Nobuo Uematsu
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy
series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community. Uematsu, a self-taught musician, began playing the piano at the age of eleven or twelve, with Elton John
as his biggest influence.
Uematsu joined Square
(later Square Enix
) in 1986, where he met Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi
. They have worked together on many video game titles, most notably the games in the Final Fantasy series. After nearly 20 years in the company, he left Square Enix in 2004 to found his own company called Smile Please, and the music production company Dog Ear Records
. He has since composed music as a freelancer
for video games primarily developed by Square Enix and Sakaguchi's development studio Mistwalker
.
Soundtracks and arranged
albums of Uematsu's game scores have been released. Pieces from his video game works have been performed in Final Fantasy concerts
. He has worked with Grammy Award
-winning conductor Arnie Roth
on several of these concerts. From 2002 to 2010, he was in a rock band with colleagues Kenichiro Fukui
and Tsuyoshi Sekito
called The Black Mages
, in which he played the keyboard
. The band played arranged rock versions of Uematsu's Final Fantasy compositions.
, Kōchi Prefecture
, Japan. A self-taught musician, he began to play the piano when he was eleven or twelve years old, and he did not take any formal piano lessons. He has an older sister who also played the piano. After graduating from Kanagawa University
, Uematsu played the keyboard in several amateur bands and composed music for television commercials. When Uematsu was working at a music rental shop in Tokyo
, a Square
employee asked if he would be interested in creating music for some of the titles they were working on. Although he agreed, Uematsu considered it a side job, and he did not think it would become a full-time career. He said it was a way to make some money on the side, while also keeping his part-time job at the music rental shop.
, who asked him if he wanted to create music for some of his games, which Uematsu agreed to. From 1986 to 1987, he created music for a number of games which did not achieve any success, including eroge
titles like Alpha. In 1987, Uematsu and Sakaguchi collaborated on what was originally to be Sakaguchi's last contribution for Square, Final Fantasy
, a game that turned out to be a huge success.
Final Fantasys popularity sparked Uematsu's career in video game music, and he would go on to compose music for over 30 titles, most prominently the subsequent games in the Final Fantasy
series. He scored the first installment in the SaGa series, The Final Fantasy Legend, in 1989. For the second and fifth games in the series, Final Fantasy Legend II
(1990) and Romancing SaGa 2
(1993), he was assisted by Kenji Ito
. Uematsu signed on to finish the soundtrack for the critically acclaimed 1995 title Chrono Trigger
after the game's composer, Yasunori Mitsuda
, contracted peptic ulcer
s. In 1996, he co-composed the soundtrack to Front Mission: Gun Hazard
and created the entire score for DynamiTracer. He also created music for three of the games in the Hanjuku Hero
series.
Outside video games, he has composed the main theme for the 2000 animated film Ah! My Goddess: The Movie
and co-composed the anime
Final Fantasy Unlimited (2001) with Final Fantasy orchestrator Shirō Hamaguchi
. He also inspired the Ten Plants concept albums, and released a solo album in 1994, entitled Phantasmagoria
. Feeling gradually more dissatisfied and uninspired, Uematsu requested the assistance of composers Masashi Hamauzu
and Junya Nakano
for the score to Final Fantasy X
in 2001. This marked the first time that Uematsu did not compose an entire main-series Final Fantasy soundtrack. For Final Fantasy XI
from 2002, he was joined by Naoshi Mizuta
, who composed the majority of the soundtrack, and Kumi Tanioka
; Uematsu was responsible for only eleven tracks. In 2003, he assisted Hitoshi Sakimoto
in scoring Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
by providing the main theme.
In 2002, fellow Square Enix colleagues Kenichiro Fukui
and Tsuyoshi Sekito
asked Uematsu to join them in forming a rock band that focused on reinterpreting and expanding on Uematsu's compositions. He declined their offer at first because he was too busy with work; however, after agreeing to perform with Fukui and Sekito in a live performance as a keyboardist, he decided to join them in making a band. An employee at Square Enix, Mr. Matsushita, chose the name The Black Mages
for their band. In 2003, Keiji Kawamori, Arata Hanyuda, and Michio Okamiya also joined the band. The Black Mages have released three studio albums, and have appeared at several concerts to promote their albums.
in 2006. The reason for Uematsu's departure was that the company moved their office from Meguro
to Shinjuku
, Tokyo, and he was not comfortable with the new location. Also, he cites the fact that he had reached an age where he should gradually take his life into his own hands. He does, however, continue to compose music as a freelancer for Square Enix. In 2005, Uematsu and several members of The Black Mages created the score for the CGI
film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Uematsu composed only the main theme for Final Fantasy XII
(2006); he was originally offered the job of creating the full score, but Sakimoto was eventually assigned as the main composer instead. Uematsu was also initially going to create the theme song for Final Fantasy XIII
(2010). However, after being assigned the task of creating the entire score of Final Fantasy XIV
, Uematsu decided to hand the job over to the main Final Fantasy XIII composer, Hamauzu.
Uematsu also works closely with Sakaguchi's development studio Mistwalker
, and has composed the games in the Blue Dragon series, Lost Odyssey
(2007), and Away Shuffle Dungeon (2008); he was also the composer of the cancelled game Cry On. He recently composed the music for another Mistwalker title The Last Story
(2011).
He scored the PlayStation Portable
title Anata o Yurusanai in 2007 and the arcade game Lord of Vermillion in 2008. Uematsu created the main theme for the multi-composer game Super Smash Bros. Brawl
in 2008. He composed the music for the 2009 anime Guin Saga
; this marked the first time he provided a full score for an animated series. He recently worked on Sakura Note
for the Nintendo DS and is currently working on another DS project for Level 5 and Brownie Brown
called Fantasy Life.
, Pao. They have a summer cabin in Yamanakako
, Yamanashi
. In his spare time, he enjoys watching professional wrestling
, drinking beer and bicycling. Uematsu has said he originally wanted to become a professional wrestler, mentioning it was a career dream when he was younger.
have also been held. Outside Japan, Uematsu's Final Fantasy music was performed live for the first time at the first event of the 2003 Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig
, Germany. Other events of the Symphonic Game Music Concerts featuring Final Fantasy music were held in 2004, 2006, and 2007. The concert in 2004 featured a world premiere of Those Who Fight from Final Fantasy VII. Japanese pianist Seiji Honda was invited to perform the arrangement together with the orchestra. Another world premiere was "Dancing Mad" from Final Fantasy VI, performed by orchestra, choir, and pipe organ. The event in 2007 included "Distant Worlds" from Final Fantasy XI, performed by Japanese opera soprano Izumi Masuda.
A series of successful concert performances were held in Japan, including a Final Fantasy concert series titled Tour de Japon. The first stateside concert, Dear Friends - Music from Final Fantasy, debuted on May 10, 2004 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall
in Los Angeles, California, and was performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic
orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale
. It was conducted by Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
director Miguel Harth-Bedoya
. Due to a positive reception, a concert series for North America followed. On May 16, 2005, a follow-up concert called More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy was performed in Los Angeles at the Gibson Amphitheatre
; the concert was conducted by Grammy Award
-winning Arnie Roth
.
Uematsu also made a guest appearance at A Night in Fantasia 2004 performed by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra
's debut concert in October 2004 which coincided with his last day as a staff at Square Enix.
Uematsu's Final Fantasy music was presented in the concert Voices - Music from Final Fantasy, which took place on February 18, 2006 at the Pacifico Yokohama
convention center. Star guests included Emiko Shiratori
, Rikki
, Izumi Masuda, and Angela Aki
. The concert focused on the songs from the Final Fantasy series and was conducted by Arnie Roth. Uematsu and several of his fellow composers were in attendance at the world premiere of Play! A Video Game Symphony
in Chicago, Illinois on May 27, 2006; he composed the opening fanfare for the concert. He also attended the European debut in Stockholm
, Sweden on June 14, 2006, the performance in Toronto
, Canada on September 30, 2006, and in Florence
, Italy
, on October 10, 2007. The world tour Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy was held in Stockholm, and was performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
and conducted by Arnie Roth on December 4, 2007. The second concert of the tour was held at the Rosemont Theatre
near Chicago on March 1, 2008. The tour has continued, with a recent concert in Houston, Texas on July 24, 2010.
Music from Final Fantasy made up one fourth of the music in the Symphonic Fantasies concerts in Cologne in September 2009 which were produced by the creators of the Symphonic Game Music Concert series and conducted by Arnie Roth.
In February 2010, it was announced that Uematsu would appear at Anime Boston
, one of the largest anime conventions on the East Coast.
Uematsu did not only show up at Anime Boston
, he made a surprise appearance and played with the Video Game Orchestra
for the track One Winged Angel. On top of this, he made a short visit to the prestigious Berklee College of Music for a brief Q & A session at the request of VGO founder and Berklee alumni Shota Nakama.
symphonic pieces and heavy metal
to New Age
and hyper-percussive techno
-electronica
. For example, in Lost Odyssey, the score ranges from classical orchestral arrangements to contemporary jazz
and techno tracks. Uematsu has stated that he is a big fan of Celtic
and Irish music
, and some of his work contains elements from these musical styles. Uematsu's Final Fantasy scores vary from upbeat, to dark and angry, to melancholic in nature. For instance, the music of Final Fantasy VIII
is dark and gloomy, while the soundtrack to Final Fantasy IX
is more carefree and upbeat. His Final Fantasy music has been described as being able to convey the true emotion of a scene; an example is "Aerith's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII
. In an interview with the Nichi Bei Times, Uematsu said "I don't really self-consciously compose music for Japan or for the world, but I do think there is something in my more melancholy pieces that has a distinctly Japanese quality." He has been named one of the "Innovators" in Time Magazine
s "Time 100: The Next Wave — Music" feature. He has also been called the "John Williams
of the video game world" and been credited for "increasing the appreciation and awareness" of video game music.
Most of Uematsu's musical influences come from the United Kingdom and the United States. He cites Elton John
as his biggest musical influence, and he has stated that he wanted to be like him. Other major inspirations include The Beatles
, Emerson, Lake & Palmer
, Simon & Garfunkel, and progressive rock
bands. In the classical genre, he cites Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
as a great influence. Uematsu has said that 1970s bands, such as Pink Floyd
and King Crimson
, had an impact on his Final Fantasy compositions. The intro to the piece "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII was inspired by the Jimi Hendrix
song "Purple Haze
"; the lyrics were taken from the medieval poetry on which Carl Orff
based his cantata
Carmina Burana
, specifically the songs "Estuans Interius", "O Fortuna
", "Veni, Veni, Venias" and "Ave Formosissima". In turn, Nobuo Uematsu has had a major influence on video game music and beyond the video games industry as well. For example, "Liberi Fatali" from Final Fantasy VIII
was played during the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
during the women's synchronized swimming event. From the same game, "Eyes on Me
", featuring Chinese pop
singer Faye Wong
, sold a record 400,000 copies and was the first song from a video game to win an award at the Japan Gold Disc Award
s, where it won "Song of the Year (International)" in 2000. In a July 2010 interview, Uematsu revealed, "Rather than getting inspiration from listening to other music, I get inspiration while I'm walking my dog."
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community. Uematsu, a self-taught musician, began playing the piano at the age of eleven or twelve, with Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
as his biggest influence.
Uematsu joined Square
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
(later Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
) in 1986, where he met Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi
Hironobu Sakaguchi
is a Japanese game designer, game director and game producer. He is world famous as the creator of the Final Fantasy series, and has had a long career in gaming with over 100 million units of video games sold worldwide...
. They have worked together on many video game titles, most notably the games in the Final Fantasy series. After nearly 20 years in the company, he left Square Enix in 2004 to found his own company called Smile Please, and the music production company Dog Ear Records
Dog Ear Records
Dog Ear Records is a music production company founded by video game composer Nobuo Uematsu in November 2006. The company publishes video game soundtracks and original albums on disc and digitally through iTunes...
. He has since composed music as a freelancer
Freelancer
A freelancer, freelance worker, or freelance is somebody who is self-employed and is not committed to a particular employer long term. These workers are often represented by a company or an agency that resells their labor and that of others to its clients with or without project management and...
for video games primarily developed by Square Enix and Sakaguchi's development studio Mistwalker
Mistwalker
is a Japanese video game development studio founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi in 2004, with the financial backing of Microsoft. The logo and name were trademarked in 2001...
.
Soundtracks and arranged
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
albums of Uematsu's game scores have been released. Pieces from his video game works have been performed in Final Fantasy concerts
Final Fantasy concerts
Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix that includes video games, motion pictures, and other merchandise. The series began in 1987 as an eponymous console role-playing game developed by Square, spawning a video game series that became the central...
. He has worked with Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning conductor Arnie Roth
Arnie Roth
Arnold "Arnie" Roth is an American, Chicago-based Grammy Award-winning conductor, composer, and record producer, best known for conducting numerous video game concerts. He is also a classically-trained violinist and a member of the Grammy Award-winning music group Mannheim Steamroller...
on several of these concerts. From 2002 to 2010, he was in a rock band with colleagues Kenichiro Fukui
Kenichiro Fukui
is a Japanese video game composer and musician. Before working at Square Enix, he was employed at Konami. He is an arranger and a keyboardist in the band The Black Mages, formed in 2003. Additionally, Fukui arranged Angela Aki's "Kiss Me Good-Bye" from Final Fantasy XII. In October 2007, he left...
and Tsuyoshi Sekito
Tsuyoshi Sekito
is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring the video games Brave Fencer Musashi and The Last Remnant...
called The Black Mages
The Black Mages
The Black Mages were a Japanese instrumental rock band formed in 2002 by Nobuo Uematsu, Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito - three composers for Square Enix. The band arranged Uematsu's Final Fantasy video game series-based compositions in a rock style often similar to progressive metal, achieved...
, in which he played the keyboard
Electronic keyboard
An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...
. The band played arranged rock versions of Uematsu's Final Fantasy compositions.
Early life
Nobuo Uematsu was born in KōchiKochi, Kochi
is the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku island of Japan.Kōchi is the main city of the prefecture with over 40% of its population. As of May 31, 2008, the city had an estimated population of 340,515 and a density of...
, Kōchi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
, Japan. A self-taught musician, he began to play the piano when he was eleven or twelve years old, and he did not take any formal piano lessons. He has an older sister who also played the piano. After graduating from Kanagawa University
Kanagawa University
, abbreviated to is a private university in Japan. The main campus is located in Rokkakubashi, Kanagawa-ku, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture.- History :The university was founded in 1928 by as . It was an evening school for the working youth...
, Uematsu played the keyboard in several amateur bands and composed music for television commercials. When Uematsu was working at a music rental shop in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, a Square
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
employee asked if he would be interested in creating music for some of the titles they were working on. Although he agreed, Uematsu considered it a side job, and he did not think it would become a full-time career. He said it was a way to make some money on the side, while also keeping his part-time job at the music rental shop.
Career with Square and The Black Mages
The first game Uematsu composed for Square was Genesis in 1985. While working at Square, he met Hironobu SakaguchiHironobu Sakaguchi
is a Japanese game designer, game director and game producer. He is world famous as the creator of the Final Fantasy series, and has had a long career in gaming with over 100 million units of video games sold worldwide...
, who asked him if he wanted to create music for some of his games, which Uematsu agreed to. From 1986 to 1987, he created music for a number of games which did not achieve any success, including eroge
Eroge
An or Ero-ga is a Japanese video or computer game that features erotic content, usually in the form of anime-style artwork. Eroge originated from galge, but unlike galge, they feature erotic/pornographic content.-History:...
titles like Alpha. In 1987, Uematsu and Sakaguchi collaborated on what was originally to be Sakaguchi's last contribution for Square, Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy (video game)
is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series...
, a game that turned out to be a huge success.
Final Fantasys popularity sparked Uematsu's career in video game music, and he would go on to compose music for over 30 titles, most prominently the subsequent games in the Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series. He scored the first installment in the SaGa series, The Final Fantasy Legend, in 1989. For the second and fifth games in the series, Final Fantasy Legend II
Final Fantasy Legend II
Final Fantasy Legend II, originally released in Japan as , is a role-playing video game developed by Square Co. for the Game Boy handheld console as the second game of their SaGa series. Initially released in December 1990 for Japanese audiences, the game was translated and released in North...
(1990) and Romancing SaGa 2
Romancing SaGa 2
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and released exclusively for the Super Famicom system in Japan on December 10, 1993. It is the fifth title in the SaGa series. Video game music composer Kenji Ito composed the score.-Gameplay:...
(1993), he was assisted by Kenji Ito
Kenji Ito
, also known by the nickname , is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on the Mana and SaGa series, though he has worked on over 30 video games throughout his career as well as composed or arranged music for over 15 other albums, concerts, and plays...
. Uematsu signed on to finish the soundtrack for the critically acclaimed 1995 title Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
after the game's composer, Yasunori Mitsuda
Yasunori Mitsuda
is a Japanese video game composer, sound programmer, and musician. He has composed music for or worked on over 35 games, and has contributed to over 15 other albums...
, contracted peptic ulcer
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
s. In 1996, he co-composed the soundtrack to Front Mission: Gun Hazard
Front Mission: Gun Hazard
is a side-scrolling shooter video game developed by Omiya Soft and published by Square Co., Ltd., and was released in Japan on February 23, 1996 for the Nintendo Super Famicom game console. Front Mission: Gun Hazard is the first spin-off entry and the second entry overall in the Front Mission series...
and created the entire score for DynamiTracer. He also created music for three of the games in the Hanjuku Hero
Hanjuku Hero
is a Japan-exclusive series of real-time strategy video games. It is directed by Takashi Tokita and published by Square Enix . The series contains four main titles and a spinoff game, Egg Monster Hero...
series.
Outside video games, he has composed the main theme for the 2000 animated film Ah! My Goddess: The Movie
Ah! My Goddess: The Movie
is a 2000 Japanese animated film directed by Hiroaki Gōda, written by Michiko Yokote and Yoshihiko Tomizawa, animated by Anime International Company and co-produced by Kodansha, Dentsu, Sega Enterprises, Pony Canyon, Nippon Shupan Hanbai, AIC, MOVIC and Shochiku, based on the manga of the same name...
and co-composed the anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
Final Fantasy Unlimited (2001) with Final Fantasy orchestrator Shirō Hamaguchi
Shiro Hamaguchi
is a Japanese anime composer, arranger and orchestrator. He is best known for composing music to the anime franchises One Piece and Oh My Goddess! and arranging/orchestrating music in the Final Fantasy series...
. He also inspired the Ten Plants concept albums, and released a solo album in 1994, entitled Phantasmagoria
Phantasmagoria (Nobuo Uematsu album)
Phantasmagoria is an original studio album by Nobuo Uematsu. The album was composed and performed by Nobuo Uematsu, composer of the Final Fantasy albums, with vocals are performed by Chinatsu Kuzuu and other artists. This album—Uematsu's only solo project—features electronic and synthesized piano...
. Feeling gradually more dissatisfied and uninspired, Uematsu requested the assistance of composers Masashi Hamauzu
Masashi Hamauzu
is a Japanese video game composer who was employed at Square Enix from 1996 to 2010. He is best known for his work on the Final Fantasy and SaGa series. Born into a musical family in Germany, Hamauzu was raised in Japan...
and Junya Nakano
Junya Nakano
is a Japanese video game composer who was employed at Square Enix from 1995 to 2009. He is best known for scoring Threads of Fate and co-composing Final Fantasy X. He has also worked as an arranger for Dawn of Mana and the Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy IV...
for the score to Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012...
in 2001. This marked the first time that Uematsu did not compose an entire main-series Final Fantasy soundtrack. For Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XI
, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002...
from 2002, he was joined by Naoshi Mizuta
Naoshi Mizuta
is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on Final Fantasy XI , but has also composed music for Mega Man & Bass, Street Fighter Alpha, and Parasite Eve II...
, who composed the majority of the soundtrack, and Kumi Tanioka
Kumi Tanioka
is a Japanese video game music composer and musician. She is most known for composing the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series.-Early life:Kumi Tanioka was born in Hiroshima, Japan. She studied music and composition while in school and enjoyed listening to video game music as her younger brother...
; Uematsu was responsible for only eleven tracks. In 2003, he assisted Hitoshi Sakimoto
Hitoshi Sakimoto
is a Japanese video game composer and arranger. He is best known for scoring the games Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII, though he has composed soundtracks for over 70 games and arranged music for more than 40 others. He began playing music and video games in elementary school, and began...
in scoring Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. A spin-off of the popular Final Fantasy series, the game shares several traits with 1997's Final Fantasy Tactics, although it is not a direct sequel. The player assembles a clan of characters, and...
by providing the main theme.
In 2002, fellow Square Enix colleagues Kenichiro Fukui
Kenichiro Fukui
is a Japanese video game composer and musician. Before working at Square Enix, he was employed at Konami. He is an arranger and a keyboardist in the band The Black Mages, formed in 2003. Additionally, Fukui arranged Angela Aki's "Kiss Me Good-Bye" from Final Fantasy XII. In October 2007, he left...
and Tsuyoshi Sekito
Tsuyoshi Sekito
is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring the video games Brave Fencer Musashi and The Last Remnant...
asked Uematsu to join them in forming a rock band that focused on reinterpreting and expanding on Uematsu's compositions. He declined their offer at first because he was too busy with work; however, after agreeing to perform with Fukui and Sekito in a live performance as a keyboardist, he decided to join them in making a band. An employee at Square Enix, Mr. Matsushita, chose the name The Black Mages
The Black Mages
The Black Mages were a Japanese instrumental rock band formed in 2002 by Nobuo Uematsu, Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito - three composers for Square Enix. The band arranged Uematsu's Final Fantasy video game series-based compositions in a rock style often similar to progressive metal, achieved...
for their band. In 2003, Keiji Kawamori, Arata Hanyuda, and Michio Okamiya also joined the band. The Black Mages have released three studio albums, and have appeared at several concerts to promote their albums.
Current freelancer career
Uematsu left Square Enix in 2004 and formed his own company called Smile Please; he also created the music production company Dog Ear RecordsDog Ear Records
Dog Ear Records is a music production company founded by video game composer Nobuo Uematsu in November 2006. The company publishes video game soundtracks and original albums on disc and digitally through iTunes...
in 2006. The reason for Uematsu's departure was that the company moved their office from Meguro
Meguro, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It calls itself Meguro City in English.Meguro hosts fifteen foreign embassies and consulates. One of Tokyo's most exclusive residential neighborhoods is located in Meguro....
to Shinjuku
Shinjuku, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major commercial and administrative center, housing the busiest train station in the world and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, the administration center for the government of Tokyo.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population...
, Tokyo, and he was not comfortable with the new location. Also, he cites the fact that he had reached an age where he should gradually take his life into his own hands. He does, however, continue to compose music as a freelancer for Square Enix. In 2005, Uematsu and several members of The Black Mages created the score for the CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
film Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. Uematsu composed only the main theme for Final Fantasy XII
Final Fantasy XII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
(2006); he was originally offered the job of creating the full score, but Sakimoto was eventually assigned as the main composer instead. Uematsu was also initially going to create the theme song for Final Fantasy XIII
Final Fantasy XIII
is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. Released in 2009 in Japan and 2010 in North America and PAL regions, it is the thirteenth major installment in the Final Fantasy series...
(2010). However, after being assigned the task of creating the entire score of Final Fantasy XIV
Final Fantasy XIV
, also known as Final Fantasy XIV Online, is the fourteenth installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in September 2010 for Microsoft Windows, with a PlayStation 3 port in development. The game is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game and is developed and published by...
, Uematsu decided to hand the job over to the main Final Fantasy XIII composer, Hamauzu.
Uematsu also works closely with Sakaguchi's development studio Mistwalker
Mistwalker
is a Japanese video game development studio founded by Hironobu Sakaguchi in 2004, with the financial backing of Microsoft. The logo and name were trademarked in 2001...
, and has composed the games in the Blue Dragon series, Lost Odyssey
Lost Odyssey
is a console role-playing game developed by Mistwalker and feelplus and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The player takes control of Kaim, a man who has lived for a thousand years and who has no memory of his past...
(2007), and Away Shuffle Dungeon (2008); he was also the composer of the cancelled game Cry On. He recently composed the music for another Mistwalker title The Last Story
The Last Story
is an action role-playing game developed by Mistwalker and AQ Interactive, and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The game's name and logo have been noted to be very similar to the Final Fantasy series, which was created by Mistwalker's head, Hironobu Sakaguchi....
(2011).
He scored the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
title Anata o Yurusanai in 2007 and the arcade game Lord of Vermillion in 2008. Uematsu created the main theme for the multi-composer game Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
in 2008. He composed the music for the 2009 anime Guin Saga
Guin Saga
is the title of a best-selling heroic fantasy novel series by the Japanese author Kaoru Kurimoto, in continuous publication since 1979. A record 100 volumes were originally planned, but the final total stands at 130 volumes, the last four published posthumously, with 21 side-story novels...
; this marked the first time he provided a full score for an animated series. He recently worked on Sakura Note
Sakura Note
is an adventure video game developed by Audio Games and published by Marvelous Entertainment for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan on November 5, 2009.-Plot:...
for the Nintendo DS and is currently working on another DS project for Level 5 and Brownie Brown
Brownie Brown
is a Japanese Nintendo-funded and owned video game development studio opened on June 30, 2000 and based in Tokyo, Japan.- History :The company consists of many ex-Square Co., Ltd. 2D artists. At least two of its founders had previously worked on the award-winning Mana series on the Game Boy and...
called Fantasy Life.
Personal life
Uematsu currently resides in Tokyo, Japan with his wife, Reiko, whom he met during college, and their BeagleBeagle
The Beagle is a breed of small to medium-sized dog. A member of the Hound Group, it is similar in appearance to the Foxhound, but smaller, with shorter legs and longer, softer ears. Beagles are scent hounds, developed primarily for tracking hare, rabbit, and other game...
, Pao. They have a summer cabin in Yamanakako
Yamanakako, Yamanashi
is a village located in Minamitsuru District, Yamanashi, Japan.As of 2003, the village has an estimated population of 5,356 and a density of 101.42 persons per km². The total area is 52.81 km².-External links:*...
, Yamanashi
Yamanashi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of the island of Honshū. The capital is the city of Kōfu.-Pre-history to the 14th century:People have been living in the Yamanashi area for about 30,000 years...
. In his spare time, he enjoys watching professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
, drinking beer and bicycling. Uematsu has said he originally wanted to become a professional wrestler, mentioning it was a career dream when he was younger.
Concerts
Uematsu's video game compositions have been performed in numerous concerts, and various Final Fantasy concertsFinal Fantasy concerts
Final Fantasy is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and owned by Square Enix that includes video games, motion pictures, and other merchandise. The series began in 1987 as an eponymous console role-playing game developed by Square, spawning a video game series that became the central...
have also been held. Outside Japan, Uematsu's Final Fantasy music was performed live for the first time at the first event of the 2003 Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany. Other events of the Symphonic Game Music Concerts featuring Final Fantasy music were held in 2004, 2006, and 2007. The concert in 2004 featured a world premiere of Those Who Fight from Final Fantasy VII. Japanese pianist Seiji Honda was invited to perform the arrangement together with the orchestra. Another world premiere was "Dancing Mad" from Final Fantasy VI, performed by orchestra, choir, and pipe organ. The event in 2007 included "Distant Worlds" from Final Fantasy XI, performed by Japanese opera soprano Izumi Masuda.
A series of successful concert performances were held in Japan, including a Final Fantasy concert series titled Tour de Japon. The first stateside concert, Dear Friends - Music from Final Fantasy, debuted on May 10, 2004 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall
Walt Disney Concert Hall
The Walt Disney Concert Hall at 111 South Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles, California is the fourth hall of the Los Angeles Music Center. Bounded by Hope Street, Grand Avenue, 1st and 2nd Streets, it seats 2,265 people and serves as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra and the...
in Los Angeles, California, and was performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale
Los Angeles Master Chorale
The Los Angeles Master Chorale is a professional chorus in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1964 by Roger Wagner to be one of the three original resident companies of the Music Center of Los Angeles County...
. It was conducted by Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra
The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Fort Worth, Texas. The orchestra performs at the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall in downtown Fort Worth...
director Miguel Harth-Bedoya
Miguel Harth-Bedoya
Miguel Harth-Bedoya is a Peruvian conductor, currently Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra , a position he has held since 2000.He was born in Lima, Peru...
. Due to a positive reception, a concert series for North America followed. On May 16, 2005, a follow-up concert called More Friends: Music from Final Fantasy was performed in Los Angeles at the Gibson Amphitheatre
Gibson Amphitheatre
The Gibson Amphitheatre is a theatre located in Universal City, California, USA. It seats up to 6,189 for concerts, including 6,089 chairback seats...
; the concert was conducted by Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
-winning Arnie Roth
Arnie Roth
Arnold "Arnie" Roth is an American, Chicago-based Grammy Award-winning conductor, composer, and record producer, best known for conducting numerous video game concerts. He is also a classically-trained violinist and a member of the Grammy Award-winning music group Mannheim Steamroller...
.
Uematsu also made a guest appearance at A Night in Fantasia 2004 performed by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra
Eminence Symphony Orchestra
- Piano Stories :Alexey Yemtsov performed the first Piano Stories concert on 15 April, at Verbrugghen Hall. Featuring work from Studio Ghibli, Yoko Kanno and Shirō Sagisu, Piano Stories marked the beginning of a series of concerts celebrating piano scores from a selection of anime and gaming...
's debut concert in October 2004 which coincided with his last day as a staff at Square Enix.
Uematsu's Final Fantasy music was presented in the concert Voices - Music from Final Fantasy, which took place on February 18, 2006 at the Pacifico Yokohama
Pacifico Yokohama
Pacifico Yokohama is a convention center in Japan located in the western region of Minato Mirai Nishi-ku Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture....
convention center. Star guests included Emiko Shiratori
Emiko Shiratori
Emiko Shiratori is a Japanese singer. She sang in the Sapporo Winter Olympics and the Nagano Winter Olympics . She is also the wife of Sumio Shiratori and mother of singer Maika Shiratori....
, Rikki
RIKKI
, professionally known as , is a Japanese folk singer.Born in Amami Ōshima, Japan, she began to sing traditional Japanese music when she was four years old. Later, at the age of 15, Rikki was the youngest winner ever to win the "Grand Prix" of the Japanese traditional folk music awards...
, Izumi Masuda, and Angela Aki
Angela Aki
, born Kiyomi Angela Aki on September 15, 1977, is a Japanese pop singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist from Itano, Tokushima, Japan.-Early life:...
. The concert focused on the songs from the Final Fantasy series and was conducted by Arnie Roth. Uematsu and several of his fellow composers were in attendance at the world premiere of Play! A Video Game Symphony
Play! A Video Game Symphony
PLAY! A Video Game Symphony is a concert series that features music from video games performed by a live orchestra. The concerts from 2006 to 2010 were conducted by Arnie Roth...
in Chicago, Illinois on May 27, 2006; he composed the opening fanfare for the concert. He also attended the European debut in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden on June 14, 2006, the performance in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada on September 30, 2006, and in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, on October 10, 2007. The world tour Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy was held in Stockholm, and was performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra
The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra is a Swedish orchestra based in Stockholm.The orchestra was founded in 1902 as the Stockholm Concert Society . The orchestra became a permanent ensemble in 1914. Since 1926, it has been based in the Stockholm Concert Hall...
and conducted by Arnie Roth on December 4, 2007. The second concert of the tour was held at the Rosemont Theatre
Rosemont Theatre
Rosemont Theatre is a concert hall in Rosemont, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago. The venue, which has seats for 4,300 people and opened in 1995, hosts many different musical artists and shows. It is located near O'Hare International Airport, Allstate Arena and Donald E...
near Chicago on March 1, 2008. The tour has continued, with a recent concert in Houston, Texas on July 24, 2010.
Music from Final Fantasy made up one fourth of the music in the Symphonic Fantasies concerts in Cologne in September 2009 which were produced by the creators of the Symphonic Game Music Concert series and conducted by Arnie Roth.
In February 2010, it was announced that Uematsu would appear at Anime Boston
Anime Boston
Anime Boston is an annual three-day anime fan convention held in the spring in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The convention features a number of events which include a masquerade, an anime music video contest, video programming rooms, an artists' alley and art show, karaoke, game shows,...
, one of the largest anime conventions on the East Coast.
Uematsu did not only show up at Anime Boston
Anime Boston
Anime Boston is an annual three-day anime fan convention held in the spring in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. The convention features a number of events which include a masquerade, an anime music video contest, video programming rooms, an artists' alley and art show, karaoke, game shows,...
, he made a surprise appearance and played with the Video Game Orchestra
Video Game Orchestra
Video Game Orchestra is an orchestra that performs contemporary arrangements of video game music with an orchestra, choir, and rock band. The orchestra consists of the regional and international award-winning musicians from over 20 countries...
for the track One Winged Angel. On top of this, he made a short visit to the prestigious Berklee College of Music for a brief Q & A session at the request of VGO founder and Berklee alumni Shota Nakama.
Musical style and influences
The style of Uematsu's compositions is diverse, ranging from stately classicalClassical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
symphonic pieces and heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
to New Age
New Age music
New Age music is music of various styles intended to create artistic inspiration, relaxation, and optimism. It is used by listeners for yoga, massage, meditation, and reading as a method of stress management or to create a peaceful atmosphere in their home or other environments, and is often...
and hyper-percussive techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
-electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
. For example, in Lost Odyssey, the score ranges from classical orchestral arrangements to contemporary jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and techno tracks. Uematsu has stated that he is a big fan of Celtic
Celtic music
Celtic music is a term utilised by artists, record companies, music stores and music magazines to describe a broad grouping of musical genres that evolved out of the folk musical traditions of the Celtic people of Western Europe...
and Irish music
Music of Ireland
Irish Music is the generic term for music that has been created in various genres on the island of Ireland.The indigenous music of the island is termed Irish traditional music. It has remained vibrant through the 20th, and into the 21st century, despite globalizing cultural forces...
, and some of his work contains elements from these musical styles. Uematsu's Final Fantasy scores vary from upbeat, to dark and angry, to melancholic in nature. For instance, the music of Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII
is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
is dark and gloomy, while the soundtrack to Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs...
is more carefree and upbeat. His Final Fantasy music has been described as being able to convey the true emotion of a scene; an example is "Aerith's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
. In an interview with the Nichi Bei Times, Uematsu said "I don't really self-consciously compose music for Japan or for the world, but I do think there is something in my more melancholy pieces that has a distinctly Japanese quality." He has been named one of the "Innovators" in Time Magazine
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
s "Time 100: The Next Wave — Music" feature. He has also been called the "John Williams
John Williams
John Towner Williams is an American composer, conductor, and pianist. In a career spanning almost six decades, he has composed some of the most recognizable film scores in the history of motion pictures, including the Star Wars saga, Jaws, Superman, the Indiana Jones films, E.T...
of the video game world" and been credited for "increasing the appreciation and awareness" of video game music.
Most of Uematsu's musical influences come from the United Kingdom and the United States. He cites Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
as his biggest musical influence, and he has stated that he wanted to be like him. Other major inspirations include The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
, Simon & Garfunkel, and progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
bands. In the classical genre, he cites Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (Russian: Пётр Ильи́ч Чайко́вский ; often "Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky" in English. His names are also transliterated "Piotr" or "Petr"; "Ilitsch", "Il'ich" or "Illyich"; and "Tschaikowski", "Tschaikowsky", "Chajkovskij"...
as a great influence. Uematsu has said that 1970s bands, such as Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
and King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
, had an impact on his Final Fantasy compositions. The intro to the piece "One-Winged Angel" from Final Fantasy VII was inspired by the Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
song "Purple Haze
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written in 1966 and recorded in 1967 by The Jimi Hendrix Experience and released as a single in both the United Kingdom and the United States. It appeared on their 1967 album Are You Experienced...
"; the lyrics were taken from the medieval poetry on which Carl Orff
Carl Orff
Carl Orff was a 20th-century German composer, best known for his cantata Carmina Burana . In addition to his career as a composer, Orff developed an influential method of music education for children.-Early life:...
based his cantata
Cantata
A cantata is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir....
Carmina Burana
Carmina Burana (Orff)
Carmina Burana is a scenic cantata composed by Carl Orff in 1935 and 1936. It is based on 24 of the poems found in the medieval collection Carmina Burana...
, specifically the songs "Estuans Interius", "O Fortuna
O Fortuna
"O Fortuna" is a medieval Latin Goliardic poem written early in the thirteenth century, part of the collection known as the Carmina Burana. It is a complaint about fate, and Fortuna, a goddess in Roman mythology and personification of luck....
", "Veni, Veni, Venias" and "Ave Formosissima". In turn, Nobuo Uematsu has had a major influence on video game music and beyond the video games industry as well. For example, "Liberi Fatali" from Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII
is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
was played during the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
during the women's synchronized swimming event. From the same game, "Eyes on Me
Eyes on Me (Faye Wong song)
"Eyes on Me" is a pop ballad performed by Chinese diva Faye Wong as a love theme for the video game Final Fantasy VIII. The song's lyrics, written in somewhat imperfect English by Kako Someya, unveil the hopes of a night club singer for romance with a member of her audience.-Single:The song was...
", featuring Chinese pop
C-pop
C-pop is an abbreviation for Chinese popular music , a loosely defined musical genre by artists originating from mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Others come from countries where the Chinese language is used by a large number of the population, such as Singapore and Malaysia...
singer Faye Wong
Faye Wong
Faye Wong is a highly successful and influential Chinese singer-songwriter and actress who is usually referred to as a diva . Early in her career she briefly used the stage name Shirley Wong . Born in Beijing, she moved to Hong Kong in 1987 and rose to stardom in the early 1990s by singing...
, sold a record 400,000 copies and was the first song from a video game to win an award at the Japan Gold Disc Award
Japan Gold Disc Award
The Japan Gold Disc Awards for Music sales in the Recording Industry Association of Japan, is major music awards held annually in Japan also released as a CD.- List of the Artists of the Year :************...
s, where it won "Song of the Year (International)" in 2000. In a July 2010 interview, Uematsu revealed, "Rather than getting inspiration from listening to other music, I get inspiration while I'm walking my dog."
Discography
| Video games | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Co-composer |
| 1985 | Genesis | Composition/arrangement | |
| 1986 | Cruise Chaser Blassty Cruise Chaser Blassty is a science fiction role-playing video game developed by Square for various Japanese computers, including the NEC PC-8801, PC-9801, and Sharp X1. The game featured mecha originally designed by Nagano Mamoru and music by Nobuo Uematsu, being the second video game score he ever composed... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| Alpha | Composition/arrangement | ||
| King's Knight King's Knight is a video game published by Square for the Nintendo Entertainment System and MSX. It was later re-released for the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan on November 27, 2007 and in North America on March 24, 2008.... |
Composition/arrangement | ||
| Suishō no Dragon Suisho no Dragon is an adventure game for the Family Computer Disk System released by Square Co. in 1986.-Gameplay:Square Co. released the game under the name DOG , and the game plays as a command-style adventure game... |
Composition/arrangement | ||
| 1987 | 3-D WorldRunner 3-D WorldRunner is a third-person rail shooter platform video game developed by Square in . In Japan, the game was released on the Famicom Disk System as Tobidase Daisakusen, and was published by DOG, a now-defunct label of Square... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| Apple Town Story | Composition/arrangement | ||
| Aliens | Composition/arrangement | ||
| Cleopatra no Mahou | Composition | ||
| Rad Racer Rad Racer Rad Racer, known in Japan as , is a racing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1987. It was programmed by Nasir Gebelli, designed and supervised by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and featured music by Nobuo Uematsu, all of whom later contributed to Final Fantasy in... |
Composition/arrangement | ||
| JJ JJ (video game) is a video game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Family Computer in 1987. In English, it is sometimes referred to by its long form, Jumpin' Jack, or by its subtitle, Tobidase Daisakusen Part II... |
Composition/arrangement | ||
| Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School Nakayama Miho no Tokimeki High School is a dating sim developed by Square and Nintendo, and published by Nintendo on December 1, 1987 for the Family Computer Disk System. The game was never released outside of Japan. It was one of the first dating sim games. It was designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, who also created the Final Fantasy... |
Composition/arrangement | ||
| Final Fantasy Final Fantasy (video game) is a fantasy role-playing video game created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, developed and first published in Japan by Square in 1987. It is the first game in Square's Final Fantasy series... |
Composition/arrangement | ||
| 1988 | Hanjuku Hero | Composition/arrangement | |
| Final Fantasy II Final Fantasy II is a fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1988 for the Family Computer as the second installment of the Final Fantasy series. The game has received numerous enhanced remakes for the WonderSwan Color, the Sony PlayStation, Japanese mobile phones, the Game Boy... |
Composition/arrangement | ||
| 1989 | Square's Tom Sawyer Square's Tom Sawyer is a console role-playing game for the Nintendo Family Computer game console. The game is directly based on Mark Twain's renowned novel, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, and was developed in the role-playing game niche that made Square famous with its acclaimed Final Fantasy series of video games... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| The Final Fantasy Legend | Composition/arrangement | ||
| 1990 | Final Fantasy III Final Fantasy III is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in for the Family Computer as the third installment in the Final Fantasy series. It is the first numbered Final Fantasy game to feature the job-change system.... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| Final Fantasy Legend II Final Fantasy Legend II Final Fantasy Legend II, originally released in Japan as , is a role-playing video game developed by Square Co. for the Game Boy handheld console as the second game of their SaGa series. Initially released in December 1990 for Japanese audiences, the game was translated and released in North... |
Composition/arrangement | Kenji Ito Kenji Ito , also known by the nickname , is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on the Mana and SaGa series, though he has worked on over 30 video games throughout his career as well as composed or arranged music for over 15 other albums, concerts, and plays... |
|
| 1991 | Final Fantasy IV Final Fantasy IV is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1991 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game was originally released for the Super Famicom in Japan and has since then been rereleased for many other platforms with varying modifications. An enhanced remake with 3D graphics... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| 1992 | Final Fantasy V Final Fantasy V is a medieval-fantasy role-playing video game developed and published by Square in 1992 as a part of the Final Fantasy series. The game first appeared only in Japan on Nintendo's Super Famicom . It has been ported with minor differences to Sony's PlayStation and Nintendo's Game Boy Advance... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| 1993 | Romancing SaGa 2 Romancing SaGa 2 is a role-playing video game developed by Square and released exclusively for the Super Famicom system in Japan on December 10, 1993. It is the fifth title in the SaGa series. Video game music composer Kenji Ito composed the score.-Gameplay:... |
Composition/arrangement | Kenji Ito |
| 1994 | Final Fantasy VI Final Fantasy VI is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square , released in 1994 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as a part of the Final Fantasy series. Set in a fantasy world with a technology level equivalent to that of the Second Industrial Revolution, the game's story focuses on a... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| 1995 | Chrono Trigger Chrono Trigger is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a... |
Composition/arrangement | Yasunori Mitsuda Yasunori Mitsuda is a Japanese video game composer, sound programmer, and musician. He has composed music for or worked on over 35 games, and has contributed to over 15 other albums... and Noriko Matsueda Noriko Matsueda is a Japanese former video game composer. She is best known for her work on the Front Mission series, The Bouncer, and Final Fantasy X-2. Matsueda collaborated with fellow composer Takahito Eguchi on several games. Composing music at an early age, she began studying the piano and electronic organ... |
| 1996 | Front Mission: Gun Hazard Front Mission: Gun Hazard is a side-scrolling shooter video game developed by Omiya Soft and published by Square Co., Ltd., and was released in Japan on February 23, 1996 for the Nintendo Super Famicom game console. Front Mission: Gun Hazard is the first spin-off entry and the second entry overall in the Front Mission series... |
Composition/arrangement | Yasunori Mitsuda, Masashi Hamauzu Masashi Hamauzu is a Japanese video game composer who was employed at Square Enix from 1996 to 2010. He is best known for his work on the Final Fantasy and SaGa series. Born into a musical family in Germany, Hamauzu was raised in Japan... , and Junya Nakano Junya Nakano is a Japanese video game composer who was employed at Square Enix from 1995 to 2009. He is best known for scoring Threads of Fate and co-composing Final Fantasy X. He has also worked as an arranger for Dawn of Mana and the Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy IV... |
| DynamiTracer | Composition/arrangement | ||
| 1997 | Final Fantasy VII Final Fantasy VII is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| 1999 | Final Fantasy VIII Final Fantasy VIII is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| 2000 | Final Fantasy IX Final Fantasy IX is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the ninth title in the Final Fantasy series. The game introduced new features to the series like the 'Active Time Event', 'Mognet' and a unique equipment and skill system.Final Fantasy IXs... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| 2001 | Final Fantasy X Final Fantasy X is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012... |
Composition/arrangement | Masashi Hamauzu and Junya Nakano |
| 2002 | Final Fantasy XI Final Fantasy XI , also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002... |
Composition/arrangement | Naoshi Mizuta Naoshi Mizuta is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on Final Fantasy XI , but has also composed music for Mega Man & Bass, Street Fighter Alpha, and Parasite Eve II... and Kumi Tanioka Kumi Tanioka is a Japanese video game music composer and musician. She is most known for composing the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series.-Early life:Kumi Tanioka was born in Hiroshima, Japan. She studied music and composition while in school and enjoyed listening to video game music as her younger brother... |
| 2003 | Final Fantasy Tactics Advance Final Fantasy Tactics Advance is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. A spin-off of the popular Final Fantasy series, the game shares several traits with 1997's Final Fantasy Tactics, although it is not a direct sequel. The player assembles a clan of characters, and... |
Composition | Hitoshi Sakimoto Hitoshi Sakimoto is a Japanese video game composer and arranger. He is best known for scoring the games Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy XII, though he has composed soundtracks for over 70 games and arranged music for more than 40 others. He began playing music and video games in elementary school, and began... , Kaori Ohkoshi, and Ayako Saso |
| Hanjuku Hero Tai 3D | Composition/arrangement | ||
| 2005 | Hanjuku Hero 4: 7-Jin no Hanjuku Hero | Composition | Kenji Ito |
| Egg Monster Hero | Composition | ||
| 2006 | Final Fantasy XII Final Fantasy XII is a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform... |
Composition (1 song) | Hitoshi Sakimoto, several others |
| Blue Dragon | Composition | ||
| 2007 | Anata o Yurusanai | Composition | Kenji Ito |
| Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII is an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable. First released in 2007, the game is a prequel to the video game Final Fantasy VII and is also the sixth installment in metaseries Compilation of Final Fantasy VII which includes products related to the game... |
Composition | ||
| Lost Odyssey Lost Odyssey is a console role-playing game developed by Mistwalker and feelplus and published by Microsoft Game Studios for the Xbox 360. The player takes control of Kaim, a man who has lived for a thousand years and who has no memory of his past... |
Composition | ||
| 2008 | Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. Brawl Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by... |
Composition (1 song) | several others |
| Lord of Vermilion Lord of Vermilion is an arcade-based fantasy collectible card game developed by Think Garage and distributed by Square Enix in which players control combat cards on an arcade play surface. The objective of the game is to destroy the enemy team's Arcane Stones and eliminate their servants in order to win the game... |
Composition | ||
| Blue Dragon Plus Blue Dragon Plus Blue Dragon Plus received mixed or average reviews, earning a Metacritic aggregate score of 69.The game received a positive review from IGN Australia, citing beautiful FMVs comparable to the Xbox 360's as well as fast paced action and good camera control. Nintendo Power gave it a rating of 8 of 10... |
Composition | ||
| Away Shuffle Dungeon | Composition | ||
| Cry On (canceled) | Composition | ||
| 2009 | Sakura Note Sakura Note is an adventure video game developed by Audio Games and published by Marvelous Entertainment for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan on November 5, 2009.-Plot:... |
Composition | |
| SaGa 2 Hihō Densetsu: Goddess of Destiny Final Fantasy Legend II Final Fantasy Legend II, originally released in Japan as , is a role-playing video game developed by Square Co. for the Game Boy handheld console as the second game of their SaGa series. Initially released in December 1990 for Japanese audiences, the game was translated and released in North... |
Composition | Kenji Ito, Yasuhiko Akanishi | |
| Kurulin Fusion | Musical Director | ||
| 2010 | Lord of Vermilion II | Composition (1 song) | Hitoshi Sakimoto |
| Final Fantasy XIV Final Fantasy XIV , also known as Final Fantasy XIV Online, is the fourteenth installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in September 2010 for Microsoft Windows, with a PlayStation 3 port in development. The game is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game and is developed and published by... |
Composition | ||
| Lord of Arcana Lord of Arcana is an action game for the PlayStation Portable, developed by Access Games and published by Square Enix.- Gameplay :Lord of Arcana is an action game that allows up to four players to fight monsters and demons some of which make cameo appearances from other Square Enix games.The gameplay is very... |
Composition | Kenichiro Fukui Kenichiro Fukui is a Japanese video game composer and musician. Before working at Square Enix, he was employed at Konami. He is an arranger and a keyboardist in the band The Black Mages, formed in 2003. Additionally, Fukui arranged Angela Aki's "Kiss Me Good-Bye" from Final Fantasy XII. In October 2007, he left... , Satoshi Henmi |
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| 2011 | The Last Story The Last Story is an action role-playing game developed by Mistwalker and AQ Interactive, and published by Nintendo for the Wii. The game's name and logo have been noted to be very similar to the Final Fantasy series, which was created by Mistwalker's head, Hironobu Sakaguchi.... |
Composition | |
| UnchainBlades ReXX | Composition (1 song) | Tsutomu Narita | |
| Final Fantasy XIII-2 Final Fantasy XIII-2 is an upcoming console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is being produced by Square Enix's 1st Production Department... |
Composition | Masashi Hamauzu, Naoshi Mitzuda, and Mitsuto Suzuki | |
| TBA | Fantasy Life | Composition/arrangement | |
| Other works | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Co-composer |
| 1994 | Phantasmagoria Phantasmagoria (Nobuo Uematsu album) Phantasmagoria is an original studio album by Nobuo Uematsu. The album was composed and performed by Nobuo Uematsu, composer of the Final Fantasy albums, with vocals are performed by Chinatsu Kuzuu and other artists. This album—Uematsu's only solo project—features electronic and synthesized piano... |
Composition | |
| 1998 | Ten Plants | Composition | many others |
| 1999 | Ten Plants 2 Children Songs | Composition | many others |
| 2000 | Ah! My Goddess: The Movie Ah! My Goddess: The Movie is a 2000 Japanese animated film directed by Hiroaki Gōda, written by Michiko Yokote and Yoshihiko Tomizawa, animated by Anime International Company and co-produced by Kodansha, Dentsu, Sega Enterprises, Pony Canyon, Nippon Shupan Hanbai, AIC, MOVIC and Shochiku, based on the manga of the same name... |
Composition | Shiro Hamaguchi Shiro Hamaguchi is a Japanese anime composer, arranger and orchestrator. He is best known for composing music to the anime franchises One Piece and Oh My Goddess! and arranging/orchestrating music in the Final Fantasy series... |
| Final Fantasy IX Original Soundtrack PLUS | Composition | ||
| 2001 | Final Fantasy: Unlimited Final Fantasy: Unlimited was an anime television series based on Square Enix's popular Final Fantasy role-playing game franchise.Final Fantasy: Unlimited incorporates both 2D animation and 3D graphics, and takes elements from the Final Fantasy games with quite a few easter eggs, some obvious, others obscure... |
Composition | Shiro Hamaguchi and Akifumi Tada |
| 2003 | The Black Mages | Composition | |
| 2004 | The Black Mages II: The Skies Above | Composition | |
| 2005 | Final Fantasy VII Advent Children | Composition | Keiji Kawamori, Kenichiro Fukui Kenichiro Fukui is a Japanese video game composer and musician. Before working at Square Enix, he was employed at Konami. He is an arranger and a keyboardist in the band The Black Mages, formed in 2003. Additionally, Fukui arranged Angela Aki's "Kiss Me Good-Bye" from Final Fantasy XII. In October 2007, he left... , and Tsuyoshi Sekito Tsuyoshi Sekito is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring the video games Brave Fencer Musashi and The Last Remnant... |
| 2007 | Blue Dragon (Anime) | Composition | |
| 2008 | The Black Mages III: Darkness and Starlight | Composition | |
| Blue Dragon: Tenkai no Shichi Ryuu | Composition | ||
| 2009 | Guin Saga Guin Saga is the title of a best-selling heroic fantasy novel series by the Japanese author Kaoru Kurimoto, in continuous publication since 1979. A record 100 volumes were originally planned, but the final total stands at 130 volumes, the last four published posthumously, with 21 side-story novels... |
Composition | |
| 2010 | Nobuo Uematsu's 10 Short Stories | Composition | |
| 2011 | Earthbound Papas: Octave Theory | Composition | |
| 2011 | Play For Japan: The Album | Composition | Akira Yamaoka Akira Yamaoka is a video game composer, sound designer, sound director, and video game producer who worked for Konami since 1993 until his resignation in 2009. He is best known for creating the music in the Silent Hill series; he also worked as a sound director and producer on the series as well as serving as a... , Woody Jackson Woody Jackson Woody Jackson is a Vermont artist who is best known for his paintings of cows and pastures that appear on Ben & Jerry's ice cream cartons and marketing displays. He graduated from Middlebury College in 1970 and received a masters degree in fine arts from Yale Art School in 1980... , Bear McCreary Bear McCreary Bear McCreary is an American composer and musician living in Los Angeles, California. He is known for his work on the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica television series.-Biography:... , Yasunori Mitsuda Yasunori Mitsuda is a Japanese video game composer, sound programmer, and musician. He has composed music for or worked on over 35 games, and has contributed to over 15 other albums... , and others |