Noriko Matsueda

Noriko Matsueda (松枝 賀子, Matsueda Noriko, born December 18, 1971) 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 when she was three years old. She graduated from the Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi, where she met Eguchi.

Noriko Matsueda
Born (1971-12-18) December 18, 1971
Tochigi, Japan
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Composer
InstrumentsPiano
Years active1995 - 2004
LabelsNTT Publishing
DigiCube
Avex Group
Associated actsTakahito Eguchi

She joined Square (now Square Enix) in 1994, where she created music for nine games. Her last credited work was Final Fantasy X-2's piano arrangement album, Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection from 2004, after which she decided to leave the company alongside Eguchi. She composed mostly jazz music for the scores she worked on.

Biography

Born in Tochigi, Japan, Noriko Matsueda began creating music at an early age. She received a scholarship in music at the age of three and went on to study the piano and electronic organ. Matsueda took various composition and performance courses at the Tokyo Conservatoire Shobi, where she also met long-term collaborator Takahito Eguchi. She joined Square in 1994,[1] where her first assignment was to score the 1995 title Front Mission alongside Yoko Shimomura.[1] She subsequently contributed the track "Boss Battle 1" to Chrono Trigger, arranged by Nobuo Uematsu.[1][2] Matsueda's first solo work was Bahamut Lagoon, which also represented her first collaboration with Eguchi, who arranged and orchestrated "Theme of Bahamut Lagoon ~ Opening" for the bonus disc of its original soundtrack.[1][3] In 1996, she created the composition "Tower Block" for the multi-composer game Tobal No. 1.[1] The following year, she created the soundtrack to Front Mission 2.[4]

In 1999, Matsueda and Eguchi made their first major collaboration by scoring the role-playing racing game Racing Lagoon, with synthesizer programmer Ryo Yamazaki providing three tracks.[5] Matsueda was responsible for all the music except the battle, opening, and ending themes.[1] They collaborated again on the soundtrack to the PlayStation 2 title The Bouncer in 2000, whereas the two took a more equal share of the music.[1] A large amount of the compositions produced was not used in the game and there were also many post-production demands. Afterward, Matsueda created 25 pieces of background music for Square's PlayOnline viewer used for Final Fantasy XI and Tetra Master.[1]

She reunited with Eguchi to create the soundtrack to Final Fantasy X-2 in 2003, with Matsueda contributing most of the setting themes.[1] Having replaced Final Fantasy's regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu to create a work entirely different from the predecessor Final Fantasy X, their score has become one of the most criticized soundtracks in the series. However, despite the negative response and a low budget, it was commercially successful.[1] The following year, she worked on Final Fantasy X-2's international version Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission[6] and provided three arrangements to the Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection album.[7] The Piano Collections album was her last credited work, and she has since left Square Enix along with Eguchi.[8]

Musical style and influences

Matsueda is noted for her jazzy style, which she often incorporated into the soundtracks she worked on; she also touched on genres like jazz fusion, lounge, and ambient.[4][9] For the scores that she collaborated on with Eguchi, she was responsible for most of the jazzy tracks, while Eguchi provided the majority of the electronic music.[10] Matsueda has said that the best qualities of a composer are their curiosity and sensitivity, and that watching many things, listening, touching, and feeling are important factors in composition. When asked why she creates music, Matsueda replied that she feels it is an appropriate way to express herself.[11]

She cites George Gershwin, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Igor Stravinsky, and Gustav Mahler as musical influences.[1] When composing music for games, Matsueda draws inspiration from all parts of the game, including the story, the world view, the personality of the characters, the graphics, and the tone of color. She has stated that she makes the music thinking about the goal of the sounds for the game and its total balance.[11]

Works
Video games
YearTitleRoleCo-worker(s)Ref.
1995Front MissionComposition/arrangementYoko Shimomura[1]
Chrono TriggerComposition (1 song)Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu[1]
1996Bahamut LagoonComposition/arrangement[1]
Tobal No. 1Composition/arrangementYasunori Mitsuda, Masashi Hamauzu, Junya Nakano, Ryuji Sasai, Yasuhiro Kawakami, Kenji Ito, and Yoko Shimomura[1]
1997Front Mission 2Composition/arrangement[1]
1999Racing LagoonComposition/arrangementTakahito Eguchi[1]
2000The BouncerComposition/arrangementTakahito Eguchi[1]
2003Final Fantasy X-2Composition/arrangementTakahito Eguchi[1]
Other works
YearTitleRoleCo-workerRef.
2002Final Fantasy X Vocal CollectionCompositionTakahito Eguchi, Yoko Shimomura, Naoki Masumoto, Takeharu Ishimoto, and Nobuo Uematsu[1]
2004Final Fantasy X-2 Piano CollectionArrangementTakahito Eguchi, Hiroko Kokubu, Masahiro Sayama, and Febian Reza Pane[12]

References
  1. Chris Greening. "Noriko Matsueda Profile". Video Game Music Online. Retrieved 2014-09-21.
  2. "Chrono Trigger Original Sound Version". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
  3. "Bahamut Lagoon Original Soundtrack". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
  4. Dragon God. "Front Mission 2 OST". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2009-12-30. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
  5. "Racing Lagoon Original Soundtrack". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
  6. Gann, Patrick. "Final Fantasy X-2 International + Last Mission OST". RPGFan. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
  7. Gann, Patrick. "Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection". RPGFan. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
  8. "Artists & Composers". Square Enix. Retrieved 2010-01-20.
  9. Kalabakov, Daniel; Dragon God. "Bahamut Lagoon OST". RPGFan. Retrieved 2009-11-18.
  10. Chris. "The Bouncer Original Soundtrack (Japan) :: Review by Chris". Square Enix Music Online. Retrieved 2009-11-17.
  11. "RocketBaby's interview w/Noriko Matsueda". RocketBaby. Archived from the original on 2003-08-19. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
  12. Gann, Patrick. "Final Fantasy X-2 Piano Collection". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2013-01-16. Retrieved 2008-04-14.

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