The Music Thread

[mrrandomplayer]

Sorry to necro an old thread, and I don't know if you've already changed the soundtracks (I've mostly been watching TV while playing DoC recently), but I've been giving this some extra thought (since it's not like anybody's doing much these days) and here's my suggestion for a playlist for the Global era:

• Messiaen Quartet for the end of time, movements 7 + 8
• Schoenberg Verklarte Nacht
• Berg Violin Concerto, movement 1
• Ravel Pavane pour une infante defunte (I know it's overplayed but it's still so great, alternatively maybe something from Daphnis et Chloe, his String Quartet, or either piano concerto)
• Debussy Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (or maybe a movement or two from La Mer or his string quartet)
• Shostakovich Piano Quintet movement 2
• Stravinsky Concerto for piano and winds movement 2 (full piece)
• Poulenc Concerto for two pianos, movement 2
• Mahler 10, 1st movement (the big dissonant chord in the middle of the Adams Anfortas Wound is quoted from this, maybe Mahler 9 2nd movement if this is pushing it too much)
• Sibelius 7

I really like Steb's playlist from a few pages ago and it's a really good selection if you want to go for depth of one style (like the developers' approach to the Civ4 Modern era), but I also think it's interesting to show the stylistic variety in the Modernist period (more breadth like the Romantic or Medieval era soundtracks). This selection covers most of the important composers from that time, but most of these pieces don't demand too much of the listener as to make them difficult soundtrack.

There's a mix of chamber and orchestra pieces (I get why the current soundtrack largely skews towards orchestral soundtrack besides the Medieval/Renaissance stuff but I think adding some chamber or choral stuff in the later eras could be very intimate and effective), but if you're also interested in putting in some choral music, a movement or two from Martin's Mass for Double Choir, Poulenc's Salve Regina or the relaxed movements from Figure Humaine (3, 6) could be super nice, or maybe even Schoenberg's Friede auf erden (my favorite choral piece, though it might be a little much for a soundtrack).

All of the pieces are public domain in some parts of the world, but the only issue might be the copyright status of good recordings... maybe this falls under fair use (educational use?) but also this is such a relatively small operation that it probably doesn't matter.

Also, if we want to get super specific with soundtrack eras, could certain soundtracks in the middle of eras divide up some of the current eras that have mixed soundtrack? Maybe Patronage could split up the Medieval vs Renaissance soundtrack, and something in the middle of the Renaissance era (Civil Liberties?) could split up the Baroque vs Classical soundtrack.

 

[Leoreth]

Oh, that looks like a great collection, I'll listen in when I have the chance.

Interweaving soundtracks between eras is possible in principle (hooks already exist for dynamic soundtracks with religion specific music), but I'm not sure if it's worth the effort.

 

[Steb]

Nice list! I assume the list I made that you're referring to is from this post. It looks like I actually put them in the game on a branch, though I don't really remember doing that haha. I think some composers like Ravel could be represented by more than one piece.

 

[Leoreth]

Yeah she was great in Planescape Torment. I'm always on board with more Shostakovich.

 

[EmperorNorton]

I was going to make some suggestions for Gustavus Adolphus's diplomacy music as Ragnar's angry viking rap doesn't feel appropriate, but I notice this was already suggested in OP. Was the track nixed or just not implemented?

Here is the clipped track that was suggested (Holberg Suite)
https://vocaroo.com/5uQcx2YimUW

If there's a copyright issue I'm missing, this is a public domain recording of the Swedish national anthem. (I believe Holberg Suite is OK though)
https://vocaroo.com/cotV4vwSEEz

And while I actually dig the Civ4 viking music for what it is, it's kind of a weird, totally ahistorical adaptation of a Chinese communist song (

). I wonder if adding something more fitting for the region and time period, such as traditional nyckelharpa, for Ragnar would be an open idea.

 

[Steb]

I was going to make some suggestions for Gustavus Adolphus's diplomacy music as Ragnar's angry viking rap doesn't feel appropriate, but I notice this was already suggested in OP. Was the track nixed or just not implemented?

Here is the clipped track that was suggested (Holberg Suite)
https://vocaroo.com/5uQcx2YimUW

If there's a copyright issue I'm missing, this is a public domain recording of the Swedish national anthem. (I believe Holberg Suite is OK though)
https://vocaroo.com/cotV4vwSEEz

And while I actually dig the Civ4 viking music for what it is, it's kind of a weird, totally ahistorical adaptation of a Chinese communist song (

). I wonder if adding something more fitting for the region and time period, such as traditional nyckelharpa, for Ragnar would be an open idea.

My Holberg Suite suggestion was never implemented, like anything in this thread except the Canadian diplo music. I guess no one got around to do it.

A possibility would be to use the Holberg Suite for Gerhardsen (who's Norwegian) and the Swedish Anthem for Gustavus Adolphus.

 

[Temüjin VIII]

RFC Europe also has some great diplo music that can be used

 

[Enrikensio]

I have to say, diplomacy music of Mexico isn't too representative. I suggest these songs:

Juarez: March of Zacatecas. Considered the second anthem of Mexico.

Santa Anna: "El Zopilote Mojado (Wet Vulture)". A more folkloric song since Santa Anna didn't had an specific anthem (although there were attempts to make an official anthem before the actual one, those were unsuccessful and largely forgotten).

Cardenas: The national anthem of Mexico. Used in late Mexico because though it was written in mid-18th century, it wasn't officially recognized until 1943.

 

[rmontaruli]

I should post some suggestions for Italian civ, because you can't know, but for an italian player the characterization of italian civ is a pesky mix of cultures of medieval italian city states.
The main reason of italian civ birth in the game is the battle of Legnano, won against imperial army, that was an event related to the city of Milan.
The flag handed by units is the Lion of San Marco, that's the symbol of the city of Venice.
The spot where to settle the capital is the city of Florence.
The soundtrack is a folk song of southern Italy (Tarantella).
The language of sentences that units say when selected is a flat modern italian with no accents, that nobody, but news speakers, uses.

My impression when i played my very first game with Italy was.... WTF???

I'll look for late ages musics with no regional characterization, for italian civ.

 

[phoenixfire7]

The spot where to settle the capital is the city of Florence.

The starting settler sometimes spawns in Florence and sometimes Milan

 

[oioi23]

Afaik you get Milan on a 3000bc start and settle Florence on a 600ad one.

 

[rmontaruli]

Ok, i found some interesting material in matter of italian music in the history.

In 1860, ruler Cavour (kingdom of Italy), this is the music:

In 1930, ruler Mussolini (fascism), this is the music:

In 1960, ruler Andreotti (Italian Republic), this is the music:

It is folk music, no copyright, and everybody in Italy understands the historical time and meaning of these musics.

The problem is the music in medieval age.
There was no Italy at that time, and as i previously wrote, medieval Italy is represented in game by Lombard People, with a flag of Venice, a ruler of Florence and a music of Naples.
Maybe players of the rest of the world can say "That's italian stuff, that's OK".

I have to ask to you players of the rest of the world: is it ok for you the music of Tarantella, related to Lorenzo of Florence?
If yes, let it be.
If no, i found on youtube some alternatives:

An opera of Giuseppe Verdi, titled "The Battle of Legnano", we can extract something from it...
For example from 2:48 of this one:

Or a music of renaissance related to Lorenzo de' Medici.
From 34:41 of this one:

If you instead like a music related to Venice, well... let me know.

 

[freethink]

Is the Rhye Victory music still used?
Considering (at least for me) how hard victory can be achieved, I think the following song gives a feeling of the true costs of victory as a civilization.

 

[Edmund Ironside]

Currently playing as the Aztecs. Enjoyable game, but the music sounds very European, so it loses a little immersion. If Americas music is ever added into the mod, then I think music from Colonization would work well.

 

[Leoreth]

Currently playing as the Aztecs. Enjoyable game, but the music sounds very European, so it loses a little immersion. If Americas music is ever added into the mod, then I think music from Colonization would work well.

Oh, great idea. Never considered this.

 

[freethink]

Oh, great idea. Never considered this.

This exactly is what my New World Music pull request was about

 

[ShinobiHus92]

Isn't it possible to include some music from CK II? Or would that be copyright infringement?..

This soundtrack would fit the medieval europeans so well, especially for the Byzantines of course

Arabian/middle eastern style soundtrack.

 

[freethink]

Isn't it possible to include some music from CK II? Or would that be copyright infringement?..

This soundtrack would fit the medieval europeans so well, especially for the Byzantines of course

Arabian/middle eastern style soundtrack.

In my opinion the Mid-East soundtracks would fit well as they are similar to what is already in (video game soundtracks).

Most of the European soundtracks are taken directly from the Medieval time, so I am not sure if the third music would go along with what is already there. But I wouldn't mind either way.

 

[freethink]

I have thought about expanding the East Asian soundtrack for some years with strictly traditional pieces. However I wanted to ask everyone, what do you prefer? For East Asian Music to be split into different eras or kept as one cultural soundtrack.

I think with the evolution of Chinese/Vietnamese and later Japanese music there is an argument to split between classical/medieval/renaissance, but before I go into that work I would want to see what the community and what Leoreth inks. Ideally maybe the existing East Asian soundtracks could just stay or be moved to the renaissance era. A major goal here is to show the evolution of East-Asian music just as the soundtrack shows the evolution of western music. Of course this will not effect the industrial era or later.

Bell Music/Classical Era

,

To the best of my knowledge the bells used were reconstructions from the bells found in excavations of Han Dynasty sites.


Medieval
Tang Dynasty music went through a transformation that is impacted by Persian Music. Unfortunately for the mod, some of this might be strange for modern ears, and has percussion. Though I would certainly find the most appropriate tracks.

(this one is not completely historical but it demonstrates the combination of Chinese/Middle East Instruments which did in fact happen.

Renaissance
By this time, there are instances of Vietnamese and Japanese music that are better documented that should certainly be included, and classical Chinese music had evolved closer to what the popular conscious of East Asian music is. Bear in mind that much of the Classical Japanese music is almost considered a fossil of older Chinese music as the traditions in Japan did not change as much
https://youtu.be/aV0Xv17upkI
https://youtu.be/0AsfsuWAjeE
https://youtu.be/butpqAWBvJY

These are just samples of course. My pull request would be more comprehensive, with the goal of authenticity, diversity of instruments used and use of different countries (when possible). So likely some Korean would show up some-where provided I felt it was historically accurate enough.

So, should I put this together? And if so, should it be split by era or kept as one?

Thanks for considering,

 

[ShinobiHus92]

In my opinion the Mid-East soundtracks would fit well as they are similar to what is already in (video game soundtracks).

Most of the European soundtracks are taken directly from the Medieval time, so I am not sure if the third music would go along with what is already there. But I wouldn't mind either way.

True there are actually many soundtracks already in it, but I also wouldn't mind if there are more included.

These are also some good soundtracks. It will work well with islamic or ancient Egypt/Mesopotamian civs

I would also love to see more ancient Mesopotamian, Rome, Greeks, Egypt style theme during the ancient and classical era