Music of the Day: Land of Beauty

Hi everyone!

I know, the posting has been sparse these past couple weeks. As you know, I was out of town from last Wednesday through Monday. Upon returning on Monday, I attempted to log into Wizard101 and, for some reason having to do with the patcher, couldn't connect. On Tuesday, I began having problems with the Internet itself; then everything worked itself out and I got in some play-time Wednesday night, only to have my problems resume yesterday. I think I have everything solved for good at this point; the fact that I'm able to watch a video on Youtube is a good sign.

Anyway, I asked you all before leaving to vote on what you wanted the next Music of the Day to be, and the answer was overwhelmingly that of the Jade Palace- a piece I have named Land of Beauty:


(Credit for the video goes to Youtube's kellybro.)

I think my favorite aspect of the Mooshu music in general is the almost constant combined undercurrents of sentimentality and melancholiness. With this piece, the main goal is to sound as beautiful as possible via plucking strings and playing flutes, thereby illustrating the beauty of Mooshu itself. The fact that the entire piece only requires three or four instruments (no big band like the Marleybone musics) is an indication not only of the simplicity of the world- the people of Mooshu, in their appreciation of its beauty, have only devoloped as much as is absolutely necessarry, and no more- but of the fragility that is beauty's constant companion. The afore mentioned sentimental undercurrent, which becomes obvious every time the strings take over, tells you that you are in a world that is heavily steeped in history and tradition, and isn't changing any time soon. And while that history has had its ups and its downs, the people of Mooshu perservere, successfully overcoming whatever challenges have confronted them in the past. But now a new challenge has arisen- a plague of problems which has encompassed all the land, hanging over it like a dark shadow. Different peoples in different areas of the world are sick, war-weary, and depressed. Mooshu is in greater danger than it has ever been before, and many wonder if things will ever get better again. It is this sad, melancholy, and even somewhat violent world which you have entered for the first time. And yet don't realize that right away. There is a short, bell-like beat at the beginning of the piece, which "strikes" you auditorily in the same way that the sheer beauty of Mooshu, even inside their Spiral Temple, strikes you visually. As you first set foot into the Jade Palace, the lovely flowing melody of the flute helps to sweep you away in the bright blue sky, the slight and comfortable breeze, and the lush green grass. Although staccato-like, the string solo that follows reinforces this. This feeling of beauty, of happiness, of sentimentality continues until you are about halfway through the piece, ending with a subtle, quiet string solo. This is immediately followed, however by a lower-pitched, somewhat violent melody, in which a loud low drum is obvious. Then the flute resumes, and the strings, and you feel happy again, but as the third of the string solos plays, sounding off what will later be established as the Mooshu them, you can't help but what wonder if the situation here is in fact as troubling as it has been in other worlds. The piece finishes with off with no real melody, but it doesn't matter. By this point, you've gotten already gotten the message: Mooshu may easily be the most beautiful world in the Spiral, but even here, things are not what they seem.

Until next time, Ponder on!