Celeste: Farewell OST

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Celeste: Farewell Original Soundtrack

Alternate names Farewell OST
Artist Lena Raine
Price $9
Track listing 01  •   The Empty Space Above
02  •   Fear of the Unknown
03  •   Joy of Remembrance
04  •   In Stasis
05  •   Crash
06  •   Beyond the Heart
07  •   Final Defiance
08  •   Futility
09  •   Reconciliation
10  •   Farewell
11  •   The Woman and the Bird
12  •   Vovô e Vovó
13  •   wavedash.ppt
Link to album Bandcamp

List of music

Celeste: Farewell Original Soundtrack, frequently abbreviated to Farewell OST, is the official release of Farewell (Chapter 9)'s soundtrack. It is written, produced, and performed primarily by Lena Raine, spanning thirteen tracks of varying lengths totaling around 40 minutes.

It is available on a variety of platforms, notably on Bandcamp (where 24-bit FLACs may be downloaded), but also on iTunes, most digital download stores and most digital streaming services. Similarly to the original OST album, Farewell's OST is officially available on 12" LP, Compact Disc, and cassette.

The entirety of the music featured in Farewell is provided in this album; this includes shorter jingles. All of the soundtrack from prior levels are found in the Celeste OST album. Shorter jingles from prior chapters, such as 8-bit remixes, are found in Madeline's Grab Bag. B-Side remixes are included in the Celeste B-Sides album.

Other people were involved in the creation of the Farewell OST: Michaela Nachtigall (YouTube), a violinist who has worked with Lena Raine before; SungHa Hong (YouTube), cellist; Doug Perry, percussion; Nina Matsumoto, album art designer; and Dietrich Schoenemann, mastering engineer. The album, unlike the original OST, is published by Materia Collective.

Track listing[edit | edit source]


The Empty Space Above[edit | edit source]

The Empty Space Above plays in the main menu, when hovering over Farewell. It is a remix of Postcard from Celeste Mountain (from the original OST), played on the piano but with synth noises in the background. It purposefully diverges a little from the aforementioned track to sound more "foreign", like an object in space.

Fear of the Unknown[edit | edit source]

Fear of the Unknown is the first track proper that plays in Farewell. Unlike many first tracks, it does not start playing at the start of the chapter; it starts playing after Madeline is launched into space, in the third and final room of Start. Since Madeline is leaving the known (Celeste Mountain) for the unknown (space), the music seldom uses any "Celeste-like" sounds.

New sounds introduced include a synth VST called Glass and Steel, which consists of, you guessed it, samples of glass and steel objects being manipulated to create sound. This effectively replaces the percussion (drums) which appear in prior chapters. No other synths are present, a sharp departure from prior chapters. A subtle reference is that when the power box is hit in the Power Source subchapter, all synths disappear, solely leaving acoustic instruments playing.[1]

A new instrument, the violin, is introduced; it represents the Bird in this chapter. It notably introduces the "Bird" leitmotif, which goes as follows:

The "Bird" leitmotif

According to Lena Raine, this theme depicts "the bird flying away from Madeline, into the unknown."

The piano makes a return, but instead of exposing the "Madeline" leitmotif, as one may expect, the "Grief" leitmotif can be heard. It is loosely based on the aforementioned "Madeline" leitmotif, but modified to be much more depressing (yet in a way distinct from Badeline's theme).

The "Grief" leitmotif

Joy of Remembrance[edit | edit source]

Joy of Remembrance consists of a trio: the piano, a violin, and a cello, but slipstreams synthesizers within too. It plays during Remembered, where Madeline starts feeling more optimistic, believing that Granny is near. It is based on a theme with variations; each variation introduces more synths, as the influence of Celeste Mountain grows on Maddy, and the final one reintroduces the "Bird" leitmotif.[1]

A new leitmotif, the "Granny" leitmotif, is introduced. It serves as a reminder to Madeline about her objective.

The "Granny" leitmotif

A copy of the trio sheet music for Joy of Remembrance, for violin, cello, and piano, is bundled with the Farewell OST album on Bandcamp.

In Stasis[edit | edit source]

In Stasis is composed primarily using the samples used for the heart collection sound, when a Crystal Heart is collected.[1] It plays during the first third of Event Horizon, prior to Madeline failing to catch the Bird the first time. After choosing to break the crystal heart, Madeline's determination is beginning to ramp into overdrive; the "Grief" leitmotif is invoked again, albeit in a modified inverse form. This serves to evoke how Maddy's grief is transforming into something else entirely.

Additionally, it also plays during the Farewell room.

Crash[edit | edit source]

Crash is a short jingle which plays when Madeline tries to catch the bird for the first time, and fails. This piece effectively serves as an interlude between the easier parts of Chapter 9 and the much harder upcoming sections.

Beyond the Heart[edit | edit source]

Beyond the Heart plays during the latter sections of Event Horizon as well as Determination. It was originally composed to serve as the finale of Chapter 9's OST.[1] Instead of utilizing dynamic progression, as prior chapters have, it serves as an "all-in" for the music, featuring three instrumentalists (violin, cello, and percussion), and the same synthesizer used in the Chase portion of Resurrections. As a ton of mechanics are brought back from all prior chapters of Celeste, the music sounds much more Celeste-like than prior tracks.

The "Granny" leitmotif serves as the primary one here, but the "Grief" leitmotif, albeit in a completely transformed form (depicting Madeline's excessive determination), is brought back. The "Badeline" leitmotif from many earlier chapters is restated by the piano, depicting Badeline's futile attempt to catch up and confront Madeline about how much danger she is putting herself into for no reason. These triumphant tunes continues until Badeline finally manages to catch up, at the end of the Determination chapter.

Final Defiance[edit | edit source]

Unlike all prior Cassette Rooms in Celeste, Final Defiance does not feature an eight-bit chiptune track. Instead, it is an arrhythmic ambient track, with the occasional burst of percussion or piano. This rhythm is altered throughout the chapter, and in the last three rooms, where the tempo becomes nonstandard, the track is adjusted as such. This also helps evoke the emptiness within Madeline, as her determination begins to wear out, leaving more room for grief and emptiness, following her confrontation with Badeline. This track plays during the entirety of Stubbornness, and the first room of Reconciliation.

Futility[edit | edit source]

Futility is a jingle that plays when Madeline catches the bird for a second time, successfully trapping it. It's a simple set of modified broken chords on the piano, with an ambient synth behind.

Reconciliation[edit | edit source]

Reconciliation is a track about Madeline finally realizing the scope of the situation, letting her stubbornness go in order to listen to Badeline. This occurs in the first room of Reconciliation, the chapter. The "Bird" leitmotif is mashed up with the "Badeline" leitmotif, representing how Madeline is returning to her senses, whilst the Bird is still stuck.

Farewell[edit | edit source]

Farewell is the "grand finale" of Farewell's OST. According to Lena Raine: "I never knew I needed to write this piece of music, but looking at the overall narrative of both the game, and what Celeste has meant to me outside the game, it made sense both from a narrative perspective, and a personal one. Farewell is not just Madeline moving on, but the process through which I was able to move on too. It’s hanging up my metaphoric hat, and writing one last 8-minute piece to go out on."[1] It plays during much of Reconciliation, and the main room of Farewell.

It was composed with players dying hundreds, let alone thousands of times, players playing flawlessly, and speedrunners breezing through in mind. As such, it is divided into four sections.[1]

The first part of the finale uses the "Badeline" leitmotif, but adapts it to the electric bass, creating a foundation of sorts. Later on, the "Madeline" leitmotif reappears, but higher up than before. By the middle of Farewell, the "Bird" leitmotif reappears on the violin, encouraging Madeline to push forward.

The final two minutes of Farewell, which plays in the (aptly named) Farewell chapter, combines the "Badeline", "Madeline" and '"Bird" leitmotifs into a collaboration, mixing all three characters into one theme, improvising and creating a finale-like sound. This section features two synths and Michaela's violin being juggled back and forth.[1]

The "Farewell" theme, combining the "Badeline", "Madeline" and "Bird" leitmotifs


The Woman and the Bird[edit | edit source]


Spoilers!

The Woman and the Bird plays during Madeline's final exchange with Granny. The "Bird" leitmotif is transposed to a major key, marking a bittersweet ending to Farewell.

A copy of the piano sheet music for The Woman and the Bird is bundled with the Farewell OST album on Bandcamp.

Vovô e Vovó[edit | edit source]


Spoilers!

Vovô e Vovó is a rendition of the "Granny" leitmotif on guitar. It plays during Madeline's video call with Theo in the ending cutscene. According to Lena Raine, it is meant to depict how Carlos, Theo's grandfather, would have played Granny's theme on the guitar.[1]

wavedash.ppt[edit | edit source]

wavedash.ppt plays during the "Wavedashing and You" presentation in the second room of Event Horizon. it is a light-hearted rendition of the "Madeline" leitmotif, and is entirely based on synths (primarily 80s and 90s style ones). Additionally, it also plays during the secret Golden Berry room.