Hello from Christopher Tin

I've tried to find another video that can be seen in the US of the song of the Greek band Daemonia Nymphe. I hope this time you can enjoy de music:

So the Swahili in it contains some errors? I knew it! Anyway, if some of your friends have checked it and native speakers are cool about it means that it's not that terrible, which is good news. I hope you encourage your native-speaking friends to upload a video singing it so we finally know how should it sound ;)

As for your Chinese name, that's weird. I mean, I would have expected having you not using your Chinese name in the US but I don't get why does your label use an hybrid of your both names in Asia. Wouldn't it be easier to use the Chinese name in the whole of East Asia?

Pretty cool stuff!

So yes, the Swahili does contain one major grammatical error... and I'll set the record straight once and for all about the lyrics, and how the error came to be. 'Baba Yetu' means 'Our Father'. I took one look at that phrase and I thought to myself "Okay, 'yetu' means Father," so since I need a rhythmic repetition of a word, I figured it would be okay to say 'Our Father, Father who art in heaven'.

Why did I think that 'yetu' meant 'Father'? Because the Zulu word 'Yesu' means Jesus, and the words were just so similar, that I didn't think twice about it. So that's where my big mistake took place.

Turns out 'Baba' means Father (go figure), and 'yetu' means 'our'. So as it turns out, what they're saying is "Our father, our, who art in heaven."

Terribly embarrassing mistake, and one that I'm forced to live with forever and ever. That's why every time I meet a Swahili speaker, I'm quick to apologize for screwing up the grammar! They've all been perfectly fine with it, though, but still, I'm embarrassed.

And as for my Chinese name, it's actually quite common for Chinese American artists to be referred to by both of their names in Chinese press... especially if they're better known by their English name.
 
Really enjoying the preview tracks on the website so far - great work! It's gone into heavy rotation during homework/study sessions and it's already pre-ordered. :) When composing these songs, do you have a specific program that's your go-to? Or does it vary based on the type of music you're working on? (Orchestral vs Electronic). I graduated from a sound design school a few years back, (VFS in Vancouver) and while Pro Tools was kind of the main thing for everyone - I preferred Logic, especially for orchestral instruments and synths.

Also, are you in touch with Soren at all these days still? Kind of amazing that you two were roomates once and combined to work on the amazing CIV IV. :)

I use three programs heavily: Logic for composing (when I'm not in front of staff paper), Pro Tools for audio editing and producing my albums, and Sibelius for score notation.

And yes! I'm still in touch with Soren. It's been about a year since I've seen him, though. And it's probably the best roommate story ever!
 
First of all, I just want to say it's so awesome you're responding to questions here.

Is there any sort of connection between what sorts of music (i.e. classical crossover and electronic) you want to make, or do you just have different sorts of interests?

No real connection! I just happen to like both types of music. I don't necessarily have an agenda, other than to try to create good music in whatever style I happen to feel like working in at any given moment.

I also sort of like folk/Americana, so maybe I'll do one of those in the future!
 
Hi Chris.I love Baba Yetu.It's a beautiful song.I also can play it on piano.Thanks for making such a beautiful melody for Civ4 and for me to play!:goodjob:
 
As a young and still wide-eyed composer, how would I get into the field of video game music composition? Or I suppose, how did you get into it?

(As a probably unnecessary aside I have to say I love what I've heard of your stuff. :))
 
Turns out 'Baba' means Father (go figure), and 'yetu' means 'our'. So as it turns out, what they're saying is "Our father, our, who art in heaven."

That made me chuckle. Baba is father in Mandarin too. And in Latin, French, and English, there is "papa."

I think now that I know Yetu means "our" I'm going to feel attacked by grammar the next time I listen to Baba Yetu. Especially since I'm writing about it. Yeah, it's pretty likely that I'm just making it worse.

Which brings me to my question, are you a bit burdened by being the "Baba Yetu" guy everywhere you go? Is there any downside--and I know you'll want to make clear how grateful for every fan you have--to having an major success after just beginning a career?
 
Do people often confuse you with futurama composer Christopher Tyng?
 
Hi Chris.I love Baba Yetu.It's a beautiful song.I also can play it on piano.Thanks for making such a beautiful melody for Civ4 and for me to play!:goodjob:

Thanks. Are you from South Korea? For some reason, I seem to be rather popular in South Korea.
 
As a young and still wide-eyed composer, how would I get into the field of video game music composition? Or I suppose, how did you get into it?

(As a probably unnecessary aside I have to say I love what I've heard of your stuff. :))

Thanks!

You know, there's no real good answer to this question. I sort of got lucky. Here's the story. (It's the stuff of legends.)

When I was a junior in college, I did an overseas studies program at Oxford. And I shared a room with a this tall Norwegian-American guy who was studying computer science and history, and was a big music buff. His name was Soren Johnson. (If you don't know that name, then SHAME ON YOU for calling yourself a Civ Fanatic.)

Then, back in 2003, I went to my 5-year college reunion, where I ran into Soren. He asked me what I was up to. I told him I was scoring films and commercials. He then told me that he had just finished designing Civ III, and asked if I'd like a copy. I said YES! I was a big fan of the original Civ growing up.

Then, a year after that, he called me up and said that he played some of my music for some of the people at Firaxis, and they really liked it. Back in college, I was the music director of Talisman, a singing group that performed a lot of African choral music. He stuck one of our tracks on the opening menu screen, and it really worked. So the Civ people asked me if they could hire me to write a new song for the menu screen. I did. And well, six years and two Grammys later, it's still the best thing I've ever written in my life.

So, that's how you get into video games. Be a roommate with someone who turns out to be one of the best game designers in his class. :)

Really useful, right?
 
That made me chuckle. Baba is father in Mandarin too. And in Latin, French, and English, there is "papa."

I think now that I know Yetu means "our" I'm going to feel attacked by grammar the next time I listen to Baba Yetu. Especially since I'm writing about it. Yeah, it's pretty likely that I'm just making it worse.

Which brings me to my question, are you a bit burdened by being the "Baba Yetu" guy everywhere you go? Is there any downside--and I know you'll want to make clear how grateful for every fan you have--to having an major success after just beginning a career?

Yeah, totally idiotic, right? 'Baba' is the word for father in a hundred languages, and I go and think that 'yetu' is the word. I think if I hadn't already known that Yesu meant 'Jesus', I probably wouldn't have jumped to the false conclusion that I did. Alas, I have to live with that mistake for the rest of my life. But fortunately, Swahili speakers are a very nice and forgiving lot.

Sometimes I get videos of actual Tanzanian (or some other African nation) kids, singing Baba Yetu. And I'm amazed. Absolutely amazed. And a little embarrassed. I wonder to myself, are they wondering why they have to repeat the word 'yetu'? I got an email from a colleague who's working in rural South Africa, and he tells me that even before he got there, the kids in these townships were already singing Baba Yetu. That's nuts.

I don't mind being the Baba Yetu guy at all! I'm proud that I wrote that song. You could argue that a lot of the projects I do (for example, God of Love) are a means to show the world that I can do a lot more. But still, it's pretty much the closest I've ever come to writing a 'great' piece of music.

Is there a downside? Yes, a slight one, but it's outweighed by all the great things that have come my way from that one song. I'm really grateful to everyone for their support, and SUPER GRATEFUL to the gaming community. Really... the support I've had, through the Grammys, through Video Games Live, through people just writing to me... it's been phenomenal. I don't know how many artists out there have gotten their break through video games, but it's certainly how I got mine, and it's been amazing.
 
Do people often confuse you with futurama composer Christopher Tyng?

Yes. I'll be at a party, be introduced to someone in the industry, and they'll say "Oh yes! We've met before." And I have no idea who this guy is.

The only people who haven't confused us are the people who send out Christopher Tyng's royalty checks. I keep hoping that someone will screw up and I'll see Futurama on my royalty statements, but alas, it's not happening. :)
 
What was your musical background as a child? It's probably safe to assume that you played an instrument; which one?
 
:lol:.
Some great insights :D.

@baba yetu: Well, freedom of art, isn't it?
In other languages you also it that the lyrics of songs don't result in really proper grammar at the end, so that "mistake" is not something really uncommon in my opinion.


Another question, an obvious one: Your music is not in Civ5. Why that? Did Firaxis not ask you, or have you been busy with your new project?
 
I've always been interested in languages, and the thing that really drew me to Calling All Dawns was the eclectic range of languages and musical traditions used in the songs.

It includes lyrics taken from ancient sources like the Bhagavad Gita for Sukla-Krsne (according to Wikipedia anyway), as well as original lyrics and adaptations like Baba Yetu. My question is how you decided on the languages and sources you used. Were there pieces and languages you were already acquainted with, or did you do a lot of research into world music?
 
I don't have a question- more of a minor gripe. Sometimes when I load Civ4, in antipication of my teeny little bit of available playing time, I get so distracted. The sun comes up over Asia, little lights start popping up around the Med, and Baba Yetu takes me away...

...what? Oh. Click on "Single Player". But Baba Yetu's still playing...

...what? Oh. Click on "Load Game". But Baba Yetu has started over and I want to hear it again...

And then my computer has this habit of finishing right before the best part of the song, abruptly yanking me from my Baba Yetu trance. Sometimes makes me wanna close Civ just to restart and hear some more Baba Yetu. Keeps taking me away from my Civving.

Seriously though sir, awesome work, and thanks. :goodjob:
 
What was your musical background as a child? It's probably safe to assume that you played an instrument; which one?

Piano from an early age, then trumpet, then guitar, then joined choir, then started composing!
 
:lol:.
Some great insights :D.

Another question, an obvious one: Your music is not in Civ5. Why that? Did Firaxis not ask you, or have you been busy with your new project?

I wasn't asked to participate in Civ V. I would have liked to, but it's not my decision, and they've got a great and very capable staff of in-house composers over there, who did a great job with the game. If Firaxis asks me back to do more work with them, I'd certainly love to!
 
Top Bottom