Flute Boy’s Meadow – Sage Laruto

Sometimes, Zelda songs are remembered for how powerful their melodies can be. Other times, for their catchiness and ability to stick in one’s head for a while. Some songs are repeated throughout their games often enough to gain a certain effect, others play only once or twice but are remembered all the same.

Some songs in the Zelda series just go unnoticed, though. Despite being beautiful melodies, some tunes manage to slip past the player due to their limited presence in the game or their similarities to other tunes. Today, I’m looking at one such track. While it may not be the case for everyone, I found that I never really caught notice of this song until after I’d played The Wind Waker multiple times, and looking at it now I find its short and simple tune to be very nice and easily one of the more beautiful pieces from the game.

Jump inside to read my thoughts!

Track: Sage Laruto (Laruto’s Theme)
Game: The Wind Waker (GCN, Wii U)

Purpose
In The Wind Waker, there comes a point where Link must awaken the descendants of the Earth and Wind Sages. It is quickly learned that these descendants are actually characters who Link has already met, and he simply needs to awaken the Sage within them. When he is given the task of finding the Earth Sage he meets the spirit of the original Sage, Laruto. As the Sage gives Link his mission, her loss and failure to complete her task weigh heavily on her. An equally heavy song accompanies her request.

Sound
Laruto’s theme opens with a soft cadence by a choir. They vocalize a steady tune that seems almost mournful and heavy, but very beautiful and pure at the same time. The choir only sings one repetition of the tune before the melody is picked up by the plucking of a harp. Still backed by the choir, the harp plays another repetition itself before fading. And that’s it.

Hardly over a minute long, Laruto’s theme music is really quite simple. It carries a very heavy yet beautiful tune with it, but that tune itself does not really go anywhere beyond its refrain and bridge. That, I think, is what makes this song so beautiful to me. It isn’t overpowering, it doesn’t take center stage; it is simply there, right behind Laruto’s appearance, setting the mood for her scene whether you consciously recognize it or not. It’s a very moving yet subtle song.

Part of the song that I also enjoyed was its allusion to the game’s opening scene. In the track “The Legendary Hero,” there is a part about twenty seconds in that is repeated in “Sage Laruto.” I feel this part of the song ties it to the original legend told to the player when the game begins. It solidifies in your mind that this sage was involved in the same history that forms the background of this game’s legend, and that adds even more weight to it.

Closing
Like I said before, I often didn’t really pay much attention to Laruto’s theme until after playing the game. After finding it, though, I fell in love with its calming low-key tune. I can’t say I listen to it on a regular basis like I do many other Zelda songs, but it is still a favorite track for me that I like to look for when playing The Wind Waker now.

What are your thoughts on this song? Has it often stood out to you during Laruto’s scenes, or were you like me and let it blend into the story’s undertone at the time? Do you like the song, or do you think other tunes outmatch it? Let me know in the comments!