Toru Minegishi
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for his work on Nintendo
's The Legend of Zelda
series. He was raised in a very musical family, and developed an interest in video games and their music from an early age. Minegishi did not receive any special education, but he gained experience as a musician during his school and college years. He later applied at Nintendo, where he became a member of the Entertainment Analysis and Development division's sound group. After he had gained experience with projects such as Animal Crossing, he was assigned to create the startup sound for the Nintendo GameCube
video game console, and became the main composer for the action-adventure The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
. Minegishi cites the suite Pictures at an Exhibition
by Modest Mussorgsky
and the works of video game composer Koji Kondo
as his biggest influences.
music. He became interested in video games at the age of 10, when he saw a commercial for the action-adventure The Legend of Zelda, and was impressed with the quality of its music and sound effects. As he kept his promise of improving his performance in swimming school, his parents gave him a Family Computer Disk System with The Legend of Zelda as a present. One year later, he listened to Modest Mussorgsky
's Pictures at an Exhibition
for the first time, which is a suite of ten movements based on paintings by Viktor Hartmann
. The suite's composition technique, which focused on matching music to visuals, had a big influence on Minegishi, and furthered his interest in video game music. Unlike other composers and professional musicians, he received no special musical education, and took no piano lessons when he was young; instead, Minegishi became interested in music by himself. He was percussionist of a school band in junior high, and later played drums in a band he had formed with his friends at college.
(EAD) division. Minegishi often listens to music at home to make himself familiar with a variety of musical styles. He prefers to create melodies in his head, but composes on the keyboard and the guitar as well. The startup sound for the Nintendo GameCube
is one of the musical pieces he had conceived without instruments. Minegishi cites the development of sound effects for Super Mario Sunshine
and the creation of 50 compositions from different musical genres for Animal Crossing as some of his greatest learning experiences. He considers video game composer Koji Kondo
, the manager of the EAD sound group, as big inspiration and a master of video game sound. Minegishi's first involvement in the Legend of Zelda series was with the composition of three battle themes for Majora's Mask. Later, he was assigned as the main composer for Twilight Princess. Several of his compositions for Twilight Princess were arranged for orchestra by Jonne Valtonen
, and performed at the concert Symphonic Legends in September 2010.
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
's The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda, originally released as in Japan, is a video game developed and published by Nintendo, and designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. Set in the fantasy land of Hyrule, the plot centers on a boy named Link, the playable protagonist, who aims to collect the eight fragments...
series. He was raised in a very musical family, and developed an interest in video games and their music from an early age. Minegishi did not receive any special education, but he gained experience as a musician during his school and college years. He later applied at Nintendo, where he became a member of the Entertainment Analysis and Development division's sound group. After he had gained experience with projects such as Animal Crossing, he was assigned to create the startup sound for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
video game console, and became the main composer for the action-adventure The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development, and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii video game consoles. It is the thirteenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series...
. Minegishi cites the suite Pictures at an Exhibition
Pictures at an Exhibition
Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite in ten movements composed for piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874.The suite is Mussorgsky's most famous piano composition, and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists...
by Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
and the works of video game composer Koji Kondo
Koji Kondo
is a Japanese video game composer and sound director who has been employed at Nintendo since 1984. He is best known for scoring numerous titles in the Mario and The Legend of Zelda series.-Early life:...
as his biggest influences.
Early life
Minegishi grew up in a very musical family; his parents were especially fond of Latin and tangoTango music
Tango is a style of ballroom dance music in 2/4 or 4/4 time that originated among European immigrant populations of Argentina and Uruguay . It is traditionally played by a sextet, known as the orquesta típica, which includes two violins, piano, double bass, and two bandoneons...
music. He became interested in video games at the age of 10, when he saw a commercial for the action-adventure The Legend of Zelda, and was impressed with the quality of its music and sound effects. As he kept his promise of improving his performance in swimming school, his parents gave him a Family Computer Disk System with The Legend of Zelda as a present. One year later, he listened to Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Mussorgsky
Modest Petrovich Mussorgsky was a Russian composer, one of the group known as 'The Five'. He was an innovator of Russian music in the romantic period...
's Pictures at an Exhibition
Pictures at an Exhibition
Pictures at an Exhibition is a suite in ten movements composed for piano by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874.The suite is Mussorgsky's most famous piano composition, and has become a showpiece for virtuoso pianists...
for the first time, which is a suite of ten movements based on paintings by Viktor Hartmann
Viktor Hartmann
Viktor Alexandrovich Hartmann was a Russian architect and painter. He was associated with the Abramtsevo Colony, purchased and preserved beginning in 1870 by Savva Mamontov, and the Russian Revival.-Life:Victor-Edouard Hartmann was born in St...
. The suite's composition technique, which focused on matching music to visuals, had a big influence on Minegishi, and furthered his interest in video game music. Unlike other composers and professional musicians, he received no special musical education, and took no piano lessons when he was young; instead, Minegishi became interested in music by himself. He was percussionist of a school band in junior high, and later played drums in a band he had formed with his friends at college.
Career
Minegishi kept pursuing his dream of becoming a video game sound designer and applied at Nintendo. After he had passed a composition examination and a written music test, he obtained a job at the sound group of the Entertainment Analysis and DevelopmentNintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development
, commonly abbreviated as EAD, is the largest division inside Nintendo. It was preceded by the , a team of designers with an art background responsible for many different tasks, which Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka originally belonged to...
(EAD) division. Minegishi often listens to music at home to make himself familiar with a variety of musical styles. He prefers to create melodies in his head, but composes on the keyboard and the guitar as well. The startup sound for the Nintendo GameCube
Nintendo GameCube
The , officially abbreviated to NGC in Japan and GCN in other regions, is a sixth generation video game console released by Nintendo on September 15, 2001 in Japan, November 18, 2001 in North America, May 3, 2002 in Europe, and May 17, 2002 in Australia...
is one of the musical pieces he had conceived without instruments. Minegishi cites the development of sound effects for Super Mario Sunshine
Super Mario Sunshine
is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan in July 2002, in North America in August 2002, and in Europe and Australia in October 2002...
and the creation of 50 compositions from different musical genres for Animal Crossing as some of his greatest learning experiences. He considers video game composer Koji Kondo
Koji Kondo
is a Japanese video game composer and sound director who has been employed at Nintendo since 1984. He is best known for scoring numerous titles in the Mario and The Legend of Zelda series.-Early life:...
, the manager of the EAD sound group, as big inspiration and a master of video game sound. Minegishi's first involvement in the Legend of Zelda series was with the composition of three battle themes for Majora's Mask. Later, he was assigned as the main composer for Twilight Princess. Several of his compositions for Twilight Princess were arranged for orchestra by Jonne Valtonen
Jonne Valtonen
Jonne Valtonen is an award-winning Finnish composer, arranger and orchestrator. He is renowned for his contributions in the field of demoscene and video game music.- Life and early career :...
, and performed at the concert Symphonic Legends in September 2010.
Discography
| Year | Title | Role | Co-worker |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Pocket Monsters Stadium | Composition | Kenta Nagata and Hajime Wakai |
| 2000 | Mario Artist: Talent Studio | Composition | Kazumi Totaka Kazumi Totaka is a Japanese video game composer and voice actor who composed many major Nintendo games, including Mario Paint and Animal Crossing. He occasionally also does voice acting for Nintendo games, including Yoshi from the Mario and Yoshi series. He is also one of the various composers who worked on the... and Kenta Nagata |
| The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (original soundtrack) is a soundtrack album by Koji Kondo, featuring the complete score to the Nintendo 64 video game, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask. Unlike the soundtrack of Ocarina of Time, it was released over two discs, comprising 112 tracks overall. Three tracks were composed by Toru Minegishi; "Battle", "Mini... |
Composition | Koji Kondo Koji Kondo is a Japanese video game composer and sound director who has been employed at Nintendo since 1984. He is best known for scoring numerous titles in the Mario and The Legend of Zelda series.-Early life:... |
|
| 2001 | Animal Crossing | Composition | Kazumi Totaka, Kenta Nagata, and Shinobu Tanaka |
| 2002 | Super Mario Sunshine Super Mario Sunshine is a platforming video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan in July 2002, in North America in August 2002, and in Europe and Australia in October 2002... |
Sound effects | Mitsuhiro Hikino and Yoji Inagaki |
| The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, released as in Japan, is an action-adventure game and the tenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series. It was released for the Nintendo GameCube in Japan on December 13, 2002, in North America on March 24, 2003, in Europe on May 2, 2003, and in Australia on... |
Composition | Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, and Koji Kondo | |
| 2003 | Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour Toadstool Tour received a positive reaction from critics, although it was criticised for being too similar to its predecessor. Eurogamer's Tom Bramwell commented that "Mario Golf hasn't really grown much since its time on the N64", despite enjoying the game's course design and "sense of fun"... |
Sound effects | Various |
| 2004 | Mario Pinball Land Mario Pinball Land , released as Mario Pinball Land in North America, is a pinball video game that was developed by Fuse Games and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance and released in 2004. It is a spin-off of the Mario series that began on the Nintendo Entertainment System... |
Sound effects | Taro Bando, Yoji Inagaki and Mitsuhiro Hikino |
| Mario Power Tennis Mario Power Tennis Mario Power Tennis, known in Japan as , is a sports game developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube in 2004. The game is the sequel to the Nintendo 64 title Mario Tennis, and is the third game in the Mario Tennis series... |
Voices | Various | |
| 2005 | Yoshi Touch & Go Yoshi Touch & Go Yoshi Touch & Go, known in Japan as , is a video game that was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It debuted in Japan on January 27, 2005, in North America on March 14, 2005, and in Europe on May 6, 2005. As of August 2007, the game sold 197,337 copies in Japan. Yoshi Touch &... |
Composition | Kazumi Totaka and Asuka Ota |
| Mario Superstar Baseball Mario Superstar Baseball Mario Superstar Baseball, known in Japan as is a sports game that was developed by Namco and NOW Production and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube in 2005. The game was created in the vein of other Mario sports games such as Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour and Mario Power Tennis. This game... |
Voices | Various | |
| 2006 | The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an action-adventure game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development, and published by Nintendo for the GameCube and Wii video game consoles. It is the thirteenth installment in The Legend of Zelda series... |
Composition | Asuka Ota and Koji Kondo |
| 2007 | The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass is the fourteenth game in Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. It was released after The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Wii and before The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks for the Nintendo DS... |
Composition | Kenta Nagata |
| Wii Fit Wii Fit is a video game developed by Nintendo for the company's home video game console, Wii, designed by Hiroshi Matsunaga. It is an exercise game consisting of activities using the Wii Balance Board peripheral... |
Composition | Manaka Tominaga and Shiho Fujii | |
| 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... |
Arrangement | Various |
| Mario Super Sluggers Mario Super Sluggers Mario Super Sluggers, known in Japan as , is a sports video game for the Wii developed by Namco Bandai Games and NOW Production, and published by Nintendo. It was previously known by the working title Super Mario Stadium Baseball. It is part of the Mario Sports series, and the sequel to Mario... |
Voices | Various | |
| Wii Music Wii Music is a free form music game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in Japan and North America in October 2008, and in Europe and Australia in the following month... |
Composition | Kenta Nagata and Mahito Yokota | |
| 2009 | The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, released as in Japan, is the fifteenth installment of Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda series. Developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console, it was released worldwide throughout December 2009 after Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced the... |
Composition | Manaka Tominaga, Asuka Ota and Koji Kondo |
| 2011 | Steel Diver Steel Diver As of June 2011, Metacritic's aggregate score is 58. IGN gave Steel Diver a 7.0/10, praising it for its addictive gameplay, but gave caution that the slow paced strategy is not for everyone... |
Composition | Atsuko Asahi |