By Your Side.

By Your Side.
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track no.	5
length	1:36
composed by	Pedro Silva
bpm	88
key	B major
time signature	4/4
file name	event_maris_theme.ogg

By Your Side is the 5th track in the official soundtrack of OMORI. It is Mari's theme, and plays during cutscenes with her and about her.

Musical description

The track features a piano playing a sweet and gentle melody, with chords in a syncopated rhythm played by the left hand. As it continues, other instruments begin to fill in the texture, including a synth pad and a flute. It is 32 bars long and has a symmetrical structure, with the latter 16 bars being a repeat of the first 16, with differences in instrumentation such as the piano melody being doubled by a synth. It can be divided into four bar phrases, which in turn can be divided into two bar phrases, which all have a similar melodic contour. The chord progression repeats every two bars and uses the chords bVII - vi - V, with some variations with extensions as the piece continues.

Analysis

By Your Side makes use of chromaticism, which adds a bittersweet feeling to the music. The strong beats are not greatly emphasised, which can be seen in how the melody starts on the off-beat after beat 1, and in the syncopated elements in the accompaniment and main melody. This, along with the instrumentation, helps to create a gentle sound. The track prominently uses a flattened 7th (A♮), mostly as the root note of the A chord but also in the melody, giving it a mixolydian flavour. Here, the modal feel emphasises the more melancholic aspects of the music.

Motifs

By Your Side is Mari's theme. The theme also appears in Dear Little Brother, where it is played slower and without the left hand accompaniment.