Animation and Music: The Music of Avatar the Last Airbender

You guys are probably getting sick of me talking about this show, but it's my newest obsession, so get used to it.

Anyways, I briefly mentioned the music of Avatar the Last Airbender when I was doing a whole-show review earlier on. Since then, I finished the show and have been listening to the music just on its own (I'm even listening to it as I write!). Let me tell you, there is something magical about this franchise. The music is good enough to stand on its own, but pair it with the actual sequences in the show, and you get pure gold.

So, on with the review. (p.s. I will also be talking about The Legend of Korra, but only a little- I just started it, but already the music is amazing).

The main thing that stands out to the listener when they hear the soundtrack of Avatar the Last Airbender is the Asian influences. This is very fitting for the show, which is primarily based around Asian culture and has many, and I mean many, influences and references to Asia- particularly China.

These influences are most easily heard in the instrumentation, which features instruments such as the duduk, an Armenian instrument with a very sorrowful, beautiful sound. In the series, a duduk is the sound of the tsungi horn (pictured)- an in-universe instrument. Other instruments that are both heard and seen in the series include the pipa, the veena, the ruan, the luo (gong), the erhu, the dungchen, the liuqin, the zheng, the yueqin, the zhong, and various types of flutes. The music of Avatar also is heavy on the percussion, with many of the more action-orientated songs including Asian-war-music-sounding rhythms and timbre. One of the more frequently heard drums is the djembe. Despite originating from West Africa, this drum is often heard in Middle-Eastern sounding music, so it is used reasonably.

Besides for foreign instruments, the Avatar soundtrack includes many normal orchestral instruments, like the violin and french horn and whatnot. Many tracks also include a choir. Personally, I find the instrumentation quite effective. It lends itself to epic orchestrations that still sound oriental and fitting within the show. But, me listing off the instrumentation tells you nothing about its quality or effect on the show.

In general, the music of Avatar the Last Airbender does it's job remarkably well- it adds to the story, provides foreshadowing, gives personality to characters- all in all, support the rest of the show, not distract or take away from it. It knows when to go all out and when to lay back. In fact, the title card of each of the episodes features a small snippet of a musical theme or motif important to that episode, such as the episode "The Painted Lady"- when the title card is shown, a part of the Painted Lady's theme is played.

The opening and credit themes are also quite good. The opening goes for a cinematic and epic feel, which is the perfect choice for a sequence meant to introduce the show and provide a narrative, story-type feel. The credits theme, on the other hand, is a rhythmic drum feature, which does a great job at symbolizing the fact that the show goes on and the action continues.

The best example of a character being portrayed by music is with Azula, one of the main villains of the show. (her theme is the video below). Azula, being fully associated with the Fire Nation, a power-hungry, cold-hearted b*tch, and a slight bit, shall we say, "off", gets a theme that speaks all of those qualities- her theme is very dissonant and creepy. Every part of the instrumentation is a part of her character. The out-of-tune bells and piercing choir perfectly capture her growing insanity: the pulsing drumbeat represents her never-ending fight for more power, and the low string countermelody represents the conniving methods she goes to to come out on top, as well as her tendency to betray, backstab, and strike fear (into) others. A cold, snake-like theme for a cold, snake-like woman.

Not every song represents a character, though. Many songs are heard throughout the series, and others are heard exclusively in only a few scenes, others only playing once- and others on the soundtrack aren't even featured in the show. Nevertheless, these songs are the ones that are the most acclaimed. There are a couple, in particular, that I would like to make note of.

"Scarf Dance"
Despite not actually being heard on the show (I believe it was in a deleted scene), this is a very enjoyable song, with a catchy motif and strong pulse. It doesn't even sound like Avatar- it is much too dance-like and upbeat: most of the songs on the Avatar soundtrack are dramatic orchestral pieces or mysterious, oriental works. Nevertheless, "The Scarf Dance" is a fantastic number.

"Agni Kai"
This is one of the best-known pieces on the Avatar soundtrack, and accompanies the Agni Kai between Admiral Zhao and Zuko early on in the series. This battle piece is remarkable in that we can feel the tension and the urge to fight- not just fight- win in the song, with the minor tonality, fast pace, 16th note theme, and very prevalent pulse. It's a very picturesque theme: it is very easy to visualize the heated confrontation between the two firebending masters. All in all, a remarkable piece of music.

"Last Agni Kai"
One may expect this track to be reminiscent of the first "Agni Kai" soundtrack, but it isn't. Instead of giving us a blaring action piece, "Last Agni Kai" opts for a more slow-paced, dramatic feel. With this track featured exclusively during the Agni Kai between Zuko and Azula, having a more slow and dramatic piece is brilliant. It shows how disjointed their relationship is as siblings, and the ceaseless tension and unresolved chords show how far Azula has fallen and how corrupted she has become. It also conveys how tragic this scene really is- a sibling fight to the death, a former enemy taking a lighting strike for a recently-made friend, and the Freudian excuses for both siblings surfacing and becoming evident. This scene, assisted by the music, finally shows what happens when a person who was abused by their parent at a young age strives for too much power and becomes victim to its clutches. All I can say is the result is devastating. Absolutely devastating.

"Peace"
Serving as the music during the conclusion, "Peace" also includes another song at the very end: "The Avatar's Love". This song goes for dramatic, slow, beautiful, and concluding, and does it deliver. "Peace" is easily the most beautiful of the songs, and is special in that it is the happy end to a literal Hundred Years War, and conveys what Aang fought for and believed in since the very beginning: love and peace. It also shows how far the rest of the Gaang, especially Zuko, have grown and matured since the start of the show. A perfect, emotional, and beautiful end to a perfect, emotional, and beautiful show.

The Legend of Korra continues on with the Asian songs and orchestral songs, but adds one more element: jazz. I personally love The Legend of Korra soundtrack, perhaps even more than Avatar the Last Airbender. Seeing as Korra is set during the 1920's and most of season 1 takes place in an industrial city known as Republic City, the jazz soundtrack is a very smart choice. It shows how out-of place Korra is in the city, and keeps the feel of the original while telling its own story.

Anyways, there is one more piece I would like to bring attention to: "Leaves from the Vine". As one of few lyrical pieces, "Leaves from the Vine" already stands out from the rest. But, I mainly want to draw attention to this song because of its emotional effect. Featured in Iroh's vignette during "Tales of Ba Sing Se", this song is first heard as a goofy \Iroh calms a kid down by singing this song. Later, at the very end of his section, the most emotional and sad scene is seen, and Iroh sings the song again, but this time during a tribute to his fallen son's birthday. If that isn't sad enough, the actor who played Iroh, Mako, had just passed away before the release of the episode, and therefore this scene was made in honor of Mako. If you manage to stay dry-eyed during this scene, you are a rarity: this scene is regularly cited as the most emotional and tear-jerking moment in the entire franchise. Rest in peace, Mako.

Animation and Music

Sunday, April 24, 2016

The Music of Avatar the Last Airbender

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