Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Koji Kondo's "Super Mario Bros." Soundtrack

2017; The Strong; Volume: 9; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

1938-0399

Matthew Thompson,

Music Technology and Sound Studies

Koji Kondo's Mario Soundtrack Andrew Schartmann New York, NY: Bloomsbury Academic, 2015. Foreword, preface, acknowledgments, introduction, and notes. 208 pp. $10.75 paper. ISBN: 978162898532Sound Play: Video Games and the Musical Imagination William Cheng New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2014. Acknowledgments, foreword, notes, and index. 262 pp. $26.95 paper. ISBN: 9780199969968Game audio has always been an integral part of game play, first attracting players to place their quarters into the coin slots of early arcade games and later not only providing important game play feedback but also creating immersive environments for gaming at home. We have, however, begun the serious academic study of game audio only during the last decade or so. Andrew Schartmann's and William Cheng's new books make varied and welcome entries into this bourgeoning field.Andrew Schartmann, currently finishing a doctorate in music theory at Yale University, provides his engaging and wellwritten book as he continues to examine early game audio. In Koji Kondos Mario Soundtrack, he offers a complete analysis of the 1985 Super Mario Bros. soundtrack. The first section of the book, Contexts, begins with a brief discussion of the game industry in the 1970s and 1980s leading up to the release of Super Mario Bros. (SMB). Here, Schartmann emphases how SMB and the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) were poised to have a major impact in the game scene. After an equally short discussion of how the NES produced audio and Koji Kondo's compositional style, Schartmann then turns his attention to the music and sounds of the game.In the second, longer portion of the book, Music Schartmann thoroughly analyzes-both musically and contextually-each track of game music and the sound effects as a part of the game play. Schartmann often compares the musical themes of SMB with other classical pieces in similar styles. Although his writing can be enjoyed by anyone, Schartmann's concise focus on the SMB game soundtrack and the NES audio methods make it particularly accessible to those who are not necessarily experts in the field-but rather lovers of the iconic game and its audio. Perhaps the most distinguished discussion in the book addresses the sound effects and their function in the game, to which Schartmann gives brilliant contemplation. Particularly intriguing here is his question about the flagpole slide at the end of the level. Schartmann asks, Why does the sound rise as Mario slides down (p. 105)?Although Schartmann's direct style makes the book a quick read, he could have strengthened it. Online links to audio samples might have served most readers better than the western musical notation he provides. Although his target audience often seems to be anyone who loves SMB, Schartmann at times lapses into musical theory jargon beyond the average musicand Mario-loving reader with whom he seems most interested in connecting. Still, the concise nature of Schartmann's focus on the sounds in SMB and his clear writing make this an excellent read for any lover of this classic NES game. …