投稿類別：英文寫作

篇名：

Joe Hisaishi’s music styles of the songs he made for Hayao Miyazaki’s films

作者：

劉曄。私立普台高級中學。高三辛班

指導老師：

曾菽貞老師 Joe Hisaishi’s music styles of the songs he made for Hayao Miyazaki’s films

I. Introduction i Abstract

Joe Hisaishi is one of the best musical directors for the films in the world now. The combination of his works with famous animator Hayao Miyazaki are really popular in the world.

When we watch famous Hayao Miyazaki’s films we are all attracted by his delicate painting style and thought-provoking stories. Luckily, Hayao Miyazaki has found the best musical director who can control all the emotion of the film - Joe Hisaishi. ii Background

Joe Hisaishi is a composer and musical director known for his works with animator Hayao Miyazaki, he has composed scores for many of his films, for example Hayao Miyazaki’s well- known films Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, My Neighbor Totoro, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service and Spirited Away. iii Motivation

The works for the films can easily let people memorize that the plots of the films. And for understanding the style that Joe Hisaishi uses in Hayao Miyazaki’s films, I would like to analysis each style of several Joe Hisaishi’s works for Hayao Miyazaki’s films.

II. Research Question

i Joe Hisaishi’s introduction and the work experience with Hayao Miyazaki?

Picture 1 Joe Hisaishi

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Joe Hisaishi’s music styles of the songs he made for Hayao Miyazaki’s films

When Joe Hisaishi (picture1) was young, He had great interest in music. He started to play violin when he was four years old. He joined the band when he studied in the junior high school. He decided to be a composer when he was in high school time. At the same time, he started to play the piano. His first album was been released in1981. The style of his songs is very clear in this album.

His first work experience with Hayao Miyazaki was in 1983, the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. The album of film was very popular. For this successful experience, Hayao Miyazaki kept inviting Joe Hisaishi to work for his later films, for instance, My Neighbor Totoro, Laputa: Castle in the Sky, and Spirited Away. Those theme songs are also very attractive and impressive.

ii What is the music style of the film Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind?

Picture 2 Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind

When composing the music of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind(picture2), Joe Hisaishi only spent thirty minutes. The music of the Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind heightens the history story of the Valley of the Wind. He used different instruments to build the music mood from the mysterious beginning to the magnificent ending, and the melodious sound was just like the wind around the place- the Valley of the Wind.

People can understand the story by the music that Joe Hisaishi composes for Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and to feel the emotion of the story by listening to the music. iii What is the music style of the film My Neighbor Totoro?

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Joe Hisaishi’s music styles of the songs he made for Hayao Miyazaki’s films

Picture 3 My Neighbor Totoro

The story is about two little sisters who meet Totoros and become friends with them(picture3). There are many funny and interesting stories in the films. When Joe Hisaishi composed the music of “My Neighbor Totoro”, Hayao Miyazaki had a requestment that he wished the song of this film is friendly as a fairy tale and easy for young children to remember and sing. The song of My Neighbor Totoro is very peaceful, friendly and cute, just like the characteristic of Totoro. iv What is the music style of the film Laputa: Castle in the Sky?

Picture 4 Castle in the Sky

It used a lot of Ireland ballad in the Castle in the Sky(picture4). The scenes and the music are very match, people can imaging the scenes during the time that they listening to the music. For example, the theme song of the Castle in the sky: The Girl Who Fell from the Sky, it use the sound of the drums to show how far and unknowable sky is, and use the violins to express delicate emotion of the scenes. This song can let people drenched in a feeling that they are flying with the characters in the sky and try to find the castle in the sky with them. The beginning of this song is very brisk, and we can easily image that the characters are just fly in the sky and they feel very surprised. And then the music band adds in, we can feel the determination of the characters to find the castle in the sky in my head. 3

Joe Hisaishi’s music styles of the songs he made for Hayao Miyazaki’s films

v What is the music style of the film Spirited Away?

Picture 5 Spirited Away

The song, the Sixth Station, is Hayao Miyazaki’s favorite in the film Spirited Away. From the beginning of this song it only use simple monosyllabic to show the main character’s mood and the determination to find the way of saving her parents. It use a lots of slow ,low melody to express the character is a little bit lose, because she did not know that the place that she going to go and the person she that going to meet can help her to save her parents or can not. However the tram is still moving, she still needs to keep on moving. The thing that she might to face is still there, and she needs to face it. The little girl has enough to face anything that might happen in the future if she can save her parents. This song is try to explain this situation to people. And the album of this films got many awards.(Table 1)

Table 1 The award that Spirited Away got. 2002 Annie Award Music in a Feature Production

2002 Japan Gold Disc Awards Animated Album Of The Year

2002 JASRAC Award Gold Award

III. Conclusion

Joe Hisaishi uses many instruments to show the mood of character, the situation of the film and feeling that the Hayao Miyazaki wants to show people. From my thesis, I learn a lot ways to show emotion to people and the importance of music. And I learn a thing from Joe Hisaishi that people need to pay a lot of contribution to achieve the goal. He let me know that to create a

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Joe Hisaishi’s music styles of the songs he made for Hayao Miyazaki’s films melody that can touch people is not an easy thing; it needs to use a lot of brain and ideas. IV. Reference

1. 久石讓(2008)。感動，如此創造：日本電影配樂大師久石讓的音樂夢 。台北市: 麥田。

2.Hayao Miyazaki(2006)。宮崎駿出發點 1979－1996。台北市: 臺灣東販。

3. 游珮芸(2011)。大家來談宮崎駿。台北市: 玉山社。

4.久石讓訪問(2010)。2014 年 3 月 20 日，取自: http://mag.nownews.com/article.php?mag=7- 77-2593

5.久石讓：電影音樂人生(2006)。2014 年 3 月 10 日，取自: http://4bluestones.biz/mtblog/2006/09/post-1005.html

6.宮崎駿動畫故事(2005)。2014 年 3 月 13 日，取自: http://tw.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=1305082413435

7. 天空之城的詩人——久石讓的音樂世界。2014 年 3 月 12 日，取自: http://www.epochtimes.com/b5/6/10/23/n1496190.htm

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