Découvrez la vidéo Bioshock - Cohen's Masterpiece de Video Game Pianist sur Le Fil YouTube de Piano Partage.

As requested by Darko Wolff in the 14 June 2013 video, I play Bioshock - Cohen's Masterpiece composed by Garry Schyman.

Let's identify and examine the compositoinal techniques Garry Schyman uses in "Cohen's Masterpiece" to enhance the gameplay and visuals. Please refer to the following audio track http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnn_UKKNv5c and sheet music http://www.garryschyman.com/garryschymanbioshock.pdf . Due to the graphic content and the young demographic that views this channel, I decided against including the game play video. Instead, here is a picture of the game setting (PG-rated): http://bioshock.wikia.com/wiki/File:Fitzpatrick_Playing.png

Schyman composes the piece in dark key of B-flat minor. This key expresses Kyle Fitzpatrick's fateful and unsuccessful attempt at playing this piece on the piano in the game. Also, b-flat minor represents death to some composers. Chopin wrote his second piano sonata in B-flat minor http://imslp.org/wiki/Piano_Sonata_No.2,_Op.35_%28Chopin,_Fr%C3%A9d%C3%A9ric%29. In the third movement there is the famous B-flat minor funeral march: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ido55uT5U0k

Schyman creates tension by emphasizing the dominant pitch of F. He uses F as a pedal note in the bass, and the right hand plays melodic figures centered around F. The melodic figures represent sighs. The F is resolved at measure 4 when the thick chordal passage begins at a forte dynamic. It's like Chopin Etude Op. 10 No. 12 where the beginning starts on the dominant and resolves to the tonic right before the start of the melody proper.

The melody starting at measure 4 is somewhat plaintive and existentialistic. Some of the dissonant harmonies can represent Fitzpatrick's frustration at playing the piece on the piano. This piece was composed by Cohen for Fitzpatrick to unsuccessfully play.

The next passage is a variation on the melody at measure 4. On the first note on beats 1 and 3 the melody from measure 4 appears. Also, the right hand plays arpeggios that change direction many times. This passage can represent Fitzpatrick's swirl of emotions. Though in the game it doesn't seem that Fitzpatrick gets this far into the piece, it seems that Cohen intended this passage to be difficult. The leap of two octaves between two quick notes in measure 13 expresses chaos. The G half-diminished harmony over a C pedal (V/V) in measure 10 represents mental confusion.

Notice how the arpeggiated section http://youtu.be/qnn_UKKNv5c?t=29s is like the passionate and choatic development section in the Chopin Sonata No. 2 first movement: http://youtu.be/UsXsQQDzxNU?t=4m36s
Both excerpts represent an explosion of non-functional harmony. There is at least one hidden melody present in both the Schyman and Chopin. In the Chopin it is the opening descending 6th motive and the restless eighth-note figure in the right hand.

The piano delicato section utilizes the opening sighing figure in the left hand as well as the measure 4 melody in the right hand. Both are strictly combined. In this piece there is order and chaos.

Overall in the soundtrack this piece stands out due to its having a strong tonal centre. Other pieces have aleatoric elements (The Ocean on His Shoulders), uses a pitch class set such as 0,1,4 (Welcome to Rapture), and do not have strong tonal centres. The interaction of the tonal piece with the surrounding non-tonal pieces represents the dystopia that has befallen upon the world of rapture. The Chopin-like ideas represent the Rapture zeitgeist of longing for the past utopian days.

Mask made by Becky "Aktrez" Young.
Sheet music: http://www.garryschyman.com/garryschymanbioshock.pdf

Further reading:
"Emotion and Rhetoric in Bioshock" thesis: http://etd.lsu.edu/docs/available/etd-07072011-145443/unrestricted/RoseThesis.pdf

Bioshock: Diegetic and Non-Diegetic Elements: http://imamp.colum.edu/blogs/?p=35624

Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams: Popular Music, Narrative, and Dystopia in Bioshock: http://gamestudies.org/1103/articles/gibbons

Video Game Pianist official site: http://www.videogamepianist.com