- "I am one of the ghostly composer brothers of Kakariko Village. All the people in this village are born to serve the Royal Family of Hyrule, brothers also served the Royal Family, and were assigned to study the hereditary mystic powers of the family."
- — Sharp
The Composer Brothers, Flat and Sharp, are a recurring group in the Legend of Zelda series. They are two brothers who served as composers to royalty in life, before dying and subsequently lingering on as Poes; their spectral forms are the only form in which they are ever seen.
Sharp the Elder is the shorter and stouter of the two brothers. He wears dominantly red clothing and has squinted eyes and curly hair. Flat the Younger is the taller and thinner of the two, with bigger, rounder eyes and longer, straighter hair than his brother (though their mustaches are almost identical), and wears green clothing. Both brothers wear distinctive hats; Sharp's hat has the emblem of the sun, while Flat's bears the likeness of a crescent moon. This pertains to their studies of turning night into day, and day into night, respectively, in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Both also wield a conductor's baton in one hand, and a lantern in the other.
In Ocarina of Time, both brothers have the Triforce Emblem on their clothes, a symbol often associated with the Royal Family of Hyrule. In The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, this emblem is replaced with a partial version of the crest worn by Igos du Ikana and his bodyguards.
Appearances[]
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time[]
The Composer Brothers' graves in the Kakariko Graveyard
The Composer Brothers appear in Kakariko Graveyard, and attack Link if he reads the incriptions on their tombstones. Should Link defeat them, their green, smiling souls apologize for their behavior as Poes, then engage Link in conversation, explaining their relationship with the Royal Family of Hyrule, and that they worked on a song that affected time for the ocarina. However, Ganondorf wanted to use their song, the "Sun's Song", for his own devious purposes, and murdered the two after they refused to tell him the song. They then flee on friendly terms, though if encountered again, they attack until they are appeased again.
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask[]
In life, the Composer Brothers served the Ikana Royal Family. Flat is found in a chamber in the catacombs beneath Ikana Graveyard, guarded by an Iron Knuckle. Flat's soul is freed when Link defeats the Iron Knuckle in combat, and the ghost teaches him the "Song of Storms" after explaining the circumstances of his imprisonment. Also, he informs Link that his brother, Sharp, sold his soul to the Devil and urges him to cleanse Sharp's cursed soul with the "Song of Storms".
When Link meets Sharp in the Spring Water Cave at the summit of Ikana Canyon, the ghost plays him the "Melody of Darkness" that, when listened to, causes living beings to lose their life energy gradually. Link must play the "Song of Storms" if he wishes to survive, which breaks the curse on Sharp and restores the dried-up river atop Ikana Canyon. Sharp tells Link that the root of the curse, which is tormenting the lingering dead of Ikana, lies within Stone Tower Temple, then directs him to see the King of Ikana for instructions to reach the temple.
Interestingly, if the "Song of Healing" is played for Sharp instead of the "Song of Storms," a short cutscene will ensue in which Sharp exclaims that the song is soothing; however, he believes that it is too late for him, and continues to play the "Melody of Darkness".
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.
Theory[]
Theory warning: This section contains theoretical information based on the research of one or several other users. It has not been officially verified by Nintendo and its factual accuracy is disputed.
The Composer Brothers may be based on Mario and Luigi, another pair of siblings of Nintendo. This is supported by the fact that Sharp is the elder brother, short, somewhat wide, and wears red, which is similar to Mario, and Flat is the younger brother, tall, thin, and wears green, which is similar to Luigi; additionally, the Composer Brothers both have mustaches, as do Mario and Luigi. Furthermore, the inscriptions on their gravestones read "Royal Composer Bros."; this truncated form of "brothers" may be a reference to Super Mario Bros..
Theory warning: Theories end here.
Etymology[]
Their names are derived from the musical symbols flat and sharp, which pertain to their former lives as musical composers. Deepening the connection, a sharp is one half step above a note, while a flat is one half step below, parallel to how Sharp is the elder brother and Flat is the younger.