Destati
| This article is about the recurring musical theme. You may be looking for the field theme. |
| Kingdom Hearts Destati | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Arranger | Yoko Shimomura |
| Composer | Yoko Shimomura |
| Length | 2:55 |
| drammatica: The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura Destati | |
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| |
| Arranger | Yoko Shimomura |
| Composer | Yoko Shimomura |
| Length | 3:21 |
| Kingdom Hearts Concert -First Breath- Destati | |
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| |
| Arranger | Kaoru Wada |
| Composer | Yoko Shimomura |
| Length | 3:25 |
| Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World Tour- Destati | |
|---|---|
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| Arranger | Natsumi Kameoka |
| Composer | Yoko Shimomura |
| Length | 3:22 |
"Destati" (Ita: "Awaken!") is a musical composition by Yoko Shimomura that appears in the Kingdom Hearts series. It is a major theme that represents darkness and its eternal conflict with light. Although the piece itself rarely appears in the series, the motifs of "Destati" are featured in many other compositions that appear in nearly every Kingdom Hearts installment.
Development
"Destati" was the very first song composed for the Kingdom Hearts series. Despite that, the full song did not appear in a game until Kingdom Hearts Melody of Memory eighteen years later, while the full original recording made for Kingdom Hearts did not appear in a game until Super Smash Bros. Ultimate another year later.[1] Additionally, according to Yoko Shimomura, "Destati" is somewhat of a "cursed song". The chorus is often used in other pieces, but whenever the chorus was loaded by Square Enix staff during the development of Kingdom Hearts, something bad would happen, an example being the entire building's electricity getting cut off.[2]
Appearances
Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix
Composition
"Destati" is approximately two minutes and fifty-five seconds in Kingdom Hearts. In the HD remake of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, the piece is slightly shortened to two minutes and fifty-three seconds. In the Drammatica album, the piece is three minutes and twenty-one seconds.
The motifs introduced in "Destati" appear in many tracks throughout the Kingdom Hearts series, most commonly boss themes of those with close ties to darkness.
Variations
Elements of "Destati" are incorporated in many tracks throughout the Kingdom Hearts series. Numerous pieces are derived, in part or in whole, from the melodies of "Destati":
- "Dive into the Heart -Destati-"
- "End of the World"
- "Fragments of Sorrow"
- "Guardando nel buio"
- "Dismiss"
- "L'Eminenza Oscura I"
- "L'Eminenza Oscura II"
- "My Heart's Descent"
- "The Eye of Darkness"
- "Replicas"
- "Dark Domination"
There are also many tracks that are not based on "Destati", but still incorporate certain features of the song. The phrase featured in the introduction of "Destati" is briefly quoted in "Darkness of the Unknown". The ascending five-note ostinato that repeats throughout the song appears in the foundation of several tracks, namely "Another Side", "Graceful Assassin", "Showdown at Hollow Bastion", and "Deep Drop". Similarly, the thumping baseline rhythm appears in "Blast Away! -Gummi Ship III-" and "Forgotten Challenge", with a more upbeat variation appearing in "Results and Rewards". Finally, the medleys "Fantasia alla marcia for piano, chorus and orchestra" and "Rhapsody in Tres for Piano, Chorus and Orchestra" include sections based on songs that incorporate pieces of "Destati".
Lyrics
Original Italian lyricsDestati! È giunta l'ora, Su rimembra tu trepida! Destati! Destati! E ancora una volta Su rimembra tu trepida! Eh? Come? Non lo vuoi!? |
English translationAwaken! The time has come, Come on, remember, you who tremble! Awaken! Awaken! And once again Come on, remember, you who tremble! Eh? What? You do not want it!? |
Other appearances
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, “Destati” is a track used in stages. It is also heard during the Mr. Sakurai Presents video presentation on Sora, where it is played while Masahiro Sakurai plays as Sora, when battling Master Hand and Crazy Hand in Sora's Classic Mode. It is also the track used in the DLC Spirit Board for the Kingdom Hearts series.
Albums
Disc 2, Track 35 in the Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack
Disc 2, Track 35 in the Kingdom Hearts Original Soundtrack Complete
Disc 3, Track 6 in the Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX Original Soundtrack
Disc 1, Track 3 in the Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Fan Selection -Melodies & Memories-
Disc 1, Track 1 in the Kingdom Hearts Concert -First Breath- album
Disc 1, Track 2 in the Kingdom Hearts Orchestra -World Tour- album
Disc 1, Track 3 in drammatica: The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura
Notes and references
- ^ Twitter (@KINGDOMHEARTS), Yoko Shimomura: "I've mentioned this a few times in interviews, but this is the first song I wrote for KINGDOM HEARTS. There have been performances of it in concerts, different arrangements of it and soundtrack recordings etc, but actually the first time it will be used in a game in its full "Destati" form is in Melody of Memory!"
- ^ Kingdom Hearts Ultimania, Yoko Shimomura: "In the beginning and ending of the game, there is a song with a chorus. That chorus is a phrase that expresses the dark side of Kingdom Hearts, and it was used in several songs. However, once we tried loading the chorus data in when we were creating the songs, something bad would happen. The worst thing that happened was when the electricity to the building was cut off." (Translation by KH Ultimania)
- ^ drammatica - The Very Best of Yoko Shimomura version
