NTCP-1003: Piano Collections "FINAL FANTASY VI" (reprint)

[isdapi]

It's time to resolve an enigma and I need your help. The enigma in question is this: Who arranged this album?

It's not a question easy to answer. Searching on the web, I've seen as arranger of this album to the following people: Shiro Sato, Reiko Nomura, Nobuo Uematsu and Shiro Sagisu.

There are diversity of opinions and I don't have idea what is the correct one. This mystery can be solved if someone has access to the liner notes, meanwhile I can only speculate.

This page http://gamerseden.kir.jp/soundtrack/ff/ff6pf.html
is specially interesting 'cause explains the album's production process. Btw, it gives the arrangement credit to Shiro Sagisu.

[isdapi]

And well, anybody can throw light on this???

[Gigablah]

Eh, the album reprint you linked to indeed has liner notes.

There are no names mentioned for arranger anywhere. Nobuo Uematsu is listed as composer and producer, while Reiko Nomura is only listed as performer. Shiro Sagisu and Shiro Sato are nowhere to be found.

[seanne]

It's really weird that there's no arranger credit mentioned for the NTCP release. Especially since credit is given for its FFIV and FFV counterparts. But Shiro Sagisu isn't an unrealistic possibility, since he was involved with the arranging of Grand Finale.

I guess it's also a possibility that the original release (PSCN-5005) has the credit.

[aotearoa]

I just bought a used copy of the first print of FF VI Piano Collections from http://www.vgmworld.com. The Information will be the same for the reprints. Once I get it in a couple of weeks I will post the information here (if I can search through the Japanese writing, which I can only read Hiragana and a little Katakana). There are probably fields for composer (Nobuo Uematsu), arranger (who wrote the songs for piano) and performer (whoever actually played the piano for the recordings).

[aotearoa]

EDIT ON SATURDAY APRIL 19 2008: Wikipedia lists the arranger as Shiro Satou: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Final_Fantasy_VI#Piano_Collections_Final_ Fantasy_VI

I got the first print CD last week, so if anyone wants me to upload scans of certain pages let me know-- I've got my own domain for uploading stuff like that.

[Secret Squirrel]

It looks like we're mostly missing the interior booklet scans, if it has any, so those might be worth scanning.

[seanne]

I got the first print CD last week, so if anyone wants me to upload scans of certain pages let me know-- I've got my own domain for uploading stuff like that.

Please do. Since all we've got at present is a low-res scan of the front of the book, individual scans of the front/back of the book, all pages,as well as the cd would be much appreciated.

[aotearoa]

Thanks for everyone's enthusiasm in wanting these scans. I know have FF IV, FF V, and FF VI Piano Collections, all of them the first prints with the CDs encased in the hardcover piano books.

I don't know when I will be able to do scans-- possibly tomorrow or sometime throughout next week. It may take longer than it would to scan stuff like this normally, because getting all three of these albums was really just pure luck and good timing on my part, and I want to take extremely good care of these 'little babies.' I will scan all of the pages, as well as the front and back covers and disc labels. They will be 300 DPI JPEG format files. Once they have been scanned I will upload them to a directory on my server.

After I do all of this, I expect some people to email me and arrange a private Final Fantasy IV - 6 Piano concerto at my house, and make sure Nobuo Uematsu attends as well, so that he can sign all of my new FF piano collection 'babies,' thanks everyone (LOL! J/K!) ;-<>!

[aotearoa]

Hi VGM lovers,

Here are the promised scans of the FF IV , FF V, & FF VI piano collections hardcover books.: Insteadof clicking, you'll have to cut and paste the links into your browser URL address field, sorry ;-<>!.

FF IV:


http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20IV%20Paino%20Collections0001.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20IV%20Paino%20Collections0002.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20IV%20Paino%20Collections0003.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20IV%20Paino%20Collections0004.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20IV%20Paino%20Collections.JPG

FF V:

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20V%20Paino%20Collections0001.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20V%20Paino%20Collections0002.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20V%20Paino%20Collections0003.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20V%20Paino%20Collections0004.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20V%20Paino%20Collections.JPG

FF VI:

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20VI%20Paino%20Collections0001.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20VI%20Paino%20Collections0002.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20VI%20Paino%20Collections0003.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20VI%20Paino%20Collections0004.JPG

http://crosskoru.com/ffpiano/FF%20VI%20Paino%20Collections.JPG

I would love to have scans of all of the pages for all three of these, but I simply do not have the time to do a quality job of scanning all of them right now; each book has around 70 - 80 pages! Plus all I have is a regular desktop consumer scanner-- not the best for scanning books like these. The pages I scanned should have some pertinent information. I hope this helps people out.

[Gigablah]

Awesome! I fixed the links for you.

Edit: It seems like the 0001-0004 files for FF IV and FF V, and the last image for FF VI are giving me errors.


By the way, Shiro Sato is never credited anywhere in the FF VI scans.

[seanne]

Thanks a lot for the scans aotearoa, great work! And don't worry about the sheet music pages, the important parts are the ones with actual information.

Really nice finds there, by the way. Those three are definitely some of the most exiting releases mainstream vgm has to offer.

[Ramza]

The mystery of FFVI Piano arranger continues. Sigh... I hope, someday, we know the truth.

[Namorbia]

I wonder if Uematsu himself knows who arranged these pieces. Surely someone has already asked him at some point? Who would be the best person to contact and ask about this? Maybe the other Piano Collections arrangers?

[Cedille]

This (http://gamerseden.kir.jp/soundtrack/ff/ff6pf.html) (the most trustworthy website I know) says it's Shiro Sagisu.

EDIT: wow, I've never read this thread until now and didn't look the past discussions! Never mind.

[Ramza]

I wonder if Uematsu himself knows who arranged these pieces. Surely someone has already asked him at some point? Who would be the best person to contact and ask about this? Maybe the other Piano Collections arrangers?

I've twice met him and both times forgot to ask. I sent an email to Hiroki Ogawa (at Dog Ear Records) to see if he could ask Uematsu-san about it. I never heard back.

[Namorbia]

I also met him twice, but was too ignorant to know about this mystery at that time. Another mystery is: who is Reiko Nomura? There is a piano teacher with the same name on this site:
http://www.puretone.jp/school.html

I sent an email in Japanese by using their inquiry form, but haven't received a reply. I asked if she is the same Reiko Nomura who played piano on this album. I also explained that we have this mystery of not knowing who arranged the pieces.

[Ramza]

I just sent the following tweet to Uematsu and Ogawa:

@UematsuNobuo @wappa_ogawa 謎 !! ピアノコレクションズ ファイナルファンタジーVI -- 誰编曲？ http://vgmdb.net/album/4018 助けてください！

(rough translation: "A mystery! Piano Collections FFVI -- arranged by whom? (link) Please Help!")

[Ramza]

Also, Nam, I'd guess that's the same Reiko Nomura. How many Reiko Nomuras in Japan aspire to be professional pianists?

On the other hand, I thought I'd do some photo comparison, and 15 years + black-and-white vs color makes it difficult. Here is Nomura with Uematsu from the first print of FFVI piano:

http://www.gameosaurus.com/uploads/uematsu-nomura.jpg

And here she is on the puretone site:

http://gameosaurus.com/uploads/reiko.jpg

Hmmm...

[Phonograph]

no "hello", just a "kudasai" ?
it'll be a miracle if any of them answers

[Ramza]

what is this i don't even

[Namorbia]

Sadly I never got a reply from that school. Now they have revamped their site. Here's a link to the school's instructors, including Reiko Nomura:
http://www.puretone.jp/instructor

There's a new picture of her and some info. She graduated from a music university in Tokyo in 1996. The FF VI Piano Collections was released in 1994. Square's HQ was probably in Tokyo at that time, unless they moved out and back in at some point.

I sent a new message to that school. I hope they reply this time.