Tuesday, 13 October 2015

Attack on Titan OST - Vogel im Käfig



Vogel im Käfig is one of the main musical themes.This piece is first heard in episode 1, where Eren and Mikasa witnesses their mother being eaten by a titan. It is often used in scenes where characters die and when Eren are having flashbacks, especially about his mother.

This song is sung in German; some of the important lyrics are:
"The inner fortune of people is
like colorful light which shines through colored glass"
"We will fight against our fate
We must not give in to our fate."
"With sorrow and confidence in our hearts
we show the will to move on
No one shall be willfully deprived of their life"

The instruments and vocals heard are: main vocal singer, choir vocal singers, brass instruments, strings instruments and percussion. The main vocal is needed because there are lyrics to be sung. The choir vocals contributes to the mood of humanity crying for help as a whole, and humans fighting against the titans. Orchestral instruments such as strings and brass are western orchestral instruments, they contribute to style of piece. Percussion is used for emphasis, it represents when the people decides not to give up, and to fight until their last breath.

The tempo of this piece is Largo (very slow). Slow songs make listeners feel sadness and peacefulness, also makes the song sound mournful. There are many pauses in this song, which represents change of mood and thoughts.

This piece is in Dorian mode, one of the Medieval music modes. This fits the anime series as it is set in the Medieval times.

The overall dynamics of this piece is soft. The dynamics does not change much, suggesting that the people are tired, they don't have a choice but to fight and survive. Soft dynamics represents sadness and quietness. It also suggests that people are "voiceless"; they are crying for help, but they are not heard.

A narrow range of notes are used. Again, this represents sadness.   - sadness, peace
Complementing harmonies are used and no dissonance is heard. This suggests the temporary peacefulness and relaxation.

The structure of this piece is through composed. Similar to ətˈæk 0N tάɪtn, it suggests that we could not go back in time, and the determination of not looking back.  


I hope you enjoyed this piece and my analysis! 

By Janice

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