Where Are the Ancients? The Place of the “Voices of the Lifestream” in Final Fantasy VII

Abstract

In video game music, as in cinema, a particular instrument can be linked to a particular event, character, item, or feeling. This article focuses on composer Nobuo Uematsu’s use of the voice in Final Fantasy VII. The article studies the use of the voice as an instrument with its semantic dimension. In every track where vocals are used, music is used to signify the presence of a group of characters who have never appeared on screen: the Ancients. We find the Ancients’ heritage in game mechanics, and they serve as a narrative link binding together the protagonists and antagonists. With the help of the vocals, a distinctive leitmotif articulates the Ancients’—the “Moan”—which is heard in several forms, and its influence is found in themes of other characters, including that of Sephiroth. The Ancients go beyond their simple status as unseen characters and encompass, through their musical presence, a major part of the music in Final Fantasy VII.