Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile Soundtrack / Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile Soundtrack / Immortal Cities: Children of the Nile Soundtrack

Originally released on the web.
Included with GOG release of Children of the Nile Complete on or around April 9, 2013.

01 - Welcome
This is the very first piece of music written for the game, way back in June of 2002. The style and arrangement I used here would be a template for many more tunes to follow. It is played while in the game's setup pages.

02 - Craftsmen's Song
One day I was reading about the lives of craftspeople in Ancient Egypt, and I learned that while plying their trade (stonecutting, woodworking, papyrus making, etc.) they would often work in groups, singing or chanting in time to the pace of their efforts. They would even use their tools to supply the rhythm!

I imagined this music must have been fun to perform and listen to. Trying to write something that would reflect this, and keeping with the contemporary feel of the soundtrack, the Craftsmen's Song came to life.

03 - Journey Down the Nile
I wanted to compose something that felt like you were traveling in a boat down the Nile, watching people go about their day. I gave it a rigid tempo but a serene musical feel, conveying the idea that it's a pleasant day out there, as you're rolling along steadily, quite relaxed... just don't fall asleep at the rudder!

04 - Memories of Thebes
Every spring in ancient Thebes, the Festival at Opet was held. Beginning in Karnak and ending in Luxor, the Egyptians celebrated the inundation of the Nile, and the connection between their Pharaoh and Amun, the "king of the gods".

The beginning and end of this piece are a guess as to what a "band" from this festival may have sounded like. From what little has been discovered, groups of musicians may have included a flute player, a percussionist or two, sistrum players, and hand clappers. Lacking I sistrum (a staff-shaped percussion instrument with metal rings attached to the top), I used a tambourine, and performed all of the other instruments.

05 - On the Falcon's Wings
Imagine if you could hitch a ride on (or if you were) a falcon, and you could see the splendor of Ancient Egypt from above. This music strives to capture that image, circling and gliding over water and land, until finally you rise up above the Great Pyramids, and head off into the sunset.

06 - Karnak by Camel
Using lots of syncopation and layers of percussion, the rhythm here reminded me of riding a camel across the long desert. Why Karnak, you ask? Well, why not? It's just one the many places I imagined someone traveling to.

Actually, there weren't many camels in Egypt until much later in their timeline (around the Ptolemaic period). But still, one can imagine...

07 - The Valley of the Kings
When I read about the Valley of the Kings, I was amazed at how many former rulers were buried in one place, and how elaborate some of the tombs were. As I wrote this, I thought of those who might have readied a tomb for the Pharaoh, preparing him to rest for all eternity.

08 - Pharaoh's Dream
This was the first in-game tune written for the game, and is also one of the more low-key compositions. First I wanted to create the image of Egypt at night; then, the pharaoh lies asleep, dreaming of being called upon by one of the major gods -- as recognized by an eerie, strange voice.

09 - The Garden of Egypt, Part 1
There was a great oasis between Upper and Lower Egypt called the Faiyum, where many people (including pharaohs) hunted, worshipped, or just wanted to get away from it all. When I wrote this tune, I was imagining being at rest in the Faiyum, enjoying a lazy afternoon. The instrumentation is sparse, with occasional cymbal/sistrum effects giving the music more texture.

10 - Many Roads, Many Travels
I had finished writing a lot of music for the game up to this point, and had a lot of those ideas still running around in my mind. Here, I brought back reflections of previous tunes, as well some new ideas. Putting it all together felt like a kind of montage, or a musical road to travel on (hence the title).

11 - The Garden of Egypt, Part 2
I liked the contrast of The Garden of Egypt to some of the other more "upbeat" tunes, so I decided to do it again, writing some more music about the Faiyum paradise!

12 - Dissatisfaction
This is the background music for the higher levels of dissatisfaction in the game. Things are getting worse in your city, and you must do something fast to correct it... or you'll be overthrown!

13 - Beloved of Ma'at
Ma'at was the goddess of truth and balance. But even more than a goddess, She was also the pattern of things, the very order and fabric of the universe. A pharaoh would be obligated to uphold Ma'at in everything he or she did. In this way, they were "Beloved of Ma'at". This piece is bolder and more majestic-sounding than previous ones, reflecting pharaoh's upholding of truth, balance, and order.

14 - In the Field of Reeds
When a person died, their heart and deeds were weighed on a scale against the Feather of Truth. If the scale was balanced, they would move on (or cease to exist otherwise!) and meet Horus, who would take them to the Fields of Aalu, otherwise known as the Field of Reeds. There, relatives and friends who had since passed on would be there to greet them, in a forever afterlife of bliss. The Fields were tended with the help of shabtis, statuettes placed in the coffin of the dead.

15 - Festival Dance
Festivals spanned over the millenia in Ancient Egypt, and were an essential part of Egyptian culture. They would be held for just about anything important, from celebrating the living or the dead; for gods and goddesses; or even for the seasons of planting, flood, and harvest. This is a "universal" dance tune that could conjure up thoughts of any of these celebrations or rituals.

16 - In the Service of Pharaoh
This is the music you hear when raiders enter your city. Your military must fight back, as they are "in the service of Pharaoh".

17 - Jewel in the Desert
The "Jewel in the Desert" is the land otherwise known as Ancient Egypt. On this tune, the last piece I wrote for the game, I mainly switched off between two stringed instruments, the Esraj and the Bulbul Tara. Over a slow repeating chord progression, these are heard as the solo instruments, creating a greater depth to the music.