Download Japanese Electronic Music and Jacopo Peri

Japanese
Electronic Music
and Jacopo Peri
Demographics of Japan:
Population: 127,103,388
Life Expectancy:
Male: 81.13
Female: 87.99
Median: 46.1
Literacy: 99%
Urbanization: 91.3% of the population live in urbanized environment
Population Growth Rate: -13%
Languages: Japanese(English is integrated into a lot of their popular culture)
Religion: No official religion:
83.9% Shintoism; 71.4% Buddhism; Other 9.8%
History of Japan:
After WWII Japan through massive change and rebuilding:
● They are now allies with the US and other UN members
● Became a democracy (Emperor of Japan serves a similar purpose to the
royalty of England)
● Became one of the most urbanized, and technologically advanced
countries in the world
o At one point Japan had the second largest economy in the world,
behind the United States - Currently Japan has the third largest
economy behind the US and China
o Japan was the first major non-western country to adopt western
technological advances
 They still play an important role in modern innovation
Geography of Japan:
● Climate: Tropical in the south; cool,
temperate in the north
● Total Area: 11% smaller than California
● Highest Point: Mt. Fuji
● Lowest Point: Hachirogata
● Lot of earthquakes
● Has eight regions
Music in Japan:
● Japan puts a larger emphasis on music in
education than countries like the US do
● The music industry in Japan is the second
largest in the world - largest in Asia
● Japan has widely adopted classical music,
having the world’s leading wind band.
● Since the 1970’s making music with electronics
has been very popular and successful.
The Beginning of Music in Video
Games:
● The first music in video games was found in
arcade games such as Space Invaders,
Mario Bros. and Donkey Kong
● With the birth of home video game consoles
with better graphics and processors, a new
genre of electronic music emerged.
Koji Kondo and Music with
Electronics:
● Born: August 13, 1961
● Instruments: Piano,
Synthesizers, Electronic Organ,
Cello
● Never classically trained
● Not originally dedicated to
music
● Used a computer rather than a
piano to compose his works
His Music:
● In 1984 Nintendo sent a recruitment letter to
his college asking for sound programmers
Kondo applied for the job without having to send in
any demo tapes.
o He was later designated to Nintendo’s Entertainment
and Analysis Department where he would compose
the soundtrack for Super Mario Bros.
o
Koji Kondo (cont.)
● Because he composed music for video
games, it was up to him to provide the mood
and tone for the different parts of the game.
● The songs he composed had to be able to
last an infinite amount of time, as the song
will play as long as the player is in the area.
His Music:
● His early works for Super Mario Bros. and
The Legend of Zelda contained four parts:
melody, harmony, bass line, and percussion.
● The melody had to be able to stand alone
without the harmony, because the sound
effects of the game would take the place of
the harmony due to technological restraints.
Music (cont.)
● Many times during the games he worked on,
the player will hear a monophonic version of
his songs first, and then would be introduced
to the full polyphonic version.
● All the music has to repeat over and over
again without getting boring or aggravating.
Master of Repetition:
● Within each of his songs, he has distinct
sections within each that flow together very
easily, yet are extremely different.
o
In Super Mario Bros.: Overworld Theme Kondo uses
about seven different sections.
 In the first section all the parts move with the
same rhythm homophonically, however in the
next section the melody and harmony move
together, yet the bass continues on by itself.
Repetition (cont.)
● This use of repetition is used throughout
almost all of his songs including his
monophonic ones.
o
Furthermore, often times the harmony will change
based on the sections as well:
 In Super Mario Bros. the first couple sections
have harmonies in fifths and sixths, but in later
sections the harmonies are mostly in thirds.
Evolution of His Music:
● Since the success of Koji Kondo and
Nintendo, Kondo’s music has grown
increasingly complex and resembles that of
classical music as well as other cultural
music.
The Super Mario Bros. Overworld Theme has
become more recognizable than any Disney song and the
character of Mario is more recognizable than Mickey
Mouse.
Jacopo Peri
● Born in Rome or Florence in 1561
● By 1583 Peri worked as both an
instrumental composer and madrigal.
● Italian composer and singer between
the Renaissance and Baroque periods.
o One of the first composers to
experiment with monody, recitative,
and aria.
● Part of the Florentine Camerata - Composed
the majority of the opera Dafne, which is
considered the very first opera.
I Found Some Links!:
● Both Jacopo Peri and Koji Kondo began
composing by using simple forms of
monody.
● Both used simple instrumentation to create
their compositions.
● Both were composers of instrumental music.
The Big Links:
● Kondo and Peri are credited with ushering in
a new style and genre of music.
● They both are given the job of providing
mood and tone for the audience.
o
Depending on the music for either an opera or video
game, the music determines the way the audience
perceives it.
Bibliography
IGN. “Koji Kondo: An Interview with a Legend.” IGN.com. March 12, 2007. Accessed
August 3, 2011. http://wii.ign.com/articles/772/772299p1.html.
"Jacopo Peri." Jacopo Peri. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
Kondo, Koji. “Inside Zelda: Part 4.” Zelda.com. 2005. Accessed August 3, 2011. http://
www.zelda.com/universe/game/twilightprincess/inside04.jsp [Originally
published in Nintendo Power Vol. 195 (2005)].
Laroche, Guillaume. "Analyzing Musical Mario-media: Variations in the Music of Super Mario Video
Games." DigiTool Stream Gateway Error. N.p., Jan. 2012. Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
Steiner, Hans-Christoph. "1597 - Dafne, by Jacopo Peri." 1597 - Dafne, by Jacopo Peri. N.p., n.d.
Web. 21 Nov. 2014.
Stevens, Richard, and Dave Raybould. The Game Audio Tutorial: A Practical Guide to
Sound and Music for Interactive Games. Burlington, MA: Focal Press, 2011.
Williams, Bryn. “Koji Kondo’s Musical Landscape.” Gamespy. March 7, 2007. Accessed
August 3, 2011. http://wii.gamespy.com/articles/771/771397p1.html.
Zehnder, Sean, and Scott Lipscomb. “The Role of Music in Video Games.” In Playing
Video Games: Motives, Responses, and Consequences, edited by Peter Vorderer
and Jennings Bryant, 241-58. Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum, 2006.