Civ IV soundtrack image
The soundtrack of the computer game Civilization IV features a large variety of tracks both original and historical, from Gregorian chants to modern minimalism, and makes extensive use of classical music as well as both world music and folk music. Such a focus on the soundtrack and the inclusion of classical, world and folk music are rare among games, though relatively common for strategy games. Original music was created for the expansion Civilization IV: Warlords and includes specifically themed music for each of the several scenarios, and several new Leader pieces. Civilization IV: Warlords also uses music from Civilization III to fill out some of the areas overlooked in the original Civilization IV, such as music for the "classical" period, and adds eastern music for the Asian scenarios. All tracks are stored on the hard drive in mp3 format, making them perfectly usable outside the game.
Overview
Original music was composed by Jeff Briggs, Mark Cromer, Michael Curran and Christopher Tin. Featured composers include John Adams, Gregorio Allegri, Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Antoine Brumel, Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Francisco de la Torre, Josquin des Prez, Antonín Dvořák, Orlande de Lassus, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Johannes Ockeghem, Michael Praetorius, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Camille Saint-Saëns and John Sheppard.
Each of the game's time periods has its own set of background music appropriate for the period. The Ancient and Classical ages are limited to four original tracks that mostly focus on ambience and primitive instruments such as drums and the flute. The Middle Ages feature medieval and renaissance music, both instrumental and chants, such as Kyrie by Ockeghem. The renaissance era uses baroque and classical music music by Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. The soundtrack to the industrial period focuses on romantic music by Brahms, Dvořák and Beethoven, with one track each from Saint-Saëns and Rimsky-Korsakov. The modern age's music is composed exclusively of music by American minimalist composer John Adams. Orchestral samples in the game are from the Vienna Symphonic Library, which features recordings of classical music by members of the Vienna Philharmonic.[1]
Each leader has his or her own theme music as well, and each leitmotif has three variants, corresponding to different periods in the game. These are shorter and simpler pieces, from just under 40 seconds to three minutes. Each reflects the leader or country in question: Roosevelt's music is the Marines' Hymn, and Napoleon's is based on La Marseillaise. Some are renditions of famous pieces of classical music, such as Frederick's piece, which is a paraphrase of the fourth of the Goldberg Variations, or Bismarck's, which is the opening theme of the second movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3. Others, such as Mao Zedong and Alexander the Great have music that has been modified from earlier games, such as Civilization III.
The theme song is Coronation by Christopher Tin, and the menu music is Baba Yetu, also by him. The latter features lyrics based on a Swahili adaptation of the Lord's Prayer by Chris Kiagiri. Vocals were performed by Stanford Talisman.[2]
Music
Stanford Talisman performs all the pieces written by Christopher Tin. The other tracks (especially the polyphony from the Medieval section) are performed by a variety of groups, who are not credited on the original soundtrack.[3]
| Title | Artist/Composer | Other Information |
|---|---|---|
| Coronation | Christopher Tin | Intro video theme song |
| Baba Yetu | Christopher Tin | Menu theme (sung in Swahili). Won the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) |
| Al Nadda | Rahbani brothers | Warlords menu theme (Lebanese, sung in Arabic) |
| Asoka | Jeff Briggs, Mark Cromer | Indian leader theme |
| ? | Jeff Briggs, Roger Briggs, Mark Cromer | Alexander the Great's theme |
| ? | Michael Curran | Mansa Musa's theme |
| ? | Mark Cromer | Saladin's theme |
| ? | Ancient folk tune, Jeff Briggs, Mark Cromer | Huang Shi Ti's theme |
| ? | Jeff Briggs, Michael Curran | Huayna Capac's theme |
| Washington's Artillery Retreat | Michael Curran, Mark Cromer, Jeff Briggs | Washington's theme |
| Harvest of the Nile | Hatshepsut's and Ramesses's theme | |
| ? | Joao II's theme | |
| Tenochtitlan Revealed | Montezuma's theme | |
| Hammurabi's Code | Cyrus's and Darius's theme | |
| The Shining Path | Jeff Briggs, Mark Cromer | Mao Zedong's theme |
| Augustus Rises | Julius Caesar's theme | |
| Marines' Hymn | Roosevelt's theme | |
| Malagueña | Ernesto Lecuona, Mark Cromer | Isabella's theme |
| La Marseillaise | Claude Joseph de Lisle | Napoleon's and De Gaulle's theme |
| Harpsichord Sonata K.380 "The Hunt" | Domenico Scarlatti | Louis XIV's theme |
| Sakura Sakura | Traditional Japanese (Edo period), Jeff Briggs, Mark Cromer | Tokugawa's theme |
| The fourth of the Goldberg Variations | Johann Sebastian Bach | Frederick's theme |
| The second movement of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 | Ludwig van Beethoven | Bismarck's theme |
| The Song of the Volga Boatmen | Mily Balakirev, Jeff Briggs | Peter the Great's and Stalin's theme |
| Fanfare-Rondeau | Jean-Joseph Mouret | Elizabeth's theme |
| Rule Britannia | Thomas Arne | Victoria's and Churchill's theme |
| Mongol Internationale | Magsarshawyn Durgarshaw (Mongol National Anthem), Jeff Briggs | Kublai Khan's and Genghis Khan's theme |
| Fear an Dùin Mhòir | ? [4] | Brennus and Boudica's theme |
| Polonaise | Johann Sebastian Bach | Barbarian theme |
| "Rock & Roll" | Lou Reed/The Velvet Underground | 'Rock 'n' Roll' wonder construction theme |
| The Minuet from the Water Music Suite in D Major | George Frideric Handel | "Default Peace Music" |
| The White-Haired Woman | Yan Jinxuan | "Chinese Unification" theme musi |
| Promenade from Pictures at an Exhibition | Modest Mussorgsky | Hall of Glory theme music |
| Conquests Fantasy 1 & 2 | unknown | Warlords soundtrack music |
| Miserere | Gregorio Allegri | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Ay Santa Maria | Anonymous | "Medieval Age" background music |
| La Gamba | Anonymous | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Missa Et ecce terrae motus. Gloria | Antoine Brumel | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Deus Judex Justus | Chant | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Laudate | Chant | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Regem cui omnia vivunt | Chant | "Medieval Age" background music |
| La Spagna: Danza alta | Francisco de la Torre | "Medieval Age" background music |
| El grillo | Josquin des Prez | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Lamentatio super morte Josquin des Pres (O mors inevitabilis) | Jheronimus Vinders | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Alma Redemptoris Mater | Orlande de Lassus | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Intemerata | Johannes Ockeghem | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Kyrie | Johannes Ockeghem | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Recercada Tercera | Diego Ortiz | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Missa Papae Marcelli: II. Gloria | Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Missa Papae Marcelli: III. Credo | Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Ballet du Roy from Terpsichore | Michael Praetorius | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Bransle Gay / Bransle de Montirade from Terpsichore | Michael Praetorius | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Volte from Terpsichore | Michael Praetorius | "Medieval Age" background music |
| Media Vita | John Sheppard | "Medieval Age" background music. Performed by the Tallis Scholars. |
| Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F Major, BWV 1047: III. Allegro assai | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Brandenburg Concerto No. 3 in G Major, BWV 1048: I. Allegro | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G Major, BWV 1049: I. Allegro | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-Flat Major, BWV 1051: I. Allegro | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 in B-Flat Major, BWV 1051: III. Allegro | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: II. Allemande | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: IV. Sarabande | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major, BWV 1007: V. Menuet I and II | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Cello Suite No. 4 in E-Flat Major, BWV 1010: V. Bouree I and II | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Cello Suite No. 5 in C minor, BWV 1011: VI. Gigue | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043: II. Largo ma non tanto | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Concerto for Two Violins in D Minor, BWV 1043: III. Allegro | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Violin Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1041: III. Allegro assai | Johann Sebastian Bach | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Romance No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra in G Major, Op. 40 | Ludwig van Beethoven | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Symphony No. 1 in C Major, Op. 21: II. Andante Cantabile Con Moto | Ludwig van Beethoven | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Symphony No. 8 in F Major, Op. 93: II. Allegretto scherzando | Ludwig van Beethoven | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466: II. Romance | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Serenade No. 10 in B-flat Major, K. 361 - "Gran Partita": III. Adagio | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Symphony No. 41 in C Major, K. 551 - "Jupiter": II. Andante Cantabile | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | "Renaissance Age" background music |
| Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67: II. Andante con moto | Ludwig van Beethoven | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Symphony No. 6 in F Major "Pastoral", Op. 68: I. Awakening of Cheerful Feelings Upon Arrival in the Country, Allegro Ma Non Troppo | Ludwig van Beethoven | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Symphony No. 6 in F Major "Pastoral", Op. 68: II. Scene by the Brook, Andante Molto Mosso | Ludwig van Beethoven | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Hungarian Dance No. 1 in G Minor | Johannes Brahms | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Hungarian Dance No. 16 in F Minor | Johannes Brahms | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Hungarian Dance No. 3 in F Major | Johannes Brahms | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90: II. Andante | Johannes Brahms | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90: III. Poco Allegretto | Johannes Brahms | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Slavonic Dances, Op. 46, B 83 (after piano 4-hands version): No. 3 in A Flat Major | Antonín Dvořák | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Slavonic Dances, Op. 46, B 83 (after piano 4-hands version): No. 7 in C Minor | Antonín Dvořák | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Slavonic Dances, Op. 72, B 147: No. 2 (10) in E Minor | Antonín Dvořák | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Slavonic Dances, Op. 72, B 147: No. 4 (12) in D Flat Major | Antonín Dvořák | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Suite in A Major "American", Op. 98b, B 190: I. Andante con moto | Antonín Dvořák | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Symphony No. 9 in E Minor, Op. 95, B 178, "From the New World": II. Largo | Antonín Dvořák | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Scheherazade, Op. 35: III. The Young Prince and the Young Princess | Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Cello Concerto No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 33: II: Allegretto con moto | Camille Saint-Saëns | "Industrial Age" background music |
| Christian Zeal and Activity | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
| Common Tones in Simple Time | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
| Grand Pianola Music: Part IA | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
| Grand Pianola Music: Part IB | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
| Harmonielehre: Part I | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
| Harmonielehre: Part II. The Anfortas Wound | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
| Harmonielehre: Part III. Meister Eckhardt and Quackie | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
| Shaker Loops: I. Shaking And Trembling | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
| Shaker Loops: II. Hymning Slews | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
| Shaker Loops: III. Loops And Verses | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
| The Chairman Dances: Foxtrot for Orchestra | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music, also heard during credits |
| The People Are The Heroes Now (from Nixon in China) | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music, also heard during credits |
| Two Fanfares: Tromba Lontana | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
| Violin Concerto: II. Chaconne: Body Through Which The Dream Flows | John Adams | "Modern Age" background music |
References
- ↑ Civilization IV manual, page 224
- ↑ Talisman featured on Civilization 4
- ↑ Sid Meier's Civilization IV Official Soundtrack, VGMdb
- ↑ Purit a beul, or Scottish peasant music
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External links
| Civilization IV [edit] | |
|---|---|
| Warlords • Beyond the Sword • Colonization† | |
| † Total conversion remake of the game Sid Meier's Colonization using Civilization IV engine | |
