As you may know, a great deal of characters introduced in Ocarina of Time have a counterpart in Majora’s Mask. Many characters who did not get a chance to really stand out in Ocarina of Time were given a chance in Majora’s Mask to truly make a name for themselves with a brand new purpose. For example, the innkeeper Anju plays a major role in an unforgettable side quest in Majora’s Mask but merely acts as the Cucco wrangler in the Kakariko Village of Ocarina of Time. Two such characters that did not play a major role in Ocarina of Time but were given a second chance in Majora’s Mask were Sharp and Flat, the Composer Brothers.
The two Composer Brothers, Sharp and Flat, were ancient musicians of the Hyrulean royal family that were laid to rest in the Kakariko Village graveyard. Their main purpose in Ocarina of Time is provide exposition to Link, albeit optionally, about the very useful Sun’s Song, allowing him to modify the time of day with a flash of his ocarina. According to the brothers, one studied a song to summon the sun while the other studied a song to summon the moon, combining to create the Sun’s Song. The brothers will reveal some other details about themselves to Link when prompted, such as their history as Kakariko residents who were studying the mysterious powers of Hyrule’s Royal Family. However, that is pretty much the extent of the role these two play in Ocarina of Time. Many players will never even encounter them and, sadly, they lack individuality from each other due to sharing the same role.
However, thanks to their inclusion in Majora’s Mask, the Composer Brothers were given a new opportunity to steal the spotlight, this time as more central characters. While the brothers will fight Link in Ocarina of Time, they are explicitly not malicious, only fighting due to a misunderstanding. In Majora’s Mask, Sharp takes on a much more aggressive role. Having been cursed after selling his soul to the “devil” (implied to be Skull Kid), Sharp has locked his brother away and holed himself up in Ikana Canyon, causing the Ikana River to completely dry up. If Link so much as enters his cave, Sharp will appear, share some dark words, and then start playing a song that will continuously damage Link. The only way to overcome this is to play the Song of Storms which was taught to Link by Sharp’s brother, Flat. This removes the curse, and helps the two brothers move on.
I certainly don’t think it’s a stretch to say I personally think the Composer Brother’s inclusion in Majora’s Mask is much more enjoyable one compared to what can only be described as a cameo in Ocarina of Time. I deliberately remember finding Sharp’s song of death particularly haunting when I first found his cave as a child playing through Majora’s Mask for the first time, especially considering it was nested in the already atmospherically dense Ikana Canyon. I also especially love the fact that the two brothers are given unique identities and personalities to set them apart from each other. These two characters have certainly been somewhat of a special interest for me, so I’m glad I was able to take this chance to talk about them. I’ll be hoping that someday, we get a callback to these brothers in a future Zelda title.
