38,793
edits
Kōichi Sugiyama: Difference between revisions
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
no edit summary
(R.I.P) |
No edit summary |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
[[File:Kōichi_Sugiyama.png|right|thumb|230px]] | [[File:Kōichi_Sugiyama.png|right|thumb|230px]] | ||
{{ja|Kōichi Sugiyama|すぎやま こういち|Sugiyama Kō'ichi}} (his birth name is 椙山 浩一, which is pronounced the same) (born April 11, 1931; died September 30, 2021<ref>http://sugimania.com/</ref>) was the lead composer of the ''[[Dragon Quest (series)|Dragon Quest]]'' series, with other works done for Japanese TV shows, such as ''Space Runaway Ideon'', ''Cyborg 009'' and ''Gatchaman''. Because of the incredible length of his career, Suigyama's accomplishments have been officially recognized by the Guinness World record association. | {{ja|Kōichi Sugiyama|すぎやま こういち|Sugiyama Kō'ichi}} (his birth name is 椙山 浩一, which is pronounced the same) (born April 11, 1931; died September 30, 2021<ref>http://sugimania.com/</ref>) was the lead composer of the ''[[Dragon Quest (series)|Dragon Quest]]'' series, with other works done for Japanese TV shows, such as ''Space Runaway Ideon'', ''Cyborg 009'' and ''Gatchaman''. Sugiyama worked on the ''Dragon Quest'' series for an incredible 35 years, composing over 500 tracks for the games. Because of the incredible length of his career, Suigyama's accomplishments have been officially recognized by the Guinness World record association as the longest lived composer of video game music. | ||
==History | Sugiyama's music was immortalized on Friday, July 23rd 2021 during the first day of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic games. The series main theme, the ''[[Overture]]'', lead the opening ceremony and was broadcast before hundreds of millions of viewers worldwide. | ||
==History with Dragon Quest== | |||
Sugiyama started composing with a smaller Japanese home computer called the "PC-8801", and was working for [[Enix]] (now known as [[Square Enix]]). In 1986 he composed for the hit RPG video game {{DQ}} for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]. That game became something like an orchestral introduction to younger people in Japan. Sugiyama is the very first video game composer to record his video game music with a live orchestra. In 1986, the CD "[[Dragon Quest I Symphonic Suite]]" was released, utilizing the London Philharmonic Orchestra to interpret Sugiyama's melodies. | Sugiyama started composing with a smaller Japanese home computer called the "PC-8801", and was working for [[Enix]] (now known as [[Square Enix]]). In 1986 he composed for the hit RPG video game {{DQ}} for the [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]. That game became something like an orchestral introduction to younger people in Japan. Sugiyama is the very first video game composer to record his video game music with a live orchestra. In 1986, the CD "[[Dragon Quest I Symphonic Suite]]" was released, utilizing the London Philharmonic Orchestra to interpret Sugiyama's melodies. | ||
| Line 100: | Line 102: | ||
==Compositional Style and Inspirations== | ==Compositional Style and Inspirations== | ||
Sugiyama has stated that Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, and George Frideric Handel are his main sources of inspiration. His style varies between games and other media, but maintains a strong thematic quality reminiscent of Baroque and early-Classical work. | Sugiyama has stated that Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Joseph Haydn, and George Frideric Handel are his main sources of inspiration. His style varies between games and other media, but maintains a strong thematic quality reminiscent of Baroque and early-Classical work. | ||
==Influence on the medium== | |||
The professionalism of Sugiyama's work changed the way that people viewed video game music in Japan, trascending the technical limitations of the 8-bit NES to speak to the listener. As mentioned above, Koichi Sugiyama's ''Family Classic Concert'' was the first game music to be played by a live orchestra, performed on August 20th, 1987 at the Suntory Hall in Tokyo. This transformed the Japanese public's perception on the nature of the medium, paving the way for countless other composers to follow. | |||
==External link== | ==External link== | ||