Frédéric Chopin vs. Rei KondohAccess Code: ghz505

Japanese Demography● Largely homogenous

○ 98.4% ethnic Japanese

● Population (2018): 127,185,332

● Located in East Asia

● Land Mass: 142,000 square miles

Background of Japan● One of the world’s oldest countries

○ Founded 660 BCE by Emperor Jimmu

● Isolated/Closed off country

○ Until Matthew Perry demanded Japan to open borders

● Constitutional monarchy

○ Current Emperor: Akihito

● Shinto and Buddhist beliefs

● Koto: Japanese equivalent of the harp (whole video)

● Ryūteki or “Dragon Flute” (0:07-0:55)

● Taiko drums (0:07-0:55)

Traditional Japanese Instruments

Instrumentation in Okami● Opens with the taiko and chants, continues with koto and ryūteki

● Builds with soft timbre (ryūteki)

Amaterasu● Amaterasu Omikami: Celestial Sun Goddess

● In charge of Takamagahara (Japanese Heaven)

● Daughter of Izanagi

● Portrayed as a wolf as main character in Okami

Rei Kondoh’s Background● 35 years old● Born Okazaki, Japan● Composes for several Japanese video games

○ Most happen to be Nintendo● Worked under Masami Ueda during production of Okami

○ For this particular project, sought to take inspiration from traditional Japanese music

● Fire Emblem: Awakening● Fire Emblem: Fates● Dragon’s Dogma● Ōkami ● Ōkamiden

“Southern Ryoshima Coast”(0:00-1:00)

Some Games Kondoh Composed For

Polish Demographics● Population: 38,476,269 (2017)

● Located in Central Europe

● Capital: Warsaw

● Land Mass: 121,000 square miles

Chopin Early Life● Born March 1, 1810 in Sochaczew, Poland

● First attempted the piano at age 6

○ Remarkably gifted; taught about

“masters” (Bach, Mozart, etc)

○ Instructor: Wojciech Żywny

● Attended Warsaw University 1826

● November 1830: Departed to Vienna

○ No concerts during this time

● Mental state linked to his most dramatic

works:

○ Scherzo in B Minor, Etude in C Minor, G

Minor Ballade

Chopin Later Life● Proposed to Maria Wodziński in

1835

● Health began declining at age 38

● At this time, he completed: second

set of etudes and second scherzo in

B minor

Chopin’s Other Famous Works● Nocturne in E Flat Major

● Waltz No. 10 in B Minor

● Larghetto from Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor

● Fantaisie-Impromptu

Waltz in A Minor● Simple melody, with ornamentation

● Waltz builds with an ascending motif

● Melancholic and somber

● Timbre: soft and mellow

Stirring (Preparing for Action)● Note the brief chanting, koto and taiko in the harmony

● The ryūteki has a mellow timbre, builds up to

Secondary Link: Melodies and Structure● Simple melodic lines in

both

● Similar rhythmic

structure

○ Primarily eighth notes

● Timbre of ryūteki and

piano are both mellow

and soft

Primary Link: Motif● Stirring: Measure 11, starting on C and moving up to the A on measure 12 (left)

● Waltz: A to G this motif is very prevalent throughout the waltz (right)

● The ascension builds melody

Works Citedhttp://musicworldofjapan.blogspot.com/2015/06/rei-kondoh.html

http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Rei_Kondoh

http://en.chopin.nifc.pl/chopin/life/biography/page/1

http://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/japan-population/

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2981597/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Jimmu

https://theculturetrip.com/europe/greece/articles/the-oldest-countries-and-nations-in-the-world/

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Amaterasu

https://www.ancient.eu/Amaterasu/

Works Citedhttps://www.classicfm.com/composers/chopin/

https://www.biography.com/people/frederic-chopin-9247162

https://www.britannica.com/art/koto

https://parkerchapin.wordpress.com/2015/07/27/a-look-at-the-music-of-okami/

https://www.king.org/the-top-ten-most-romantic-chopin-works/

https://www.indexmundi.com/poland/demographics_profile.html

https://www.britannica.com/place/Poland