History AwesomeMusic / Civilization

*** Mongolia [[https://youtu.be/9XwdjK0iLdw Atomic era]]theme does an incredible job both blending ancient traditions and modern musical styles, and giving the sensation of summarizing their history. Starting with the traditional throat-singing and horse hair fiddle playing backed with subtle strings showing their rather humble and disconnected origins , it smoothly transitions into a brief orchestral which symbolizes the beginnings of their unification. Then there's a gradual increase in beat and pacing, indicating their campaigns across the known world, before quietly returning to the traditional throat-singing as a closer, reflecting the end of their part in the world stage and a return to a humbler life.

*** The Maori have two incredibly powerful and quite famous songs combined into great themes- Ka Mate and Pōkarekare Ana- but what's awesome about them is the order in which they are presented. In the [[https://youtu.be/5T_DhSxu4oM Ancient Era]] Ka Mate plays first, warning others that they are not to be trifled with but then it flows into Pōkarekare Ana, letting people know that they can be as friendly as anyone else, if you get to know them. But then in [[https://youtu.be/5vjZw-egZJ0 Medieval era]] and the successive eras, Pōkarekare Ana plays first, giving the impression that they're no longer reacting with aggression first as their civilization expanded, but Ka Mate cuts in towards the middle, reminding you that they are, first and foremost, a proud people who will fight for what they believe in. Really heartwarming in its own way.

*** The Maori have two incredibly powerful and quite famous songs combined into great themes- Ka Mate and Pōkarekare Ana- but what's both awesome is the order in which they are presented. In the [[https://youtu.be/5T_DhSxu4oM Ancient Era]] Ka Mate plays first, warning others that they are not to be trifled with but then it flows into Pōkarekare Ana, letting people know that they can be as friendly as anyone else, if you get to know them. But then in [[https://youtu.be/5vjZw-egZJ0 Medieval era]] and the successive eras, Pōkarekare Ana plays first, giving the impression that they're no longer reacting with aggression first as their civilization expanded, but Ka Mate cuts in towards the middle, reminding you that they are, first and foremost, a proud people who will fight for what they believe in. Really heartwarming in its own way.

*** Hungary's folk music theme starts out fairly simple, with the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-q1-5_UKNc Ancient era]] one sounding more like a spontaneous rehearsal between two musicians, but then slowly building up in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNvDU5m9Oqg Medieval era]] in tempo and variety of instruments, reflecting the growing population and the need for entertainment. Once you reach the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdO9kh-7-s0 Industrial era]], it sounds like a cross between a formal gala and a country town dance party, and by the time the player hears the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNaCHVUagAc Atomic era]] theme, it really sinks in that Hungary has been refining their ability to party for hundreds if not thousands of years.

*** Hungary's folk music theme starts out fairly simple, with the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-q1-5_UKNc Ancient era]] one sounding more like a spontaneous rehersal between two musicians, but then slowly builds up in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNvDU5m9Oqg Medieval era]] in tempo and variety of instruments, reflecting the growing population and the need for entertainment. Once you reach the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdO9kh-7-s0 Industrial era]], it sounds like a cross between a formal gala and a country town dance party, and by the time the player hears the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNaCHVUagAc Atomic era]] theme, it really sinks in that Hungary has been refining their ability to party for hundreds if not thousands of years.

** From the ''Gathering Storm'' expansion, Canada gets not just one, not just two, but ''three'' songs for its theme, which is a combo of "Vive la Canadienne" (representing the French-Canadians aka the Quebecois), "The Crooked Stovepipe" (representing the Anglo-Celtic Canadians) and "O Canada" (representing Confederated Canada). Starting out with just a simple string guitar and a fiddle in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cidq4JX7ag Ancient era]] to a more French Canadian influenced style in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUlwgrYK_8g Medieval era]] to the glorious sweeping epic orchestra march of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj9jSIk80gY Atomic era]], commentators admitted they couldn't help standing for the anthem at the end in the Atomic era theme.

** From the ''Gathering Storm'' expansion:
*** Canada gets not just one, not just two, but ''three'' songs for its theme, which is a combo of "Vive la Canadienne" (representing the French-Canadians aka the Quebecois), "The Crooked Stovepipe" (representing the Anglo-Celtic Canadians) and "O Canada" (representing Confederated Canada). Starting out with just a simple string guitar and a fiddle in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cidq4JX7ag Ancient era]] to a more French Canadian influenced style in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUlwgrYK_8g Medieval era]] to the glorious sweeping epic orchestra march of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj9jSIk80gY Atomic era]], commentators admitted they couldn't help but stand for the anthem at the end in the Atomic era theme.

*** Canada gets not just one, not just two, but *three* songs for its theme, which is a combo of "Vive la Canadienne" (representing the French-Canadians aka the Quebecois), "The Crooked Stovepipe" (representing the Anglo-Celtic Canadians) and "O Canada" (representing Confederated Canada). Starting out with just a simple string guitar and a fiddle in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cidq4JX7ag Ancient era]] to a more French Canadian influenced style in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUlwgrYK_8g Medieval era]] to the glorious sweeping epic orchestra march of the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jj9jSIk80gY Atomic era]], commentators admitted they couldn't help but stand for the anthem at the end in the Atomic era theme.

*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbpSQI17tOo Every single Australia theme]]. Possibly the most beautiful renditions of "Waltzing Matilda" ever composed. One Australian comments on how a bush song had become so extremely amazing.

*** Even during [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWyYBFyXrgc the First Look video]], the Ancient Era theme for the Cree drew attention for its vocals from [[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/poundmaker-singers-civilization-vi-game-cree-music-1.4475827 the Poundmaker Singers]], a drum group that comprises Cree tribe members and even descendants of Poundmaker, the Cree's leader in ''VI''. [[https://youtu.be/QfXQlxfgQOc All of the Cree themes]] feature the Poundmaker Singers, starting with a cave-like acapella (Ancient), to a string-strapped drum beat (Medieval), before blooming into full orchestra for the Industrial and Atomic themes.

*** Scotland gets the much-beloved "Scotland the Brave", starting with a traditional pipe-and-drum in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnfnP-8rQo0&index=305&t=0s Ancient]] era, which will sound familiar to anyone that has heard bagpipes. While other instrumentation is used for the other eras (the fiddle in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9JqCMpBaLY Medieval]] version pays homage to Scotland's Celtic roots, for instance), the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdhBd0xlFGY Atomic]] version brings back the drum line at the end, combined with the full orchestral arrangement used in other countries' atomic eras, with the low brass and strings emulating the long droning of the pipes.

*** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBAvk-cMYBI Atomic Era theme]] for France ("Quand je bois du vin clairet") transforms a classic drinking tune into an epic film score, evoking images of a cyberpunk Paris. Or [[StarTrekTheNextGeneration Jean-Luc Picard]].

*** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBAvk-cMYBI Atomic Era theme]] for France ("Quand je bois du vin clairet") transforms a classic drinking tune into an epic film score, evoking images of a cyberpunk Paris.

*** Scotland gets the much-beloved "Scotland the Brave", starting with a traditional pipe-and-drum in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnfnP-8rQo0&index=305&t=0s Ancient]] era, which will sound familiar to anyone that has heard bagpipes. While other instrumentation is used for the other eras (the fiddle in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9JqCMpBaLY Medieval]] version pays homage to Scotland's Celtic roots, for instance), the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdhBd0xlFGY Atomic]] version brings back the drum line, combined with the full orchestral arrangement used in other countries' atomic eras, with the low brass and strings emulating the long droning of the pipes.

*** Scotland gets the much-beloved "Scotland the Brave", starting with a traditional pipe-and-drum in the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnfnP-8rQo0&index=305&t=0s Ancient]] era, which will sound familiar to anyone that has heard bagpipes. While other instrumentation is used for the other eras, the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdhBd0xlFGY Atomic]] version brings back the drum line, combined with the full orchestral arrangement used in other countries' atomic eras, with the low brass and strings emulating the long droning of the pipes.

*** The powerful polyphonic chant that represents Georgia (based off of the hymns ''Shen Khar Venakhi'' and ''Tsaiqvanes Tamar Kali'') sounds epic enough in its [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMkWCB4dKnM Ancient]] form, and each subsequent version only grows in scope and emotion.

* Fan Songs of ''Civilization'' are few and far between, but the one and only DanBull made the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=addABbm5VPo Civilization Epic Rap]]. [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin As the title implies]], this song covers the length of civilization from the stone age to the space age, using the intro movies from ''Civilization V'' as its music video. However, what makes this stand out is where it places itself on the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPu26IXwob8 The]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZRSA7Ur-cI intro]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14WWgs-vX50 movies]] of ''Civ V'' cast themselves as TheIdealist, [[RousseauWasRight with humanity becoming more advanced and civilized over time, in spite of the violent conflicts that occur between them]], [[EtherealChoir with uplifting music emphasizing civilization's upwards progress]], even over [[SoundtrackDissonance scenes of samurai slicing each other up with katanas, or tanks crushing machine gunners under their treads]]. But Dan Bull's rap paints him as TheCynic, [[HumansAreBastards who shows that humanity's development has always been violent]], with the rise of new civilizations coming from the destruction and conquest of old ones, and that even technological progress has brought as many nightmares to reality as it has dreams, [[SadBattleMusic with the downbeat tone emphasizing the nightmarish scenes of battle]] [[FridgeHorror and showing how even the "heroic" parts of the intro movies often needed the enslavement or extermination of other peoples so that their conquerors could reap the rewards]]. [[RageAgainstTheAuthor But even though Dan rails against the evils of mankind]] (including the potential evil committed by the player and rival Civilizations in the game) throughout nearly all of the song, [[HumansAreFlawed he still points out the good that came from the Renaissance, democracy, and the information age]] [[PatrickStewartSpeech and implores the audience that they should do all in their power to break humanity's cycle of violence]], to ensure human civilization can "[[ArcWords stand the test of time]] forever."

*** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t32ejtdsvlU Medieval Era theme]] ("Scarborough Fair") for England gives off the country's might and pleasantry on its current time. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xyk4AZ7Y3ys Atomic theme]] tells a different story, of a country ravaged by two destructive World Wars and [[BroughtDownToNormal the loss of its empire and international prestige]], hence the more sombre tones.

** From the ''Rise and Fall'' expansion: Even during [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWyYBFyXrgc the First Look video]], the Ancient Era theme for the Cree drew attention for its vocals from [[http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/poundmaker-singers-civilization-vi-game-cree-music-1.4475827 the Poundmaker Singers]], a drum group that comprises Cree tribe members and even descendants of Poundmaker, the Cree's leader in ''VI''. [[https://youtu.be/QfXQlxfgQOc All of the Cree themes]] feature the Poundmaker Singers, starting with a cave-like acapella (Ancient), to a string-strapped drum beat (Medieval), before blooming into full orchestra for the Industrial and Atomic themes.

*** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t32ejtdsvlU Medieval Era theme]] ("Scarborough Fair") for England gives off the country's might and pleasantry on its current time.

** The main theme, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j2s4EkR36A "Sogno di Volare"]] ("The Dream of Flight"), is quite amazing. As are [[http://www.metrolyrics.com/sogno-di-volare-the-dream-of-flight-lyrics-christopher-tin.html?ModPagespeed=noscript the lyrics]] (courtesy of Creator/LeonardoDaVinci.

** The main theme, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6j2s4EkR36A "Sogno di Volare"]] ("The Dream of Flight"), is quite amazing. As are [[http://www.metrolyrics.com/sogno-di-volare-the-dream-of-flight-lyrics-christopher-tin.html?ModPagespeed=noscript the lyrics]].

*** [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5oO6wBrp8s English war]] ("I Vow to Thee, My Country").

*** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ondJKXISu3w Industrial Era theme]] for China ("Mo li Hua") is one of the most magnificent scores the game has to offer, evoking images of magnificent golden palaces, blissful peach orchards, and the sweeping misty mountain valleys of the Middle Kingdom. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JP97jkvy7xs Atomic theme]] takes all that gives it a magnified, sweeping epic flair.

*** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ondJKXISu3w Industrial Era theme]] for China ("Mo li Hua") is one of the most magnificent scores the game has to offer, evoking images of magnificent golden palaces, blissful peach orchards, and the sweeping misty mountain valleys of the Middle Kingdom.

** There's also the "Greco-Roman" Industrial Age theme...better known as the finale of Music/JosephHaydn's Piano Sonata No. 49 (in the Hoboken catalogue; it's No. 59 in the Landon catalogue). It's a bit slower and played more ''legato'' than most interpretations, but it's not that far off from the way some pianists actually play it; Alfred Brendel's is particularly close.

* Most of the background music in ''Civ IV'' is this way. It's been described as "one of the few games that lets you change the background music, and one of the few games where you don't need to". This is largely because after the Classical Era, the pieces consist entirely of the cream of Western Music/ClassicalMusic, and the pieces chosen are beautifully tailored to the experience of playing the game.

* Most of the background music in ''Civ IV'' is this way. It's been described as "one of the few games that lets you change the background music, and one of the few games where you don't need to".

** Like [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1H_oyVeoyI Mao Zedong's Theme]], which becomes ten times better when you realize it's an new arrangement of ''Civilization II''[='=]s [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C55Ae3apn5s The Shining Path]].