Most Zelda music is, in some way, based on the original overworld theme. You can hear snippets of it it pretty much every tune that you hear outside of a dungeon, including the ones for specific characters.
How about the nice Tetris DSremix of the main theme?
The version of the main theme from the GameCube version of SoulCalibur 2 is the best version evereverever.
While everyone remembers the overworld theme, the underworld theme often gets neglected.
The Nintendo-published Pictobits includes a badass remix of Death Mountain (the final dungeon from the original game) by Japanese Chiptune band YMCK. After the original song plays for a bit, it speeds up and morphs into what can only be described as 8-bit metal, complete with a makeshift guitar solo.
Zelda II: The Adventure of Link
The prologue. Deride the game all you want, this is still a beautiful tune.
The Overworld Theme. As tough as the game was, this was a pretty nice rework of the original overworld theme.
A Link to the Past
This little ditty played at the title as the Triforce came together. Ocarina used it in a more subtle choral form for the moment when the Triforce was created AND the moment when the Sages helped Link enter Ganon's Castle. Wind Waker used it when a certain princess key to the Triforce was revealed.
Zelda's theme and Ganon's theme, which made their debut here, are equally awesome. Both will go on to become leitmotifs for their respective characters afterward.
Appropriately, on its most essential level, this is a remix of the "You Got (Insert Important Item Name Here)" tune.
The Boss Clear Fanfare. Nothing says complete victory like this song, specially when you kill the final boss to get the Master Sword or free Zelda to break into Ganon's tower.
Angler's Tunnel is probably the least impressive of all the dungeon tunes, just being a sped-up version of the cave theme, but it's a surprising Ear Worm...
Combining the awesomeness of the Face Shrine and the Ballad of the Wind Fish, there's the Southern Shrine, a perfect music for The Reveal that the island is All Just a Dream.
The Sword Search music. An awesome song to start the game. A little disappointing it was only played at the beginning before being overtaken by the overworld theme.
The Gerudo Valley theme, good enough to be featured unaltered in Brawl, and awesome enough to get its own epic track on the 25th Anniversary Soundtrack that came with Skyward Sword.
Temple of Time. A rare case of Un-Ominous, Relaxing Chanting.
Especially the part that plays when you open the Door of Time! If pure awesomeness could be converted into 21-second music clips...
Even if it's only about 30 seconds long, there's gotta be some love out there for Sheik's Theme. Combined with the dialogue, it just works really well
The Forest Temple. If ever there was a music in a video game that makes you scared of discovering just what's behind the next corner, it is this.
The original chanting in the Fire Temple, before it was altered in later editions to respect the sensibilities of Muslims.
The revised version isn't bad itself, though it's kind of atmospheric for a temple in which it's possible to burn to death even with a tunic that negates convection.
If you can't imagine asses getting kicked from the music fighting Volvagia...
Nintendo released a CD called Hyrule Symphony, which was a series of orchestral versions of the Ocarina Of Time music. It also includes a medley of all the main themes from the previous titles.
The Shadow Temple theme. Dark, eerie, and frightening, yes. But that's also what makes it downright awesome. Definitely shows a grittier part of the game. The Shadow levels are large... but it's like the music itself is trying to trap you and sap your willpower.
The quiet, echoing flutes that play in the Great Deku Tree are very soothing.
And the steel drum-centric Zora's Domain theme captures the grace of its inhabitants quite well.
No list of Awesome Zelda Music is complete without Ocarina of Time's signature song The Song of Time regardless of how short it is.
The new orchestrated medley played at the remake developer's part of the OOT 3D end credits. Being done by the same guy that gave us Super Mario Galaxy's awesome soundtrack, it's not only an incredible way to end an awesome remake, but it gives us a good look at how Skyward Sword's orchestrated soundtrack will play out.
Majora's Mask
The title theme. It starts out as a slower, more calming remix of Clock Town, but becomes more and more ominous as it goes on - by the end it's become kinda scary.
The Song of Healing's soothing powers are not limited to the video game world.
As well as the even more soothing version heard in the Clock Tower.
And who would think a song like that could sound sinister?
There were tears shed when the cutscenes played after playing the song for Darmani and Mikau
Ah, Clock Town, the theme of which gradually morphs from cheerful to... disturbing. Its theme is at its most sedate on the First Day, but gets a little busier on the Second Day. And then its the Third Day, when civilization is beginning to break down in start gibbering terror as the moon gets lower and lower in the sky. Which leads to...
The Last Day. An evocative mixture of awe and dread, conveying a sense of unreality in the face of annihilation, and at the same time a serene acceptance of the inevitable. Nightmare Fuel AND a Tear Jerker in musical form.
It's even better in-game with the clock tower's echoing bells going off every few seconds.
Never fear, your ol' pal Kaepora Gaebora is here to trap you in some exposition when you select the wrong response.
Although it's the Link's Awakening song In Name Only, "Ballad of the Windfish" as it appears in Majora's Mask: Link's four selves playing in perfect harmony, each of which contributes an indispensable part of the whole.
Romani Ranch. It's Lon Lon Ranch without the synthesized vocals.
It fits the race-style battle with Goht perfectly. And, somehow, the deep groans Goron Link makes when he's hit by Goht's lightning also blend with the music.
And Nayru's Song, also from Ages. Her career as a singer may be only a cover for her true role as the titular Oracle...but that doesn't stop her from being damn good at it.
The theme of Horon Village in Oracle of Seasons should remind you of something... Zelda's theme.
Sadness. Perfectly captures the feeling of sorrow, destruction, and despair that sets over the lands of Holodrum and Labrynna when the Oracles are kidnapped.
The Legendary Hero which opens the game while the legend of the Hero of Time is told. Awesome.
Aryll's theme is heard within the Outset-island theme (along with the old Kokiri-forest theme), during her kidnapping and in both of her appearances in the Forsaken Fortress.
It is also, as one might assume, a key component of Aryll's Kidnapping. Absolutely heart wrenching when the main theme peters out around 0:54.
While it isn't the Overworld theme, the sailing music isn't bad to listen to, which is good, because you'll be hearing a lot of it. And then it gets cursed, and a familiar and ominous leitmotif is mixed in with it...
Dawn is no slouch, either. It's always smile-worthy to hear it in the middle of sailing.
While we're on the subject, Ganon's Tower's Jalhalla battle theme had something the original didn't. It was already reminiscent of an Ominous Music Box Tune, but the distortion makes it sound far more appropriate for the ghostly boss it accompanies.
Also, the Wind and Earth Sage's respective prayers.
If we're going to mention the prayers, we must also mention the game's theme song, which incorporates both.
Laruto's theme has some nice melancholy to it, while Fado seems to be cheerful even in death.
...and of course, both prayers are rearrangements of "The Legendary Hero". Yeah!!
Now that's some good music for a duel with Ganondorf.
Farewell, Hyrule King. A melancholy piano arrangement of the now-classic Hyrule Castle music.
Before Tetra switched to having Zelda's characteristic theme for a leitmotif, she and her crew shared this awesome music for a theme, which pretty much sums up everything you need to know about Miss Tetra's bumbling Pirates: So fitting.
Mt. Crenel, an obvious homage to Link to the Past's Dark World (with bits of the original NES and Ocarina of Time overworld themes thrown in as well for good measure).
Then there's Rainy Mt. Crenel, which is an homage to the Falling Rain theme from A Link to the Past.
The Hyrule Castle theme never sounded as brooding as it did here...
Castor Wilds, an oppressive mix of the main theme for a swamp level. But the real awesomeness comes in...
The Wind Ruins. Take the Castor Wilds, give it a driving beat and a few more instruments, and add in the flute theme from the very first zelda game and you get this masterpiece.
Which is, appropriately enough, a remix of the Serenade of Water from Ocarina of Time.
The Temple of Time showed up again—completely unaltered—in Twilight Princess... not just Crowning Music of Awesome, but a Crowning Moment of Awesome as well.
It's short, but the Master Sword theme. Mixing the original theme with the new theme...beyond words.
Snowpeak itself. Very simple, but very eerie remix of the main theme.
The battle against Blizzetta, specifically phase two of it. Even better since, like all boss fights, the music changes if you get the upper hand in the fight.
As said above, there's this little ditty that plays whenever you expose a boss' weak point, and constantly cries out for more (da-da-da-da da da da!).
The Hidden Village theme from Twilight Princess, which, like the Molgera music, is fitting enough to appear in Brawl without being remixed at all.
The actual battle with Zant. The same (twilight remix) theme plays throughout, gradually getting more complex, while combined with the themes of each boss Zant copies.
Twilight Princess's version of Hyrule Castle. Starts creepy, but as you progress, more and more elements of Ganon's Theme are woven in.
Then, when Link and Midna finally reach Ganon, he rises from his throne as an epically arranged version of the original Legend of Zelda's Ganon intro plays.
Then comes the second theme, A.K.A. Beast Ganon's battle music. That eerie twist in the music and the chanting make you feel like you're trapped in Ganon's hell.
And afterwards comes the Horseback Battle with Ganon. With all that epic movement going on, the suspense makes you worry if you're gonna fall off Epona and get trampled by Ganondorf's ghost riders.
The final battle against Ganondorf in Twilight Princess is also particularly awesome, and also manages to use Ganon's regular theme in there as well.
The wolves' singing some of the most classic tunes in the whole series, as well as the all-new "Ballad of Twilight", it's all as hauntingly beautiful as the view of Hyrule when they're singing them.
A highlight of the entire game was playing the haunting, addicting melody of Requiem of Spirit In a wolf's voice.
Sacred Grove theme. Just the perfect blend of ominous, ethereal, and blissful tones giving the impression that one get get lost forever in their dreams of the forest. Also a huge layer of nostalgia.
The music when you fight Armogohma evokes a Giant Spider stomping around insanely well. And then when you complete the first phase of the battle, It becomes Crowning Music of Funny as well.
During most Boss Fights, when the enemy's weak point is exposed, an amazingly triumphant tune plays.
When a fragment of the Fused Shadow or Twilight Mirror is uncovered, a gorgeous, yet haunting theme plays.
Fyer's cannon theme is both hilarious and one of the most awesome earworms in the whole series.
And of course, the whole song here. It's still every bit as awesome as it was in the trailer.
Every time Link plays one of the duets with a Lokomo includes some fantastic melodies, particularly the finale, when Link, Zelda, and every Lokomo in the game join in to play the main theme.
Speaking of the good chancellor, there's also the version of his theme that plays while defending Zelda in one of the final boss phases. Yes, it was already awesome, this is just continuing the trend.
The song that plays once you're at the very top of the Tower of Spirits. As you progress up the stairs, the song gets more and more energetic. This is the finished result and it really gives you that sense of accomplishment.
The "Troubled" version of the overworld theme, which plays in the Snow and Fire Realms before their respective Temples are cleared, does a great job of conveying a sense of urgency. You definitely feel like you're in a place that's been thrown into disarray, and that it's imperative to set things right again.
This track, which plays near the beginning of the game on the world map, when Link is still a trainee engineer, as well as later in the game during the Goron target range mini-game.
This track comes from right before the battle with Malladus, and it is a beautiful rendition of the Spirit Tracks overworld theme.
It starts with the opening. Yes, it's the fairy fountain theme again, but there's something inexplicably awesome about the 'backbone' of the track that the other versions lack.
The credits. That is all. Or not. C'mon, guys, it's the overworld theme mixed with even more awesome than before— including a build-up perfectly suited to the game itself and a bit of the series' main theme thrown in for good measure. What's not to like?
The song that plays when you first chart a course through any given realm is often overlooked— since it transitions so perfectly into the overworld theme, which has already been listed— but it's catchy enough to earn a spot here, too.
While it doesn't quite measure up to Wind Waker's, the miniboss theme isn't half bad, either.
Some of the tracks from after a boss is defeated are noteworthy, as well— like The Force Gem Awakens and Restoring the Spirit Tracks (which may or may not be 'Restoring the Tower of the Spirits' instead. It's hard to tell with some of the track names.)
The Goron Village music; it's not quite the Goron City music, but the feel is largely the same. It's a nice change of pace once the latter gets old, though.
Spirit Tracks also brings us this rendition of Linebeck's theme. Not quite as epic as the original, but infinitely more cheerful.
There's also Invincibility from battle mode. Short, sweet and oh-so-satisfying.
Skyward Sword
This is the first Zelda with a fully orchestrated soundtrack. Considering that Super Mario Galaxy already got the orchestral treatment to its own awesome results, that alone is a sign that the music is awesome.
The "Romance" theme, Zelda's and Link'sLeitmotif in this game, subtly evokes Zelda's Theme in a manner similar to the main theme, and it's absolutely beautiful.
Every version of the harp songs that Link plays in the game probably counts. Rather than go for quantity, the dev team definitely went of quality with those.
The music for water-themed things has a general soothing East Asian vibe that will immediately dispel any bad memories Zelda fans have had of past water dungeons. First, there's Faron's theme, and then there's the Ancient Cistern, which some fans have even labelled the best dungeon music in the series.
Groose's theme is a deliciously pompous tune that perfectly suits Groose. It becomes surprisingly awesome when it gets mixed in with the battle music for the Imprisoned to signify his assistance in the battle.
The battle music against the Imprisoned is epic, especially with the awesome percussion that is added in through Variable Mix, and when Groose's theme gets mixed in.
No better track to fight against an army of Bokoblins in a race to save Zelda
The way the Bazaar theme bends to fit each little area is magical.
The file selection theme. It starts out quite reminiscent of previous versions of the same song, what with the characteristic harp solo, but when complementary strings come in halfway, it keeps you hooked.
While not in-game, the medley played by an orchestra at Nintendo's 2011 E3 conference for Zelda's 25th Anniversery was intended as a preview of how high quality Skyward Sword's orchestrated soundtrack will be. Listen to a cleaned up version here.
Clock Town Day 2 and Clock Town Day 2 Redux. The kind of song you want to wake up to. The crispier remix makes it feels like every day is going to be a brand new adventure.
Clock Town Day 3. Probably the most horrifying and apocalyptic tune from Majora's Mask. It's no longer hiding behind the happy and cheerful first and second day song like the original, it's bursting out, drowning out the barely audible happy foreground and proclaiming: YOU. ARE. GOING. TO. DIE.
Calling the Four Giants. It really emanates the sense of weariness and sadness from the giants part as everything around them is falling apart.
The Final Hour. "We shall greet the morning...together". One of the best moments in the game.
The Great Sea, or Ocean. The opening build-up surprisingly gives a grand opening to the sailing theme. Man, oh man, if this played while sailing in Wind Waker.
"A Storm in the Desert," by Unknown (yes, that's his handle). It's just part of his "Artifact of Power" series, the other entries of which OCRemix has deigned not to host, and may be lost to the internet.
For the 20th Overclocked Remix album, they chose Link's Awakening. The entire album, Threshold of a Dream, has a beautiful, ethereal, dreamlike quality.
Newgrounds (let's face it) has a lot of talented people making songs and posting them there. Among them is a Midna's Lament remix, severalversions of the Song of Storms, and more. SOMUCHMORE!
DJ Ephixa on YouTube brings the "Zeldastep" collection of dubstep remixes to the table. Here's a sample.
Prettymucheverything by hylianensemble. They keep the songs Zelda-style, but make them SO MUCH BETTER. (And no, those three songs aren't the only ones there.)
The Fairy Fountain remix heard in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, during the dream sequence where Scott sees Ramona skating down the hallway and to his door. It is a beautiful remix.
A Zelda medley by Lindsey Stirling. Songs are mainly from Ocarina of Time by the sounds of it, but it includes the overworld theme as well. Played absolutely beautifully on violin.
Zelda's Lullaby on Pluck for the iPad. Short (only bout a minute long), but very beautiful.
While not as awesome as some of the remixes on this page, this remix of Dragon Roost Island is still pretty awesome.
