The use of 8-bit consoles technology in the creation of a musical genre

• Grant number: 17/10586-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: August 01, 2017
• End date: July 31, 2018
• Field of knowledge: Linguistics, Literature and Arts - Arts - Music
• Principal Investigator: Fernando Henrique de Oliveira Iazzetta
• Grantee: Livia Maki Yoshikawa
• Host Institution: Escola de Comunicações e Artes (ECA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

This project proposes an analysis of the first videogame consoles music, highlighting its characteristic sound qualities. This music gave origin to the music genre known as chiptune, common to present days. Therefore, this work seeks to investigate the current interest in composing this kind of music, and its influence on the construction of an aesthetics in videogame soundtracks. The matter of decontextualizing videogame soundtracks, which are, at first, functional, is also approached. For doing so, the project will be divided in three parts: the first, a historical approach contextualizing the music of said consoles in their time; the second, an analysis of a repertoire that can be representative for these consoles; and the third, an investigation of the revival and interest for this music on present days. (AU)