New Transcription: "Lord of the Castle" from Kingdom Hearts III (2020)

A new full sheet music transcription of Lord of the Castle (Data Marluxia boss battle) from "Kingdom Hearts III: Re Mind", complete with sheet music and instrumental part scores.

If you're after the sheet music, score, XML or MIDI for the Lord of the Castle (Marluxia's Data fight) from Kingdom Hearts 3: Re Mind, you can find links here!

This includes individual part scores for:

Full Score
2 Flutes
2 Oboes
2 Clarinets in Bb
2 Bassoons
4 Horns in F
3 Trumpets in Bb
2 Trombones
Bass Trombone
Tuba
Timpani
Suspended Cymbal
Clash Cymbals
Snare Drum
Tubular Bells
Xylophone
Piano
Harp
Violin I
Violin II
Viola
Violoncello
Contrabass

If you are one of my Patrons, you can now find the MIDI, XML, SIB files, as well as stems and multitracks I created for this transcription now available to download from your Patreon Google Drive folders!

Arranger's Note:

"With the return of Marluxia, Lord of Castle Oblivion, we have ourselves a grand boss fight with a re-orchestrated version of a familiar theme from past games.

We begin firmly in Bb minor (0:02). Harmonically, we traverse quickly to the subdominant (Eb minor) by the 3rd measure (0:05) - still retaining a Bb pedal in the bass - and then back to the tonic (now as a minor 7th chord) in the 5th measure (0:08), and again to the subdominant in the 7th measure. This rising and falling material recurs in numerous iterations throughout the track.

Rhythmically, we have a strong string ostinato, doubled in the bassoon. To conflict against this, the harp plays a syncopated triplet passage. The main section begins at 0:14 as the piano takes off with rapid semiquavers, the string ostinato is expanded with aggressively staccato violins, and we get some juicy semitonal dissonances (such as A diminished against the Bb pedal; 0:18).

Immediately following is a quasi-Dorian harmony as we shift to a chord of Eb dominant 7th (0:20), thereby interrupting the pedal as it descends to strengthen this new chord with a 1st inversion chord (the 3rd in the bass; here, G). This transitions into F minor which gives us a quick cadence back to the tonic of Bb as the phrase is completed (0:25).

Next, we get an iteration of the opening rising and falling harmony (now with James Bond influences /s ). This is, again, expanded at 0:32 with the 1st violin soaring outward little by little.

Another growth occurs at 0:38 with a new horn countermelody combined with a syncopated violin melody; another rhythmic clashing. But at 0:44, the instruments back down from their conflict as the woodwinds take a more prominent role and restate the earlier rising and falling motif. The harp syncopated triplets have also returned, adding more to the rhythmic conflict.

All this time, the Bb pedal has been largely retained - it is preparing us for something. At 0:54, we finally get it - a climax.

We step down to the submediant (Gb major) with a massive major 9th chord (Gb-Bb-Db-F-Ab) and harp flourishes. This chord intriguingly modulates via a perfect cadence into Cb major (0:58; en-harmonically B natural - very far from the tonic!) with a 6-5 suspension (Ab resolving to the Gb in the violins / flutes). This progression allows a quick semitonal drop back down to Bb minor, which follows as expected at 1:01.

Here, the instruments attack one another for a brief interlude with aggressive syncopation in nearly every part. And by 1:08, we drop down again to Gb as we repeat the previous climax but with some small melodic developments in the strings and additional counter-melodic material in the trumpets.

This 4-measure climax concludes with a fascinating bi-tonal use of parallel 4ths; we have Cb underneath, but these parallel chords are from another key (perhaps Bb or F minor). As a result, we have a harsh semitonal dissonance as we conflict Cb against C natural - truly aggressive stuff.

At 1:19, we have new descending material with a furious syncopation. This chromaticism is complemented by the winds entering with chromatic scales (1:30) as we step down to Ab minor temporarily.

By 1:42, we have another climax. It follows a rather simple harmony (Bb-Ab-Gb-Eb-F) and on top, we have many added-note chords swimming around (e.g. 11ths at 1:46, and 7ths at 1:58). At 2:07, we have an expansion to the previous chromatic descending material, now with even more syncopation.

To end, we have a final section at 2:30 which mirrors the previous section at 1:42, harmonically, but with some new melodies. Finally, we conclude with an interlude in Bb minor, preparing us for the loop (2:53)."