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melee:
“a confused hand-to-hand fight or struggle among several people” (Dictionary.com)

I grew up playing Street Fighter II on Super Nintendo for hours. I beat the game with every fighter, on every skill level, and then did it all over again trying to beat my personal speed records and tried not to lose a single match. I honed my skills at home and then would take on real opponents at the arcade or local restaurant that had the game in the back corner. The excitement of placing a quarter on the screen to get “next” and then testing your skills versus an equal or better always caused a shot of adrenaline and was a rush in which teenage me could not get enough.

While I greatly enjoyed the music that was written specifically for the game, and I can still to this day sing you each fighter’s theme, I enjoyed muting the game and crafting my own soundtrack as I made my way through each opponent. The music would be fast & energetic, angry & aggressive, and loud & chaotic. The artists would vary from U2, to Guns N’ Roses, to Smashing Pumpkins, to Michael Jackson, to R&B/Hip-Hop artists of the ’90s, and even the most hyper of film score cues such as The Asteroid Field, from The Empire Strikes Back. Make no mistake this was hype music. And these were my FIGHT SONGS.

It is of no surprise then that this style and type of music has always been a part of my compositional modus operandi. If there is ever to be a book written about my life, perhaps the section dealing with my music would best be titled Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

Melee is at its root a piece of music not only meant to accompany a battle royale or virtual combat but to also convey a barrage of carnage and havoc. The work pummels you from the very beginning striking you with punches and haymakers letting you know that this isn’t going to be slow and pretty. Even if you are the victor, you will come out of this piece with scratches and bruises adorning your body like badges of honor.

The structure of the work loosely follows the tropes of the hero’s journey typically found in video games, television, and movies. Our hero is thrust into a new fray while unison 8^th notes rhythmically connected to the title of the piece and an 8^th note ostinato taunts our fighter from start to finish: “Melee, Melee. Melee.” The opponent is introduced with a menacing theme and proceeds to bully our warrior into submission.

Shaken to his core, our guardian is forced to retreat in disgrace. It is at his lowest point that he remembers his training and beings the process of not only mending his body but his confidence and spirit. It is then that he presents himself to his enemy and challenges him once again.

The melodies dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge as this second duel is more ferocious than the first, though more evenly matched. With a not so subtle tip of the hat to Michael Daugherty’s “musical bullfight” Red Cape Tango, our defender begins to gain the upper hand as the chants of “Melee” grow stronger and faster. Finally, our champion unleashes his final combo and vanquishes his adversary. It is then on to the next challenge, the next round, and the next opponent.

Now, who’s got next?!