Scherzo Di Notte

Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories; Scherzo Di Notte
Arranger	Yoko Shimomura
Composer	Yoko Shimomura
Length	2:01

Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories; Scherzo Di Notte
Arranger	Yoko Shimomura
Composer	Yoko Shimomura

Kingdom Hearts; Scherzo Di Notte
Arranger	Yoko Shimomura
Composer	Yoko Shimomura
Length	1:49

Scherzo Di Notte
Gameplay

Kingdom Hearts II Scherzo Di Notte

Arranger	Yoko Shimomura
Composer	Yoko Shimomura
Length	1:19

Kingdom Hearts coded Scherzo Di Notte

Arranger	Yoko Shimomura
Composer	Yoko Shimomura

Kingdom Hearts Re:coded Scherzo Di Notte

Arranger	Yoko Shimomura
Composer	Yoko Shimomura

Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMIX Scherzo Di Notte

Arranger	Yoko Shimomura
Composer	Yoko Shimomura
Length	1:49

Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX Scherzo Di Notte

Arranger	Yoko Shimomura
Composer	Yoko Shimomura
Length	2:06

"Scherzo Di Notte" (Ita: "Scherzo at Night") is a musical composition by Yoko Shimomura that appears in the Kingdom Hearts series. It is the battle theme of Hollow Bastion and one of the battle themes of Radiant Garden.

Appearances[edit]

"Scherzo Di Notte" is the battle theme of Hollow Bastion in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts II, and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded.

Kingdom Hearts[edit]

Hollow Bastion: Riku

Kingdom Hearts II[edit]

Hollow Bastion: "The Device that Protects the Town", "The Truth About Ansem", "Heartless Invade", "Maleficent Joins the Fray", "Sephiroth Descends", "Aerith and Leon", "Brave Yuffie and Aerith", "Stitch Tries His Best", "Gullwings Working Hard", "Leon and Cloud", "Cloud and His Destiny with Darkness", "I'm Sorry King Mickey", "Nocturne Melody Demyx"
100 Acre Wood: "A Heartless Attack", "The Stolen Book"

Composition[edit]

"Scherzo Di Notte" is approximately one minute and forty-nine seconds long in Kingdom Hearts and the HD remake of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix. In Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, the piece is slightly extended to two minutes and one second. In Kingdom Hearts II, the piece is cut to one minute and nineteen seconds. However, in Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 ReMIX, the piece is extended to two minutes and six seconds. Regardless of the game, the piece has transitions between the time signatures of 6/8 and 3/4. Likewise, the key signature change frequently. The tempo for the piece is 140 beats per minute in Kingdom Hearts, Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, and Kingdom Hearts Re:coded. In Kingdom Hearts II and Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, the tempo slightly increases to 142 beats per minute. In Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep Final Mix, the tempo slows down to 134 beats per minute.

The instrumentation depends on the version of the game. For games such as Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, some of the instrument voices are covered through electronic means- such as synthesizer. Also, the instrumentation slightly changes for specific games. For example: In Kingdom Hearts II, the instrumentation is reduced to strings, snare drum, timpani, and piano. This differs from the previous games, Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts Chain of Memories, which uses a larger instrumentation and favors the woodwind families. This larger instrumentation included: a complete strings section- violin, viola, cello, and stringed bass, flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, trombone, snare drum, crash cymbals, timpani, and piano. Kingdom Hearts Re:coded used the same instrumentation as well. For Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep, the instrumentation is similar in size, but instead favors the brass families of the orchestra, and introduced a small treble choir. The instrumentation for Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep includes: a strings section, trumpet, French horn, trombone, orchestral bells, snare drum, crash cymbals, timpani, and female choir.

In musical terms, a scherzo is often referred to as a "joke." In playing a scherzo, the themes often resemble that of lighter, lively pieces that sometimes include dances. The Italian translation of "Scherzo Di Notte" is "Joke at Night" which seems both misleading and incorrect. Rather than mean the literal definition of "joke," it is instead better to refer to the "dance" or "lively" history of the term. Regardless of the interpretation of the name, the piece has both serious and light textures. The percussion parts, chords (as outlined by mid and lower voiced instruments) create the "heavier" and darker tone of the piece. However, simultaneously, are the upper voiced instruments- such as the violins, flute, oboe, and clarinet- playing shorter rhythmic features that suggest a livelier tone.

Other appearances[edit]

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, “Scherzo Di Notte” 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 talks about the music tracks included with Sora.