Masashi Hamauzu  

Masashi Hamauzu is a Japanese video game composer who worked at Square Enix from 1996 to 2010. He's best known for his work on the Final Fantasy and SaGa series. Born in Germany into a musical family, Hamauzu was raised in Japan and developed an interest in music as a child. His parents gave him piano lessons, which sparked his passion for composing. Hamauzu began working at Square Enix as a trainee and made his debut as a solo composer with Chocobo no Fushigina Dungeon. He later collaborated with fellow composer Junya Nakano on several projects and worked closely with synthesizer programmer Ryo Yamazaki on most of his titles, including SaGa Frontier 2. After Nobuo Uematsu left Square Enix in 2004, Hamauzu became the leading composer for the company's music team. He composed Final Fantasy XIII and has also gained recognition as a piano arranger, having arranged albums like Yasunori Mitsudas Sailing to the World piano score in 2006. Hamauzus music incorporates various styles, but he mostly uses classical and ambient music in his pieces. In 2010, Hamauzu left Square Enix to establish his own studio, Monomusik.