The Godzilla Roar and Sound

GODZILLA NOTE #04

ゴジラの生命として吹き込ままれる鳴き声や足音
The roar and footsteps that are blown into Godzilla’s life

今度のハリウッドの新 作『Godzilla』ではうれしいことに、ギャレス・エドワーズ監督以下スタッフによって、「ゴジラの鳴き声」や「ゴジラの足音」が忠実に再現されている。

Fortunately, in the upcoming Hollywood new work “Godzilla”, “Godzilla’s roar” and “Godzilla’s footsteps” are faithfully reproduced by the staff under the direction of Gareth Edwards.

『Godzilla’s Roar』 という音響効果の動画まで作られ、あの重低音が見事に響いている。

Even a sound effect video called “Godzilla’s Roar” was made, and that deep bass sounded wonderfully.

「本来、爬虫類は音声を発する器官を持たないので鳴かないのと述べている54年『ゴジラ』の音楽家・伊福部昭はあの鳴き声を作った人物でもある。

“Originally, reptiles do not sing because they do not have organs that emit sound, so Akira Ifukube, the musician of “Godzilla” in 1954, is also the person who made that roar.

「コントラバスのいちばん音の低いE絃を駒から外し、松ヤニを塗った革手袋でエンドピンから逆方向に強く引っ張って音を出し、その録音したテープを逆 回転させたり、回転を落としたりして作った」と説明。

“Remove the lowest-pitched E string of the contrabass from the piece,, with leather gloves coated with pine rosin, pull strongly from the endpin in the opposite direction to make a sound. I made it by rotating the recorded tape in the reverse direction or slowing it down” he explained.

その録音技師は三縄一郎 (1918年生まれ、96歳!)であり、ゴジラの重低音の鳴き声や足音は彼により音響効果が作られ、ゴジラの生命は吹き込まれた。

The recording engineer was Ichiro Minawa (born 1918, 96 years old!). Godzilla’s deep bass sounds and footsteps were created by him as sound effects, and Godzilla’s life was brought to life.

伊福部昭が作曲した「ゴジラのテーマ」は映画史に残る不朽の名曲で、ドシラ・ドシラ・ドシラソラシドシラと奏でる管楽 器の上に弦楽器が奏でる同じ音型を重ねている。こういう音楽用語で「オスティナート」といい、何度も繰り返される音楽的な高揚感に満たされて、観客の心理はどんどん盛り上がっていく。

“Godzilla’s Theme” composed by Akira Ifukube is an immortal masterpiece that remains in the history of movies, and the same sound pattern played by a stringed instrument is layered on a wind instrument played with “Doshira, Doshira, Doshira Sora Sidoshira.” In this musical term, “Ostinato” is filled with the musical uplifting feeling that is repeated many times, and the psychology of the audience is getting more and more exciting.

[Ostinato​: In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase, which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice. Source: https://jisho.org/word/オスティナート]

元総合格闘家・佐竹雅昭のリング入場曲として有名な「怪獣大戦争マーチ」ともども、同じ音型が何度も繰り返される名曲である。

It is a masterpiece in which the same sound pattern is repeated many times, along with “Monster Great War March,” which is famous as a ring entrance song of former general fighter Masaaki Satake.

[Masaaki Satake is a Japanese former heavyweight karateka, kickboxer, professional wrestler and mixed martial artist. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masaaki_Satake]

私の生誕100周年で、全国各地でコンサートが!

Concerts all over the country on the 100th anniversary of my birth!

『ゴジラ』の作曲家といえば、伊福部昭。 東宝映画 『銀嶺の果て」 で映画音楽家デビュー。 実は有名すぎる 「ゴジラのテ ーマ」は、柳家金語楼主演の 戦前の松竹喜劇映画 『社長と女店員』 の旋律を使っている。

Speaking of the composer of “Godzilla,” Akira Ifukube. He made his debut as a movie musician in his Toho movie “Snow Trail.” In fact, “Godzilla’s Theme,” which is too famous, uses the tune of the prewar Shochiku comedy movie “President and Female Clerk” starring Kingoro Yanagiya.

Source: Godzilla ゴジラ徹底研究:完全存版 GODZILLA 60: COMPLETE GUIDE (Magazine House Mook, 2014, p 10)