The composer for Sim City 4 is chiefly Jerry Martin with other composers like The Humble Brothers. In this game a jazz theme is carried out along with classical styles that borderline epic scores.
Sim City 4 Background
Sim City 4 is a city-builder simulation game that is developed by Maxis, a division of Electronic Arts. It was released in early 2003 and is the first in the series to bring in full 3d graphics. The game starts with the player terraforming the land. Once the environment is setup the player can begin building a settlement. The simulation progressively gets harder as the small town grows into a megalopolis. Your role is to play as the mayor. You get a group of advisors to assist you with everything from the cities budget to various services and the well-being of your citizens. This game is open ended and the possibilities are only limited by your creativity and how well you can keep up with the financial and logistical side of the city.
Terraforming tools
Close up medium sized city
Song: Terrain
Musician: The Humble Brothers
The Songs Role
This piece starts out slow with sparse instruments that sound ominous. A couple accent sounds come in that are angelic and bright. This parallels the beauty that is being created with the placement of hills, mountains, rivers, and trees. About a minute in, drums appear to give this song a faster beat and up its intensity. This reflects a major aspect of the game, money. Once the terraforming is complete, you begin to lay down the first roads and create the the residential, commercial and industrial zones. At this point the clock is ticking to turn this into a profitable city before it goes bankrupt and game over.
The song makes another transformation at the 2:20 mark. An acoustic guitar comes in along with more angelic voices. This is aligned with a part in the game where you must overcome the first hurdle of being profitable with all the basic necessities of a town in place. The player can now take a deep breath as the initial threat of demise is gone.... for now. At the 2:54 mark violins enter the song. This communicates a part of the game where the player can transition from being an accountant / business man and focus on the creative aspect of the game by spending the cities surplus money on items like parks, decorative features, and large venues like stadiums for the citizens to enjoy.
At around 4 minutes in the song makes another transition. This time it is beginning to revert back to where it started. This is very much in line with an ever present aspect of the game, it is not all bliss. As the city grows you get new problems like the potential for gridlock, power outages, or lack of high density buildings just to name a few. This outro is much shorter than the intro. This is reflective of the fact that these new problems have much clearer solutions than the issues at the beginning of the game. Finally, the song ends on a positive note with the gong and the uplifting voices.
Social Commentary
This song does not have social commentary outside the game per se. With this game being a simulation, the various aspects speak to the real life challenges of city planners.
Personal Opinion
This song to me is very relaxing and is conducive to creative thinking. It makes me think of the kind of music you hear in a "brain food" music playlist. The fact that it doesn't have any vocals adds to openness and freedom it engenders. This song is one of my favorite instrumentals and it will remain a mainstay in my music rotation.
In 1931 the conductors Sir Thomas Beecham and Malcolm Sargent decided to make a new orchestra. The original idea was to set up a permanent orchestra that would have a guaranteed salary by Beecham's patrons. This did not go over well with the players in the orchestra as this would involve weeding out less skilled players. The orchestra at this point had been self governing. So, the two conductors decided to build a new orchestra. The only challenge was that most of the skilled musicians were already employed with other orchestras. Luck was on their side though, the economy wasn't doing too well so there was a surplus of freelance musicians. They ended up employing a large number of these musicians. In the following year, their orchestra had grown to 106 players. After their first performance it was clear that they are a cut above the rest, and the publications of the time had nothing but rave reviews to give.
Today
The London Philharmonic Orchestra has become the gold standard in when it comes to classical performances. In 1993 they became the resident orchestra of the Royal Festival Hall on the south bank of the Thames. They routinely perform at prestigious events around the world. They are also credited with performing for various film soundtracks like the Lord of the Rings Trilogy.
Performance 1: Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Op. 46: I. Morning Mood
In this musical piece the wood instruments take center stage. Specifically the flute and the oboe. This is a Norwegian song that was composed by Edvard Grieg in 1875. This piece was written to accompany a play that takes place in the Moroccan Desert, but most people think of the composers home country, Norway when they hear this song. The instruments alternate between the flute and the oboe. The use of the pentatonic scale in this song gives it a folk-like quality.
Performance 2:London Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Gymnopédie
In this classical piece the piano is the sole instrument. It was composed by Eric Satie, a Frenchman in 1888. The mood for this song was inspired by the painter, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes. This song is much slower than most of the pieces they play. The fact that its a singular instrument gives a sense of being alone or in an introspective space. There is an economy of notes in this song. It is also a relatively simple song compared to other classical piano solos.
Role of the London Philharmonic Orchestra
The players in this orchestra dedicate their lives to reproducing the great classical pieces. This orchestra gives people the opportunity to experience this music live. They also bring inspiration into the various venues they play at such as schools and workshops. This inspires many prospective musicians.
Personal Opinion
I have been introduced to a wide variety of classical music thanks to this orchestra. They play a curated selection of some of the greatest classical works which makes the process of enjoying classical music that much easier. Their passion for reproducing the music at such a high standard is something I appreciate.
