

[@SamanthaBallard]

your playing is just so lovely *-* fantastic work!

[@purpleschala]

THANK YOU SO MUCH SAMANTHA!!!!! that means a lot!! 😭♥😭♥😭♥😭♥😭♥

[@rafaellum]

Your renditions are always so perfect! I can't stop coming back here :)

[@purpleschala]

that's very kind of you to say omg. thank you so much!!!

[@pe_jota_]

Wow, your interpretation is so good. One of my favorite games. Congrats. 👌🏼👍🏼

[@purpleschala]

thank you so much!!!!!! one of my favorites as well

[@JoanneMoo]

So beautiful and powerful ❤

[@purpleschala]

THANK YOU JOANNE!!!!!! 😭♥😭♥😭♥😭♥😭♥😭♥

[@bgkclassic]

As an amateur myself i really admire your videos

[@purpleschala]

aw thank you so much for listening, that means a lot!!!!

[@museyfox]

Geebus I love not only your explanation of the music but your in-depth take on the story and characters! I would like to read more.

[@purpleschala]

awww thank you so much for reading all of that, it's a lot omg and I just love this game and OST so much i could ramble about it forever haha. Nothing brings me more joy than to try to depict the story through my arrangements! If you're interested, here's that extremely long twitter thread i wrote about the derivation of the main character themes hahaha: twitter.com/purpleschala/status/1292593986360795136?s=20

[@museyfox]

Thanks for giving the link. I'm not very Twitter-savvy, but I read through it all. Now to go back to each theme and give it another listen. 🐸 FFT is my favorite game of all time, and I also really enjoy the music so I appreciate your covers very much. I love your other covers as well.

[@scratchguitar]

Beautiful arrangements!!!

[@testing448]

Wowwww just wowwww!! You make me wanna play this game over again. Delita betrayal was very shocking.

[@purpleschala]

LOL DO IT!!!! i'm due for a replay myself. it's so good

[@testing448]

@@purpleschala I go through so much this past few months. Your music is really my only getaway reminiscing of the good ol playing days. I listen to them every night it’s relaxing and brings good vibes. Can I make a request?

[@PianoGameKnight]

Amazing performance as usual, great way to start the work day :)

[@purpleschala]

THANK YOU JIMMY!!! as always!!

[@GiantTabby]

Beautiful cover! It got me nostalgic about what Ovelia went through. :')

[@LloydTheHammer]

Even if I'm not familiar with the song I am completely captured by your beautiful playing while watching this! Amazing job and keep it up! :)

[@purpleschala]

thank you so much Lloyd, for listening!!!

[@eduardoayala3204]

I think I haven't really got into the FFT community in a long time, and discovering your channel (which I did like 2 weeks ago) has really changed that. Thanks for taking the time of sharing your thoughts, and your process as a musician! It's so inspiring. Your interpretation is so full passion, I think it really shows how much you empathyze with Ovelia, because of how vivid and clear are the dynamics of this one. Lovely

[@purpleschala]

thank you so much for your thoughts Eduardo! You have left so many great comments on so many of my videos so far, I am slowly working my way through them but I appreciate it so, so much!!!! =) =) i am, in turn, thrilled you found your way here!! there has been a little FFT community that has sort of formulated here over time because of my videos, which makes me so incredibly happy you're a part of as well! Thank you so much for reading my very disorganized thoughts, like you and so many people here I am a huuuuuuge fan of this game and the OST and could really talk forever and ever about everything FFT related lol, but of special interest to me is how to best evoke the game through my arrangements and playing! Ovelia and Alma too, really are unusual for FF heroines, they function a little more than trophies in the game but in the end they hold all the power and end up defining the respective paths Delita and Ramza have chosen for themselves. Thank you again for listening and the kind words!!!!

[@eduardoayala3204]

@@purpleschala Oh it's my pleasure really. I will try to comment even a "hi" if it helps you by feeding the youtube algorhythm haha Both your interpretation and the thoughtful descriptions you leave are a very comfortable setting for nostalgia! Or interest haha (as a musician). I think it's natural they feel disorganized, because usually these are intricate thoughts, theories and other stuff we often don't share, so when we talk about them... there's a lot to put into words lol and FFT being the case, specially. I think that, by the time it was published and until now, it's one of those "timeless" titles for various reasons, from game mechanics all the way to worldbuilding and art. I totally agree on the part that viewing Ovelia and Alma's roles as "trophies" is a oversimplification of thei characters. It's true that they didn't lead any grandious fights, but we were shown their thoughts, their will. Within their humanity, their identities, they had priorities, dreams even. Their characters have important screentime... and they even become friends, fates intertwined one way or the other. As you said in another video about Delita, they sort of become a "raison d'être" for the male protagonists, fueling their quests... but showing a clear divergence on their paths. I'm para-phrasing you: "In the end, he stands alone". I can't sum up my thoughts any better than what you did on that twitter thread. Thanks for sharing it!! An amazing musical and plot analysis. You would've brought me to tears there too if I weren't distracted analyzing the sheets haha. I will study them with piano in front next time! Thank thank thank!

[@HigkeyRegarded007]

This was really beautiful!

[@purpleschala]

thank you so much!!!!!

[@michellekristolia3758]

OH MY GOD This cover is the definition of goosebumps 😭😭❤

[@purpleschala]

OMG YOU'RE TOO SWEET!!!

[@minamakes]

Always lovely💖

[@thisWinglessAngel]

Thank you for this.

[@purpleschala]

thank you for listening!!!

[@wadejelly7528]

never played final fantasy tactics, but the quality of song are amazing as aways i surely will remember this cover when i play :)

[@purpleschala]

thank you so much!!!!! that means a lot and i hope you enjoy the game, it's so good!!!!

[@dulio12385]

And the hits just keep on coming!

[@FrankyM_Piano]

This sounds great! I really like the buildup to that final climactic section. Also love the texture at the beginning, almost sounds like a Debussy pasticcio (and I mean that in the best possible way lol)

[@joshuahenry7965]

Well done as usual, Schala-chan 😄 I really can't lavish more praise on this in a technical respect than you already have in your commentary above, but I've noticed that your precision has become quite exacting and on point lately.

[@purpleschala]

thank you!! I've been working on just being better overall hahaha, so it means a lot that it's noticeable!!!! =)

[@joshuahenry7965]

@@purpleschala yw

[@Tornadosurfer45]

Amazing! The music is very good too.

[@purpleschala]

thank you!!!

[@Beigemage0621]

Just gonna say this now, your work is truely A grade stuff!!! I never appreciated Ovelia's Theme as much as I do now. Awesome😏😏😏

[@danlei88]

Ooh this is so nice!

[@purpleschala]

Thank you so much!!!!!

[@lotsati7804]

purpleschala + FFT = already added to my favorites before I open the video

[@purpleschala]

AHHHHHHHHH!!! THANK YOU OMG SOBS

[@quintonwashington3946]

Hey hey! Good to see you

[@suzleber4]

Nice, it's been cold this week, I've been replaying FFT War of Lions on my psp. Almost near the end just doing all the side stuff. This is perfect and sounds gorgeous of course! When I hear this I hear Olan (Orran) breaking through the castle to get to Ovelia.

[@purpleschala]

ah thank you so much!!!!

[@robokanaeru]

Fantastic as always, ma'am. ❤️

[@purpleschala]

thank you so much for listening!!! that means a lot!

[@maccajunior]

Yes! Another beautiful cover

[@purpleschala]

thank you so much!!!

[@cf5914]

So pretty!

[@purpleschala]

Thank you! 😊

[@cf5914]

No, thank YOU! It’s a gift to all of KZbin to get to see you play.

[@shirayasha]

This was so beautiful. Also your original one was also good!

[@purpleschala]

aww you're too kind, thank you so much!!!

[@DeviSerene]

One of my favourites

[@purpleschala]

same!!!!

[@BlackRose-ii3jf]

I love your videos so much

[@purpleschala]

aww thank you!!

[@davidegalliussi1979]

..and i love Maila forever ⭐️

[@leopoldopayacan1574]

Nice

[@OtaConnor]

Adoring all these FFT songs you're doing 😍 I swear I'm half the views lmao

[@purpleschala]

awww thank you Connor, I'm so glad you like them!!!!

[@OtaConnor]

@@purpleschala Oh big time! Any FF ost I'm obsessed with though, to be fair haha

[@einokeskitalo3217]

I thought this was shockingly beautiful. I think I should give FFT a proper go, haven't gotten into it yet.

[@0531joo]

Hello, I enjoyed your playing. A few years ago, you did a blue yeti mic test. I wonder which set was the best setting for piano recording?

[@danielvutran]

🌼

[@Chopin124]

Such an innocent sounding theme... yet the sudden dissonances during the undulating sections... I always felt sorry for Ovelia :( her theme is as gentle as she was... Haha I was reminded of Chopin’s Barcarolle throughout haha

[@purpleschala]

HAHA!!! you're so right it does feel like one of his barcarolles lol!! I love that there are so many dynamic shifts in this arrangement, it really captures her character so perfectly.

[@pzza1097]

Agrias: kneel down. You're in front of a princess. Me: i have Math Skill Holy i kneel to no one.

[@Julian-br7wb]

Am I just hyped thanks to you or is FFT really the best game soundtrack of all time?

[@purpleschala]

Definitely the best game soundtrack of all time lol!!!

[@Sankaritarina89]

😍😍😍😍

[@mad0gre]

"O father, abandon not your wayward children of Ivalice, but deliver us from our sins, that we might know salvation" I can never speak too much about Ovelia - or about Final Fantasy Tactics, it seems - as I always considered her a centerpiece to understand the plot of FFT. I made multiple times in the past the point that the overarching plot revolves around the manipulation of truth, and Ovelia personifies it all the way through. Initially, she is presented as a somewhat pious princess that is easily abducted by Delita, and considering that in the first chapter the events that unfold are all centered on class struggle - be it in the main plot of the corpse brigade against the aristocracy or the subplot of how the commoners Delita and Tietra relate to the nobility around them - and it is easy at that point to just dismiss Ovelia as a part of everything that is rotten in that world. As the game progresses, however, it becomes clear that she is a mere pawn in a chessboard. Her existence is of no importance and only the role she plays matters - and she is painfully aware of it after living most of her life behind monastery walls, with little to no agency over herself. Things only get tragic for her as the game progresses and it is revealed that she is not even the real Ovelia, underlining that indeed, her life never really mattered and only her role was of any importance. And regarding her role, in terms of the overarching story, she is the character that makes it clear that Delita became everything that he ever despised. The way he uses and manipulates an Ovelia that placed all her faith and love in him is not much different from the way the nobles he so much despised used him and his sister when it all began. And that brings me to this theme. While I absolutely love this song, it always puzzled me. It has a bright and hopeful mood, but there's not anything bright and hopeful about Ovelia and the dark fate that awaited her. Maybe the correct way to look at it is that this song presents her initial facade - the pious princess living a peaceful life in a monastery. And "Ovelia's Worries" with its somber and sober tones paints the picture of the conflicting reality behind that facade. The original version you had on your channel was already great (I was already hooked on your channel at the time for a reason), but I admit that I like this one even more. I think it captured the bright mood of the original theme perfectly this time around, I can totally picture Ovelia living her uneventful days in the monastery while I listen to this, and the more lush melodies there hints at her royal blood and the seat of power that was to be her destiny at the time. I also perceive the sound quality as crisper and clearer. Is there any difference in the setup or the equipment you use to capture the audio now? And I'll never complain about you posting new versions of FFT music. I don't want this journey to end. As always, keep up the great work, and thanks a million for taking the time to work on it.

[@purpleschala]

As always, your comments means so much to me and I love reading your insights and reflections on FFT--I will never ever get tired of them and it's really partly because of you and the whole wonderful Tactics community that somehow found me on youtube and offer so much enthusiastic support and interesting musings that I don't want this project to end either hahaha! Though I really would love to wrap up this three year project in a nice album format at long last, a vol. 2 is most definitely in the cards, as there's a lot more from this OST i would love to explore, especially as I've grown more comfortable with drawing from the story itself as inspiration for my musical ideas! So thank you for always writing such fantastic commentary; it honestly encourages me to do more lol!! I too could just discuss Ovelia and Delita and the complexity and symbolism of their relationship for ages lol--some of the finest crafted characters ever. I'm so happy you like this version of Ovelia better than v. 1 and that you could hear a lot of more of the intentions I tried to infuse in this interpretation with regards to the halcyon days of her early life to the tumult that ensues as she is drawn into a war of succession. I'm also really happy that you think the sound quality has improved!!! I have to say my setup and equipment are still the same, but I have been working on improving my overall tone and technique as a pianist and I'm really happy you are hearing a difference!!!

[@plaboo]

whats your setup here? are those RODE NT5s?

[@purpleschala]

yup!

[@SmolShippie]

I want Ovie-chan to be happy :( FFT is such a tragic game

[@purpleschala]

for real omg she deserved the world OTL

[@SmolShippie]

@@purpleschala AND SHE WAS SO TRUSTING TOO ; ; Hecc I would be trusting if a dashing prince came to rescue me, that is the classic princess story and look where it got her :

[@danielvutran]

i;d love to see that twitter post LOL ( Main Theme )

[@Fuchsia_tude]

Sounds less like a tweet and more like a twitlonger heh but yeah agreed

[@danielvutran]

😂

[@purpleschala]

@@danielvutran HAHAHAHAHA OK I FOUND IT twitter.com/purpleschala/status/1292593986360795136?s=20

[@danielvutran]

@@purpleschala LOL WOOO ! Time to read ( edit : holy shit i just read that ; it blows my mind that you can actually create music based off of connecting it to story ( which in itself is a tempo too ) it all connects LOL ) I'd like or retween if i used twitter LOL ( i appreciate the post though ; it makes me recognize that a lot of mediums focus on tempo - story telling , music , video game tempo , chess , video editing , it's really cool to see it compared so closely to 1:1 for the FFT theme : Story ) i have no doubt he intended it if not subconsciously, especially leaving Delita's part so ' disconnected '

[@ascetic3312]

Curse you, Delita!!! Sniff.

[@theancientsam]

Shala ²⁰²⁴

[@rpjordan]

i simp

[@purpleschala]

LMAO

[@WastedTalent83]

Don't really like the left hand first 2 minutes, but the rest is lovely like always ^^