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Nobuo Uematsu
Japanese Video Game Music
Composer
Biography
Born March 21, 1959 in Kouchi City
 Twelve – teaching himself piano
 Graduates - Kanagwa University
 Play keyboard for amateur bands
 Begin writing music for commercials
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Biography
1985 - part-time job for Square-Enix Co.
 1987 Square was going bankrupt
 Uematsu writes music for “Final Fantasy”
 Saved company/saved job
 Uematsu worked for Square to 2004
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Biography
Compose music for square enix (FF 1-11
and other games)
 Composed classical, rock, techno, and
pop music
 2003 “The Black Mages” – played final
fantasy music hardcore!
 2010 Disbanded – created 3 Albums
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Biography
2004 left Square Enix/created “Smile
Please”
 Composed music for “Lost Odyssey”,
“Blue Dragon”, and “Cry On”
 Nobody to internationally renouned
composer
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#1 – “One-Winged Angel”
From role-playing game, Final Fantasy VII
 Changed the way role-playing games are
 Is the villain theme song
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#2 – “To Zanarkand”
From Final Fantasy X
 The opening scene
 Fan favorite – played across the globe
 Zanarkand is a city in the game
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#3 – “Aerith’s Theme”
My favorite of Uematsu’s compositions
 Song played in Final Fantasy VII at huge
climax – Death of Aerith
 She is killed by Sephiroth
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#1 – One-winged Angel (0:00-1:10)
Dark/scary beginning - use of brass
instruments/woodwinds
 Woodwinds first then brass – adds scary
 Then, climb of octave ladder – cymbals
bang
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#1 – One-Winged Angel (1:10-1:46)
Eerie section – then latin chanting
 Chanting continues, lower then higher
 Choir sings “ash” emphasize anger
 Brass, woodwinds, strings rise – create
climax
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#1 – One-Winged Angel (2:50-3:36)
Brass and percussion in minor tone
 Loud snap > Silence > running
(flutes/xylophone)
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#1 – One-Winged Angel (3:36-4:25)
Climb by instruments then chanting
(lower>higher)
 Cello two notes rapidly > violin one note
 Woodwinds climb octaves > choir chants
“Sephiroth”
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#2 – To Zanarkand (0:00-1:04)
Beautiful piano melody beings this piece of
music, very slow
 Piano plays > Strings join, play melody
louder
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#2 – To Zanarkand (1:04-2:19)
Flute melody, piano and strings harmony
 Strings/brass build up for the chorus
 Piano – amazing melody
 Violins slow/become quieter till silent
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#2 – To Zanarkand (2:19-3:13)
After silence, harp plays
 10 seconds > strings join harp
 Woodwinds/brass then join in
 Beautiful harmony, melody, and amazing
timbre
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#2 – To Zanarkand (3:13-4:34)
Sad section – begins forte then gets quiet
 Strings play beautiful melody/harmony
 Following strings, woodwinds similar
 Brass finish melody and harmony
 Cello goes down octaves, harp goes up in
octaves
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#3 – Aerith’s Theme (0:00-0:45)
Slow melody – beautiful clarinet
 Flutes/strings join melody
 The harp then climbs like a ladder
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#3 – Aerith’s Theme (0:45-2:16)
Piano - melody
 Strings - background music
 After the piano, flute - melody
 Piano/strings – harmony
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#3 – Aerith’s Theme (2:16-2:54)
Song in forte, piano - melody
 Brass is playing harmony
 Flutes – beautiful melody, strings harmony
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#3 – Aerith’s Theme (2:54-3:50)
Flutes play high, strings join in
 Piano/high end xylophone - melody
 Strings, trumpet, trombone - harmony
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#3 – Aerith’s Theme (3:50-4:30)
Trumpet – soft melody
 Flutes – melody, tuba rhythm in eighths
 Strings – rhythm pizzacato
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#3 – Aerith’s Theme (4:30-5:15)
Loud with flutes and strings
 Cymbals bang each round the melody
ends
 Violin/flutes – melody, brass - background
 Cymbals come back
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#3 – Aerith’s Theme (5:15-5:48)
Ending – flutes play high, strings background
 Strings play minor – eerie
 Strings solid note – harp climbs ladder
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References
http://www.nobuouematsu.com/bio.html
 http://www.squareenixmusic.com/compose
rs/uematsu/biography.shtml
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