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If you played Civ 4, you'll be familiar with that game's brilliant opening theme - Baba Yetu (we've got a video of it further down). Good news, the song's composer, Christopher Tin is back in Civilization 6. The new song is called Sogno Di Volare, which is Italian for 'the dream of flight'. It's suitably grand, and you can watch a video about Tin's process of composing it below. ...That said, the composer of Civilization 4's theme tune is returning for Civilization 6...so we may very well get a theme to compete with Baba Yetu. - Alphr

Tuesday's concert will open with the music of Christopher Tin, honorary artistic adviser for the UNCMS. His "Baba Yetu," in an arrangement for chamber ensemble, sounds like an inspirational mashup of "Graceland"-era Paul Simon and Hans Zimmer's "Lion King" soundtrack. - amNewYork

The title track is an awesome, up-beat song that is definitely the highlight of the soundtrack.. - Amped IGO

...a solemn requiem inside Christopher Tin’s incredibly beautiful, yet mournful score. And without skipping a single beat equate it to the works of Mozart or Berlioz. - Artisan Music Reviews

I can't say enough about the excellent soundtrack.. - Associated Press

Composer Christopher Tin's "Baba Yetu," originally written for the video game Civilization IV, has been nominated for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s). It's the first time music written for a game has been nominated for anything at the Grammys. And a well-deserved first it is... But if you haven't kept up with game music, you might wonder how it evolved from that to Tin's "Baba Yetu," a rousing choral work written as a Swahili version of the Lord's Prayer. - Atlantic

I got goosebumps when Jasmine Chen's "Waiting for Your Return" kicked in at the beginning and she began singing in Mandarin... I didn't make it past the opening credits without bursting into spontaneous tears. Music can be such an emotional part of a movie experience to me, so the second Chen's cover started playing in Mandarin...at the top of the film, I was gone. - Atlantic

... you've put a thing of great beauty into the world. - BBC

For the first time, a videogame theme has been nominated for a Grammy--sort of. Among the nominees for best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocalist(s) is composer Christopher Tin's "Baba Yetu," featuring the Soweto Gospel Choir singing the Lord's Prayer in Swahili. Initially written as the theme song for the 2005 strategy game "Civilization IV," it has become something of a modern choral standard, as well as a regular feature of the popular Video Games Live concert tour, feauturing game music performed symphonically. - Billboard

Among the big surprises and performances of last night's Grammy Awards is the historic win of composer Christopher Tin, who took home a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists for the song "Baba Yetu." - Billboard

Not to mention the music is outstanding, giving a rich atmosphere to the colonization of Mars. - Blast Magazine

Christopher Tin from California, one of the adjudicators of the series, wrote the score. He won one of his Grammys for his composition Baba Yetu, the main theme song in the popular video game Civilisation IV. The song Baba Yetu has been sung by many a choir worldwide and is highly respected in choral circles. - Cambrian News

the music really rocked - Chicago Maroon

Christopher Tin created a remarkable work in the expression of the most extreme and subtle of emotions. - Cinefonia

The Civilization IV theme, "Baba Yetu," has earned quite a bit of notoriety over the years, as one of the few video games to break into the mainstream. ...impressive theme song. - Cinema Blend

The best video game music: our guide to the best soundtracks: Christopher Tin's theme from the strategy game Civilisation IV was the first video game soundtrack to win a Grammy award. Recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Soweto Gospel Choir, it has the same accessibility and verve of Karl Jenkins. - ClassicFM

It's a meditative kind of day here in New York. Go to this site and click the free music for "Baba Yetu." It's the theme song for the game Civilization IV...the Lord's Prayer in Swahili. Peaceful and inspiring. - CNN Money

Commissioning and performing one of the pieces in the project gave me a fresh perspective on how a gifted composer like Tin finds his voice as an artist and hones his vision for a project even in the face of challenging circumstances and multiple revisions... the experience of being inside Tin's compelling and unpretentious creative process was exhilarating. - Colorado Public Radio

Taylor Swift occasionally tweets out great covers of her songs (or an entire album's worth if you're Ryan Adams), though she usually sticks to relatively straightforward interpretations. On Thursday, however, she shared something a little bit different - an orchestral, truly epic rendition of "Bad Blood." - Cosmopolitan

Tin's influence on the album creates an immersive and multi-faceted sound that would have been unachievable using just digitized instrumentals... Ultimately Tin and Illingworth have initiated not only the conversation, but the collaboration, that will surely dispel the stigma that electronic music is not real music. - Dancing Astronaut

Every time I hear this theme, I have to just stop and listen in awe. I still remember booting up the game for the first time in 2005 and being greeted with this powerful, sweeping and utterly majestic song that introduces you into the cradle of civilization. - Destructoid

Award-winning film and video game composer wrote music for the sea in this new album that blends Jazz, Classical, World and other elements into a vocal/orchestral masterpiece. Utilizing some of the world's most amazing choirs including the Soweto Gospel Choir, Anonymous 4, Schola Cantorum and more, Tin's new album is beyond mesmerizing. - Dirty Dog Jazz

Every once in a while a record comes along that transcends boundaries... Calling All Dawns is a masterpiece of modern World music... Tin's work takes on an explosive quality that is born from Classical but grows up into a risk-taking contemporary adult... I would challenge you to find a better production in any genre than what Tin has done here... It is one of the most 'advanced' of its kind in the genre, without a doubt. This presentation of intense composition is sure to inspire many more composers in the genre, and could quite possibly change the face of world music... - Dr Music's Weekly Checkup

The CD will have eleven tracks (full tracklist after the jump), and will feature music from a slew of terrific video game soundtracks, including our own Warcraft series (and Civ IV, which is probably the best music I've ever heard in a videogame, ever). - Engadget

And before you get too sniffy about videogame soundtracks, some are fairly well-regarded; Christopher Tin’s song for Civilisation IV, “Baba Yetu”, even won a Grammy. - Esquire

A very inspiring and comforting tune. - eTeknix

This is the first time - we think! - a song written for a video game has appeared on America's Got Talent - or Britain's Got Talent for that matter. Whether you like these programmes or not, it's hard not to root for the choir and, let's be honest, Baba Yetu is awesome. - Eurogamer

Tin knows his craft. He certainly knows all the tropes that make those blockbuster soundtracks succeed... This was my first contact with what I would later discover was the prodigious breadth of Tin's interests in different forms of music, not only on a global scale but also on a commercial one, since he was just as capable of writing music for video games as turning out this delightfully intimate little song... - Examiner

The album sounds like a unique cross between world music and film music, but Calling All Dawns defies all labels. It's just great music, period. - Film Score Click Track

Because history was made at one of this year's other big trophy-fests, the Grammy Awards, when a piece of music originally composed for a video game won an award; the first time music created for a game has received such an honor. The award bestowed upon Christopher Tin was a milestone moment and a beginning, a beginning from which other artists who bring game audio to life deserve to be honored, a beginning which couldn't have happened if not for a push for recognition for game music that began over a decade ago. - G4

... the evocative music melds traditional orchestral scoring with more exotic themes to great effect. - Game Informer

The sound is equally good, from the combat and game sound effects to the professionally done, and strikingly beautiful, soundtrack. - GameShark

Civ IV also presents itself well with a distinctive title-screen track that recalls the music of Disney's The Lion King... - GameSpot

Honorable Mention: Civilization IV - The main theme from the hit sequel is a unique "World Fusion" kind of sound, part African Drums, part chanting, part orchestral, that really calls to mind the epic sweep of the title. Throughout the rest of the game the music highlights the different eras, with different themes depending on if you're at peace or at war. The original scores eventually give way to contemporary orchestral themes that should sound familiar to most gamers, but the original music definitely deserves a nod. - GameSpy Honorable Mention, Best Music, 2005 - GameSpy

The musical score is also exceptional. I don't know when I've enjoyed in-game music more, especially the introductory music. - GameZone

The music is composed by Christopher Tin, who did the music for games like Civilization IV, and it's well done. Sometimes the background track and the sound queues you need to listen for overlap, but overall it's pleasing to the ear. - GamingAge

In the first 15 seconds, the litany of opening credits rolled by. Then, a song. It starts with jazzy woodwinds that rise to a crescendo of horns. A final few staccato blasts of trumpets introduce the sultry singer. She's singing in Mandarin. Crazy Rich Asians had barely begun and my waterworks had arrived... The Mandarin opener by Jasmine Chen set the tone for me, a salvo that made clear the producers had thought through the emotional weight of the film right down to the details. - The Globe and Mail

In 2005, the opening song to the game Civilization IV - Baba Yetu, a gloriously uplifting version of the Lord's Prayer in Swahili - was so popular that fans demanded it be released for download. The piece has now been performed at venues including the Hollywood Bowl and the Royal Festival Hall. - The Guardian

His piece, Baba Yetu, for Civilization IV, combined orchestral elements with strong African vocals, joyfully suggesting the cradle of life itself, instead of the more militaristic sounds one might associate with a strategy game about conquering... The sound is of a burgeoning, evolving civilisation itself, peaking in imperial crescendo before, appropriately enough, dying out. - The Guardian

Prepare to visualize yourself gallantly standing at the bow of a massive ship with a misty, Nordic breeze whipping through your hair. - Hello Giggles

Christopher Tin's album is a masterpiece. Every track is of such a high calibre and standard... "Calling All Dawns" is not just the best world music album of 2009, it's one of the best world music albums of the decade. Pure and absolute musical hedonism. - Higher Plain Music

... a broad spectrum of electro elegance. The sheer complexity of some of the tracks is mind-boggling, from the percussion to the little nuances and frequency changes in all the instruments as they go. It's these things that elevate a good album to a truly great one. Quite frankly, 'God of Love' is one long eargasm from start to finish... - Higher Plain Music

Is this an overdue step towards a Grammy award for Best Videogame Soundtrack? Will video game music get the respect it deserves? Probably not, that will take time and request from the public, but the award is an overdue honor for Tin, a talented artist -- whichever his medium. - IFC

[Civilization IV] will also include licensed performances of pieces by the old greats (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, and company) as well as contemporary greats like John Adams and soon-to-be greats like Christopher Tin. - IGN

... the music really steals the show. From the opening choral piece to the subtle nation-specific diplomacy music, the entire score of the game lends a strong sense of culture and feeling to the game... The music and Leonard Nimoy's voiceover work are amazing. - IGN

One common element that many of the songs share is the beautiful-sounding and brilliantly interwoven choir, which truly lends these songs an epic narrative. Perhaps the song that best embodies this is Civilization. Based on a game which explores the myriad of cultures the world over, the song seamlessly transitions between musical styles of differing ethnic origins, and is enhanced by a matching choir. This may very well be my favorite track, even in spite of my limited experience with the game series. - IGN

Though it lacks character in its story, Offworld does have terrific industrial-sounding music that hasn't gotten old over dozens of games. - IGN

The game's score, on the other hand, is wonderful. Composed by Christopher Tin (Civilization IV, X2: X-Men United), the dynamic music drives the intensity of combat. When being attacked, the music is subdued but active. Once you finish blocking a string of attacks, thrumming taiko drums explode driving you forward in battle. This effect is even more pronounced in later fights that swap back and forth between attack and defense very quickly. Not only does it become a duel of martial arts, but combat between two different music tracks. - InsideGamingDaily

Bright notes in the production abound, not least of which is Christopher Tin's soundscape, a truly wonderful mix of gospel voices, pensive strings and a perfectly placed, Coplandesque solo trumpet. - James Wegg Review

Calling All Dawns is a stirring creation that incorporates material from a wide range of cultures and languages, including Swahili, Japanese, Latin, Sanskrit, French, Maori and even Hebrew. - Jerusalem Post, The

Christopher Tin has a unique gift for telling big stories and evoking big emotions, and with The Lost Birds, he offers a gorgeous elegy for birds driven to extinction...this haunting tribute warns us to consider our own fragile existence here on earth - KDFC

And its original score packs an emotional wallop, especially as the Chargers' defeats mount after a 2-2 start. - LA Times

In a couple of other historic benchmarks, a Grammy for the first time went to a composition written for a video game: Christopher Tin's "Baba Yetu," which was named best instrumental recording; - LA Times

I think that this is the future of electronic music... As it begins to pervade our culture, we'll see it used more artfully within other forms of music. They turn negative soundscapes into sexy, euphonic compositions of righteous synth, virtuous instrumentalism, seductive vocals, and just the right amount of bass. - LessThan3

I've heard three preview tracks, and it's evident that Christopher Tin's The Drop That Contained the Sea will deliver above and beyond its gorgeous predecessor, Calling All Dawns. Tin's passion for the voice and sensitivity with an orchestra shines brightly and I can't wait to hear the whole album. It's fantastic music. - Minnesota Public Radio

With a new-age take on melody, harmony and rhythm, Tin's work nonetheless shares some of the defining characteristics of Mahler's best-known compositions. With soaring musical lines and dynamic changes that can raise the hairs on your neck, Christopher Tin would be a great Mahler pairing. - Minnesota Public Radio

Even though "Civ 4" came out half a decade ago, it's still nice to see some light getting shone on Tin's accomplishments. The recording was honored in conjunction with Tin's album, not the game, so Firaxis probably won't get a statue if "Baba Yetu" goes all the way. The track pools from a wide range of international musical traditions and has a discernible "Lion King" meets "Battlestar Galactica" vibe to it, in case you haven't heard it before. If that's the case, I highly recommend checking it out. - MTV

I opened it up and listened--something I rarely do quickly with new CDs. After hearing just the first track, I took it home to play for my wife, because I thought she would be blown away by it. I cannot explain why, but parts of it nearly had me in tears. This is really great stuff. - Music Choice/Classical Crossover

One of the key highlights from tonight's concert was Sid Meier's Civilization IV, where the orchestra and African choir vocals provided a rousing interpretation that was both bold and beautiful. This track was a pleasant surprise and welcome new addition to the VGL set list. - Music4Games

Video game soundtracks are officially having a moment... the medium has undergone a dramatic transformation since the 8-bit, chiptune days of the Nintendo Entertainment System... It’s still tempting to try and pinpoint that epochal moment - whether it be the technological shift brought about by the advent of the CD-Rom... or mainstream recognition, which can be traced back to 2011 and the first ever Grammy win for a game, when composer Christopher Tin’s Baba Yetu, originally from Civilization IV, took home the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) award. - New Statesman

Back in 2011, Christopher Tin’s song, Baba Yetu, which he composed for the turn-based strategy game, Civilization IV, ended up being the first piece of video game music (VGM) to bag a Grammy. Considering the Grammy Awards doesn’t recognise video games in separate categories (unlike the Baftas), this was a pretty impressive feat. - NME

The Drop That Contained the Sea is a powerfully dramatic work, well-conceived and skillfully realized. While retaining his marked ability for writing music with a wide appeal, he has also formed his own distinct voice without any obvious influences... the end product is reflective of Mr. Tin's deepending maturity as a composer. - NY Concert Review

With the cutthroat nature of the game in mind, the gorgeous music creates an antithesis soundtrack. The theme song is slow and haunting with a hint of melancholy, and the other songs masterfully capture the exact theme and emotion as intended. It's really fun to pause the game and listen. - OnlySinglePlayer

I again urge you to listen to the whole album and be ready for the knockout punch of the final track. Only when your defenses are down will you realize how powerful this project is, and what better way to become vulnerable than to assume we can't be challenged by such weak tripe? It's a clever trap set by the artists, and it turns out the complexity of the music and the depth of the lyrics will stymie us all. Just like love. - Original Sound Version

... I felt sex dripping from almost every track... like a lover walked through the door with "A Rapture," and left with "Love Is Love". Cue 'God of Love' and the exhilaration ensues: a dirty, Lohan-esque love affair, teeth catching lips and hair being pulled, all chased with clear liquor; you can thank Stereo Alchemy during the pillow talk. - Paradigm Magazine

Christopher Tin's new main theme, 'Sogno di Volare,' is just as sweeping, catchy, and beautiful as 'Baba Yetu.' I predict it will join his previous Civ effort in the pantheon of the greatest pieces of music written for a videogame... - PC Gamer

Christopher Tin's score brings a game about numbers to life, channeling the hopeful thrum of Tangerine Dream one moment, and urgency of Philip Glass the next. It's affecting, alien, wonderful. - PC Gamer

Civ VI grabs your attention from the off with powerful, uplifting menu music (by Christopher Tin, composer of Civ IV's much-loved theme music) and holds onto it through a bold new visual direction. - PC Games

sung Baba Yetu, the wonderful theme song from Civilization IV. - PC Games

If you think Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" video is epic, wait until you hear the orchestral cover she's digging. - People

[Taylor] Swift regularly gives shout outs to other artists on social media. Earlier this month, she tweeted about an epic orchestral version of "Bad Blood" from Grammy award-winning composer Christopher Tin... - People

But on a purely musical level, Christopher Tin has created an epic multicultural song that's quite soaring and certainly fits well with the nature of the game. - PopDose

When I first heard about an unusual classical album - devoted to a droplet of water moving from snow to a mountain stream to the ocean and back to the clouds - performed in 10 languages, I thought it might be a bit much. Then I heard the music. I was hooked. - Public Radio International

A soaring classical work on the history of flight. - Public Radio International

It begins with a raindrop patter that reminds me of the soundtrack by David Wingo for a movie called Take Shelter. But it then goes to its own places. What an evocative and poignant piece of music. Although I don't quite feel how it connects to the game yet - I've been playing a music-less Offworld Trading Company for so long now - it assures I won't be moving down the slider for music on the audio tab. On the contrary, I'm running the game in the background right now to hear the rest of Tin's music. Would it be too hasty to put it alongside other iconic and haunting sci-fi soundtracks? Clint Mansell for Moon, John Murphy for Sunshine, Vangelis for Blade Runner, Hans Zimmer for Interstellar, Steven Price for Gravity, and Christopher Tin for Offworld Trading Company. Yeah, that list looks about right. - Quarter-to-Three

Mr Tin's music pulses out distilled, rhythmic optimism in a fracturing and increasingly dismal world. - Reaction

He creates his own, ever evolving genre, drawing from many cultures and styles, illuminating differences, sometimes unearthing striking similarities. - Reaction

He is a man on a mission. While other contemporary composers are bulls in china shops – intent on smashing norms, Mr Tin is a kleptomaniac. He travels far and wide, experiencing different genres, picking up whatever catches his attention. - Reaction

It almost sounds medieval, like something you might hear on Game of Thrones. Tin, a classical musician from Palo Alto, CA, wrote on YouTube that after hearing Swift play the 1989 track at the Los Angeles' Staples Center back in August (where, yes, he did get a chance to take a photo with her), he was inspired to go home and write this orchestral piece, which is filled with brass, strings, and booming drums. - Refinery29

Track 5 is the Civilization IV medley, which is arguably the best song in the lineup. Superb vocals and a solid ethnic beat add a perfect blend of life and celebration that has not been heard since millions of people crammed into theatres worldwide in 1994 and first experienced the musical wonder that is Disney's The Lion King. - Static Multimedia

Getting pirate ship/sword fight movie scene vibes from this orchestral version of Bad Blood and I'm happy about it. - Taylor Swift's Twitter

Although the game's soundtrack is brilliant, one would be remiss not to talk about the new opening theme, Sogno di Volare ("The Dream of Flight"), penned by the brilliant Christopher Tin. - Telkom Gaming

Mere words would not do justice to its beauty and emotional intensity, naturally arising at the crossroad of three immense creative forces: Tin’s compositional prowess in crossover and neoclassical music; the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra’s renditions of those compositions, evoking the majesty of flocks in flight on as little as violins and cellos; and VOCES8’s harmony of voices, soaring, proud, delivering at once profound joy and unbearable sadness. This album perfectly demonstrates the primal power of music to bypass all rationale and reason, so that it can touch us at our very core and gently guide our longing for what can never come again. - The Northerner

What good is global domination without a great soundtrack? The 2005 hit Civilization IV got "Baba Yetu," as its rousing, anthemic theme song, courtesy of composer Christopher Tin. - Time

The intro music, for starters, is particulary great. - To The Game

But beyond the massive success of his Civilization IV theme "Baba Yetu," Tin's career in classical composition has earned him equal - if not more - praise from the recording industry. His 2009 classical crossover album Calling All Dawns also won a Grammy the same year as "Baba Yetu." His newest album, The Drop That Contained the Sea, premiered at Carnegie Hall this past April before releasing at No. 1 on the Billboard Classical charts in May. - Venture Beat

Gaming could have another memorable tune on the horizon. - Venture Beat

"Baba Yetu" is one of the greatest tracks ever created for a video game. - Venture Beat

Christopher Tin’s Baba Yetu won the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists category, and suddenly video game music was a legitimate thing. The Grammys responded in 2012 by changing the category’s name to Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media. - Venture Beat

This year's Grammy Awards will be remembered as a musical milestone for the video game industry and Christopher Tin. The 34-year-old composer from Santa Monica, Calif. won two Grammys for "Baba Yetu", a song he composed for 2K Games' Civilization IV and for a follow-up album that was inspired by the game. It's the first time that video game music has ever been awarded a Grammy. - Wall Street Journal

From the early bleeps and bloops of Pong and the simplistic tunes of Duck Hunt, Gauntlet and OutRun to the sophisticated compositions found in Advent Rising, Myst, Civilization IV and World of Warcraft, the performers synchronized their music to projected video images. - Washington Post

Tron, Civilization IV (featuring an absolutely show-stopping chorus of African singers) and HALO were phenomenal. - Wil Wheaton

The American composer Christopher Tin is one of today’s most innovative and influential composers... It's such a great piece of music. It's cinematic, and the music fits so perfectly for the oratorio. - Winnipeg's Classic107/Classical

I especially like the Civilization IV medley - that's usually the highlight of the VGL shows for me, and the version here is great, especially the tenor solo. - Wired

The opening theme to Civilization IV took home videogame music's first ever Grammy award last night... "Baba Yetu" is a standout piece of music - always one of the highlights of [the Video Games Live] concerts, for me - and richly deserving of the award. - Wired

The opening song gave me goosebumps! The first strain of music you hear in the film is this old-Hollywood big band intro. Then the vocalist comes in ... and the song is in Mandarin! The first track, "Waiting for Your Return," is a Chinese jazz classic, delivered with renewed verve and glamor by vocalist Jasmine Chen. It's a thrilling opening for a thoughtfully curated soundtrack, interspersed with Chinese classics along with covers of American pop songs in Mandarin and Cantonese. - Wired

It's just beyond anything I expected… the concept of 'To Shiver the Sky' is just an epic journey. It's humanity's ambitions to meet the heavens and beyond. - WSHU/Classical Music

Christopher Tin's The Lost Birds is one of the most heartbreaking and beautiful CDs I've heard in months. - WXXI

Special mention goes to the music, which is shockingly good. - Yahoo Games

The concluding movements of the work made clear why Tin is a multi-award winning composer. Upper voice writing was haunting and hazy; in a sea of sweeping cinematic sounds, evocations of darkly sinister storms, rolling waves and foreboding clouds were shot through with sparkling lights in the high strings. The final song, We Overcome The Wind, was an outpouring of joy; a unanimous standing ovation evinced the sense of togetherness at the heart of this concert. - York Press

Tin's sound has universal appeal, drawing on ethnic themes, classical influences and texts both ancient and modern. He delights fans of a powerful choral and orchestral sound and aficionados of world music alike. - YorkMix

Tin's compositions for the game are subdued but full of import, properly conveying the notion that Martian Business is Serious Business. - ZAM