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Title Screen / Demo
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"Title Screen / Demo"[Japanese title] is a music piece that originated inKirby's Adventure. It was composed byHirokazu Ando[1] and has been remixed several times throughout the series.
Composition[edit]
"Title Screen / Demo" is an upbeat, short theme in 4/4 time at just under 128 bpm, in the key of G flat/F# major. Despite the 8-bit instrumentation imposed by the constraints of NES/Famicom hardware, the theme overwhelmingly evokes theragtime style of piano music. Although the popularity of ragtime peaked at the turn of the 20th century, it is perfectly sensible and even expected for a Japanese video game's title theme to mimic a turn-of-the-century American musical style. Ragtime and its derivative musical styles like jazz were sufficiently prominent in the Japanese popular consciousness of the time to influence Ando[2] as well as Ando's contemporaries like Nintendo'sKoji Kondo.[3] Aside from ragtime's general musical stature, both elevated directly through its mid-century revival[4] and propagated indirectly through the evolution of subsequent musical genres,[5] the style's popularity and ability to express a sense of fun and motion with limited instrumentation meshed well with the technical limitations of the video game hardware of the time.
"Title Screen / Demo" mimics aclassic rag in miniature, with the structure incorporating a one-bar introduction followed by an AABB pattern using two four-bar themes.
- To begin with, the song starts with a rising 5th-6th-flat 7th-7th-high 5th intro, which plays on a ubiquitous musical phrase in early 20th century music, including rags[6] but also vaudeville, music hall, and Broadway showtunes.[7]
- The A theme emphasizes upwards melodic movements and mostly focuses on the tonic harmony for the first two bars, but executes an impliedii-V-I turnaround through the second two bars accompanied by downwards movement. The lead pulse waveform's attack/decay and duty cycle are tuned to mimic a plucked string instrument, almost resembling the banjo so common in ragtime's predecessor genres of blues and other African American folk music.
- The B theme features undulating and upwards melodic movements within each bar and focuses on more conventional harmonies, with a IV-I-V7-I progression in the first iteration and IV-I-V7-V progression in the second. The lead pulse channel's envelope and duty cycle becomes more even and the triangle wave channel harmonizes more prominently for a less aggressive sound overall.
Throughout the A and B themes, the rag-like melody is full of syncopation, grounded by a walking bass (although with slight syncopation that de-emphasizes the backbeats). Each of the A and B themes also features a melodic phrase in the first bar repeated with slight downwards modulation in the third bar, again in miniature mimicry of classic rag structure. Unlike any classic rag composition, "Title Screen / Demo" loops indefinitely, with the end of the B theme leading back into the A strain.
Game appearances[edit]
Kirby's Adventure /Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land[edit]
True to its name, this theme can be heard in the title screen and demo reel ofKirby's Adventure. It also plays during the gameplay demo after waiting on the title for a bit.
The theme reprises its role in the title screen forKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, remastered using new instruments which make use of compressed synths, steel drums, and whistles. This arrangement is named タイトル (Title) onThe Very Best of Kirby: 52 Hit Tracks.
Kirby's Avalanche[edit]
A simple B major arrangement of the theme serves as the game's staff credits theme.
Kirby's Block Ball[edit]
The track "Borderline Clear" fromKirby's Block Ball begins with a short snippet of "Title Screen / Demo" before transitioning to "Kirby Dance".
Kirby's Toy Box[edit]
An arrangement of the theme, notably leaving out the last four bars of the melody (while the bass and percussion lines continue until the loop point), plays in the title screen theme of all mini-games except for Star Breaker. To date, theKirby's Toy Box version is the only re-arrangement of the theme that doubles down on the plucked string-like character of the lead voice in the originalKirby's Adventure version, while versions in other games tend to soften the sound (with the exception of the Merry Magoland remix inKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe, which makes the lead aggressively electronic).
Kirby: Planet Robobot[edit]
The original version heard inKirby's Adventure also reappears in the secret moon section ofStage 8 EX ofAccess Ark inKirby: Planet Robobot. It can be found as Track 135 in theJukebox. This title confirms for the first time that the song was composed byHirokazu Ando.
Kirby's Blowout Blast[edit]
"Title Screen / Demo" fromKirby's Blowout Blast
"A 3D Adventure! Kirby's Blowout Blast"
A new remix of the theme can be heard on the title screen forKirby's Blowout Blast, named"A 3D Adventure! Kirby's Blowout Blast"[8]. This version slightly follows up from the remix inKirby: Nightmare in Dream Land, but now makes use of more modern instrumentation. The song now features a new percussion line combined with the use of conga drums and crash cymbals. In addition, a short jingle based on the theme plays on the HOME Menu when hovering over the game's icon.
Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe[edit]
InMerry Magoland, an electronic dance remix of this theme plays at the title screen for theEgg Catcher minigame representingKirby's Adventure. The original version is unlockable as a secret song after clearing allEgg Catcher missions.
Other appearances[edit]
"Title Screen / Demo" is included on theKirby's Adventure soundtrack and is featured as part of a medley in the vocal track "Kirby of the Stars", though it serves as an instrumental portion.
Starting withKirby Battle Royale, "A 3D Adventure! Kirby's Blowout Blast" represents its game of origin in thePast Adventures menu.
The theme was also performed as part of the "Kirby Through the Years: 1993-2004" medley in theKirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival, along with "Drawing Song", "Grass Land" fromKirby's Dream Land 2, "Peanut Plains", "Candy Mountain", "The Last Iceberg", "Heading for 0²", and "Ending" fromKirby & The Amazing Mirror.
The prize A for the Ichiban Kuji Kirby Pupupu Ramen merch line is a kitchen timer, which when activated plays the "Egg Catcher - Title" remix fromKirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe.[9]
- "Title Screen / Demo" in "Kirby of the Stars" from theKirby's Adventure soundtrack, arranged by Takashi Takaomi and performed by Mako Miyata.
- "Title Screen / Demo" in "Kirby Through the Years: 1993-2004" from theKirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival", arranged byYuuta Ogasawara and performed by the Kirby 30th Anniversary Special Band Deluxe.
Names in other languages[edit]
Title Screen / Demo[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | タイトル画面／デモ[10][11] Taitoru Gamen / Demo | Title Screen / Demo |
Title[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | タイトル[12] Taitoru | Title |
A 3D Adventure! Kirby's Blowout Blast[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | 3Dアドベンチャー！カービィのすいこみ大作戦 suridī adobenchā! Kābyi no suikomi daisakusen | 3D Adventure! Kirby's Inhale Operation |
Egg Catcher - Title[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | たまごきゃっちゃ：タイトル tamago kyatcha: taitoru | Egg Catcher: Title |
| Traditional Chinese | 接蛋：標題 jiē dàn: biāo tí | Catch Eggs: Title |
| Simplified Chinese | 接蛋：标题 jiē dàn: biāo tí | |
| Dutch | Fijnproeverei - Titel | Fine egg tasting - Title |
| French | Gobœuf - Titre | Egg Gobble - Title |
| German | Eiderdotte: Hauptthema | What the egg: Main theme |
| Italian | Acchiappauova: titolo | Egg catcher: title |
| Korean | 알 캐처: 타이틀 al kaecheo: taiteul | Egg Catcher: Title |
| Portuguese | Papa Ovo: título | Egg Eater: title |
| Spanish | Atrapahuevos: título | Egg Catcher: title |
References
- ↑1.01.1Kirby: Planet RobobotJukebox
- ↑"I also listen to jazz, fusion, and techno on occasion, but not really as a dedicated fan. As for favorite artists, [...] I like French composers like Debussy and Ravel for classical music [...] For jazz and fusion, I listen to people like Herbie Hancock, Gary Burton, and Egberto Gismonti. I also have heartfelt respect for the jazz pianists Makoto Ozone and Satoru Shionoya."The Music Of Kirby: Still Tickling Gamers Pink, Forbes (Q&A between Ando and freelance writer Darryn King;Wayback Machine snapshot).
- ↑"渡辺貞夫さんもエレクトーンの教材にあって、すごく楽しい曲で覚えやすい曲だな、良い感じだなと思って、カリフォルニアシャワーとか。他にアート・ブレイキーとかマイルス・デイビスとか、MJQ（モダン・ジャズ・カルテット）とか、もろジャズみたいなものを聞いていましたね。"”スーパーマリオ音楽”制作秘話～名古屋出身・近藤浩治さん～ (Behind the music of Super Mario ~ Mr Koji Kondo, from Nagoya), NHK Nagoya (Wayback Machine snapshot). Translation:Mr Sadao Watanabe's Electone course materials had a lot of fun and memorable compositions that I felt were pleasant—California Shower, for example. In addition, Art Blakey, Miles Davis, theModern Jazz Quartet—I listened to a lot of jazz and things like that.
- Note that Kondo mentions an Electone course in relation to Watanabe, likely related to the fact that Watanabe (in addition to marked contributions to Japanese jazz and fusion in general) was deeply involved in the creation of Yamaha's music education system, with one chapter of his autobiography (Webcat Plus entry;Wayback Machine snapshot) titled ヤマハ音楽教室の誕生 (The Birth of the Yamaha Music Classrooms). Yamaha still operates courses for its Electone electric organs (its adult courses now covering everything from classical and jazz to video game music), and "California Shower" (the title track of a 1978 album) still features in at leastone Electone songbook sold by Yamaha (Wayback Machine snapshot).
- In turn, Kondo's compositions for theMario series contain significant jazz influences in elements traceable all the way back to ragtime music, as inthe "Ground Theme" fromSuper Mario Bros. 2 andSuper Mario World's Athletic Theme. In addition, one of Kondo's favorite soundtracks outside of his own creations is Nobuyuki Ohnogi's soundtrack to the Namco arcade gameMappy, another example of a 1980s video game soundtrack with prominent ragtime influences (see, for example, notes fromthe Video Game Music Preservation Foundation): "IGN: What are your three favorite pieces of music? [...] Kondo: [...] For music that I didn’t create, I’d say the main theme music for Dragon Quest, the main theme for Wii U Super Smash Bros., and the music from Mappy, an old Namco game."A Music Trivia Tour with Nintendo's Koji Kondo, IGN (Wayback Machine snapshot).
- ↑Ragtime music experienced numerous revivals after its initial decline in popularity past the turn of the century. A revival in the 1970s occurred whenScott Joplin's music resurfaced in the popular consciousness, through a critically and commercially successful album ofPiano Rags by Scott Joplin and the prominent use of Joplin's rags in the soundtrack of the 1973 filmThe Sting. The genre's return to prominence allowed for the use of ragtime music in video games of the 1980s and 1990s: for instance, the Video Game Music Preservation Foundation catalogues numerous uses of Joplin's"Maple Leaf Rag" and"The Entertainer".
- ↑Ragtime's initial decline only came due to the rise of the jazz music that it had directly influenced, as ragtime led directly tostride and other jazz piano styles. In turn, jazz had continued to evolve through subgenres likehard bop andsoul jazz, styles that placed emphasis on the bluesy roots of jazz with simplified rhythms, chords, and melodies. (Wikipedia's reference for the simplified nature of hard bop in particular isCarnegie Hall's Timeline of African American Music.) For instance, the jazz artists that Kondo lists—Miles Davis, Art Blakey, and Sadao Watanabe—all involved themselves with hard bop (with Davis and Watanabe later also embracing jazz fusion), as did one of Ando's favorite jazz musicians, Herbie Hancock. Ragtime also influenced some classical music, includinga number of short pieces by one of Ando's favorite classical musicians, Claude Debussy.
- ↑Euday Bowman'sTwelfth Street Rag, for example, uses a variation of this phrase to kick off the final quarter or so of the rag (see the end of page 4 ofthe IMSLP's copy of the rag;Wayback Machine archive of score PDF). The Howard and Emerson rag"Hello! Ma Baby" also features a version of this phrase in its introduction (in the third and fourth full bars—see, e.g.,page 3 of this score book).
- ↑The wide use in turn-of-the-century music results in a wide range of names for the phrase, which include:
- the "Minsky pickup" as asserted by theTV Tropes wiki based on anAudioSparx stock music library listing (Wayback Machine snapshot), apparently after the racy stage shows ofMinsky's Burlesque;
- the "Cockney intro" as in British comedian Bill Bailey's routines—see, for example,Episode 5 ofIs It Bill Bailey? (Wayback Machine archive; "you got your basic Cockney intro [...]", 10:40-45—in reference to archetypal working classCockney show personas featured inVictorian music halls that influenced subsequent novelty and comic music acts in 20th century variety;
- and the "Schubert" (possibly a misspelling of the name of theShubert family, which foundedthe Shubert Organization that owned and still owns numerous Broadway theatres) according toDick Hyman (page 50,500 Piano Intros for the Great Standards, The Steinway Library of Piano Music;Wayback Machine archive of image;via Reddit).
- ↑"Kirby's Blowout Blast: Go, Kirby!" Nintendo 3DS Theme
- ↑Official Ichiban Kuji website about the merch line
- ↑Kirby's Adventure
- ↑Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival pamphlet (Internet Archive copy;direct image link)
- ↑Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
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Categories:
- Music in Kirby's Adventure
- Music in Kirby's Avalanche
- Music in Kirby's Block Ball
- Music in Kirby's Toy Box
- Music in Kirby: Nightmare in Dream Land
- Music in Kirby: Planet Robobot
- Music in Kirby's Blowout Blast
- Music in Kirby Battle Royale
- Music in Super Kirby Clash
- Music in Kirby Fighters 2
- Music in Kirby and the Forgotten Land
- Music in Kirby's Dream Buffet
- Music in Kirby's Return to Dream Land Deluxe
- Music in Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World
- Music from Kirby 30th Anniversary Music Festival
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