The original Civilization Opening Theme took players from the very beginning of the Earth's formation to the Dawn of Man, and is a suitably epic piece that mixes anticipation with the promise of marvels to come.
While only a few of the songs from Civilization III have names, many of them still stand out, like the drums-and-trumpets Ancient European theme, and especially the Modern Era songs: Smash, Techno Mix, and Stars Full.
There's also the "Greco-Roman" Industrial Age theme...better known as the finale of Joseph Haydn's Piano Sonata No. 49 (in the Hoboken catalogue; it's No. 59 in the Landon catalogue) in E-flat major. It's a bit slower and played more legato than most interpretations, but it's not that far off from the way some pianists actually play it; Alfred Brendel's is particularly close.
Civilization IV's Baba Yetu, which has become a Leitmotif for the entire series. In fact, it has won a Grammy, the first ever piece of computer game music.note Technically, it didn't win as videogame music. Rather, as part of the live album from Videogames Live tour. It was even played at the New Year's Concert of the sixty-seventh session of the United Nations General Assembly.
Civilization IV'sWarlords expansion theme also counts.
Most of the Background Music in Civ IV is this way. It's been described as "one of the few games that lets you change the background music, and one of the few games where you don't need to". This is largely because after the Classical Era, the pieces consist entirely of the cream of Western Classical Music (some of the selections, like the Miserere played in the Middle Ages, are considered to be absolute masterpieces), and the pieces chosen are furthermore beautifully tailored to the experience of playing the game.
Just the fact that every leader got their own piece, which is performed by increasingly more (modern) instruments as the civilization advances. And especially the tunes that are newer versions of old themes, which give an awesome moment of nostalgic realization, and of course, an opportunity to remember how amazing those songs were as well.
Like Mao Zedong's Theme, which becomes ten times better when you realize it's (another) new arrangement of Civilization II's The Shining Path.
Russian war ("Montagues and Capulets/Dance of the Knights", from Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev). This is one of the few Civilization themes with lyrics, taken from Alexander Pushkin's poem "The Bronze Horseman". The first few lines are about the beauty of Saint Petersburg, but then the lyrics quickly develop into a depiction of a massive flood, and the devastation it brings to the city. It all ends with one sentence, repeated several times: "Все гибнет." And what does it mean? "Everything dies." In the context of the game, Russia is this flood. It is you who will make everything die.
Indonesian peacenote An excellent combination between traditional Indonesian gamelan and modern western orchestra, easily invoking a sense of grandeur of an Indonesia civilization and war ("Udan Mas").
Zulu peace and Zulu warnote In constrast to the other war themes, this one is optimistic, almost as if the civilization is excited at going to war, which easily fits with Zulu's role as a warmonger("Inhliziyo Yami").
This video gives us a preview of Civ VI's evolving themes.
Civilization VI: A veritable goldmine of a soundtrack with several hits, aided by the genius of the evolving civ themes.
The main theme, "Sogno di Volare" ("The Dream of Flight"), is amazing. As are the Triumphant Reprise renditions that play for four of the five (six with Gathering Storm) victory conditions; Score/Time is a very basic excerpt through a developing city, Religion replaces the vocals with an ethereal choir as the cinematic treads stars, Culture's trumpet refrain punctuates scenes of the Hanging Gardens and a portrait of the Yosemite Valley, and Domination builds up in a minor key through the progression of war to a victory march with the Leitmotif. The song also gets a Dark Reprise for the defeat cutscene. Then there are the lyrics (courtesy of Leonardo da Vinci).
Una volta che avrai, spiccato il volo, deciderai, sguardo verso il ciel, saprai, lì a casa il cuore sentirai! Translated: Once you have taken flight you'll decide, Gaze towards the sky, you'll know that that is where your heart will feel at home!
The themes of each nation continue the style from Civ V with a bigger addition to its Evolving Music.
The Industrial Era theme and Atomic Era theme for America, which takes the American folk song "Hard Times Come Again No More" and gives it a distinct Aaron Copland vibe, which practically breathes Eagleland Type 1 and reflects America's status from Regional Power to Superpower.
Every single Australia theme. Possibly the most beautiful renditions of "Waltzing Matilda" ever composed. One Australian comments on how a bush song had become so extremely amazing. Special mention however has to go to the Atomic Era rendition as the combo of Aboriginal and Classical orchestra instrumentals combine to set the stage of Outback Australia at its finest.
The Atomic Era theme ("Kalinka") for Russia. Unlike pre-Atomic iterations, it includes the musical spirit of the Soviet Union to drive the transition from the Industrial to the Russian Revolutions home, which of course means the inclusion of a pseudo-Red Army Choir singing the lyrics. This happens to make it one of the sole country themes in the entire game that has coherent vocals.
The Atomic Era theme for France ("Quand je bois du vin clairet") transforms a classic drinking tune into an epic film score, evoking images of a cyberpunk Paris. Or Jean-Luc Picard.
The Industrial Era theme for Arabia ("Banat Iskandaria") really brings the image of say golden age Abbassid Arabia to mind, and the power and grandeur that once defined Arabia.
The Atomic Era theme for Rome ("Magna Mater") has this strange somber yet proud feel to it and the kind of sci-fi sound brings this image of a badass space age Roman empire. Pax Romana Galactica. Or the Imperium from Warhammer 40,000, which are essentially Romans In Space anyway.
The Industrial Era theme for Greece ("Epitaph of Seiklos") has this upbeat daring tune, almost like something a marching band would play that one simply cannot help but love. Also an example of Heartwarming Music: The Epitaph of Seikilos is the oldest known complete musical composition, discovered on a marble stele and believed to be written in memory of a Greek woman named Euterpe, with Seikilos as her husband. It is sweet to know that Euterpe is still honoured and remembered in a small way even thousands of years after her passing.
The Atomic Era theme for Sumeria ("Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, no. 6") is a theme straight from Civilisation Beyond Earth or National Treasure. Sumeria is perhaps the oldest civilisation featured in the game (only Egypt might be as old), and this theme really captures the grandeur of the hero king Gilgamesh leading his people into the stars.
The Industrial Era theme for the Kongo ("Banaha") is so upbeat and optimistic and seamlessly mixes traditional African instruments such as the drums and xylophone, and a classy orchestral score, fitting for an empire so often overlooked in the grander scale.
The Industrial Era theme for Brazil ("Brejeiro") is another upbeat tune that has an almost Disney Musical feel to it with its bombastic elegant score, and the Medieval Era theme brings this warm fuzzy feeling to heart, with its laid back and almost romantic tune.
The Industrial Era theme for China ("Mo li Hua") is one of the most magnificent scores the game has to offer, evoking images of magnificent golden palaces, blissful peach orchards, and the sweeping misty mountain valleys of the Middle Kingdom. The Atomic theme takes all that and gives it a magnified, sweeping epic flair.
The Atomic Era theme for Macedon (Tino Mori) masterfully exemplifies the duality of this civilization as it switches from a bright upbeat almost marching band like tune to a deep epic stirring war tune, showing off both the bright optimistic intellectualism of Alexander's world, and the grim reality of the conquests he waged.
All versions of Spain's theme (Recuerdos de la Alhambra). Special mention goes to the Atomic era version, which turns the guitar piece into a romantic and intensely patriotic orchestral track that perfectly captures the strength of the Spanish Armada and the might of the Spanish Empire at its peak.
All versions of India's theme (Vaishnava janato tene), which is played on classical Indian instruments throughout. It goes from an incredibly serene and soothing flute piece in the Ancient Era to a grand, upbeat piece in the Atomic Era, reflecting India's journey through her ancient glory, through subjugation as a colony, and back to being an independent nation and then rising to become a world power - all while retaining an emphasis on peace and spirituality. Doubles as a case of Shown Their Work - the medieval hymn it was based off was Mahatma Gandhi's favorite hymn in real life, and sung around the world on his 150th birth anniversary as a tribute to him.
All versions of Indonesia's theme (Bapang Selisir & Rejang Dewa), but especially the Atomic Era theme. It feels even more epic than the Indonesian theme from Civilization V, and that's saying something. It starts with a simple flute and ends up like you're watching a fleet of Jongs embarks from their harbor.
From the Rise and Fall expansion:
Even during the First Look video, the Ancient Era theme for the Cree drew attention for its vocals from the Poundmaker Singers, a drum group that comprises Cree tribe members and even descendants of Poundmaker, the Cree's leader in VI. All of the Cree themes feature the Poundmaker Singers, starting with a cave-like acapella (Ancient), to a string-strapped drum beat (Medieval), before blooming into full orchestra for the Industrial and Atomic themes.
The powerful polyphonic chant that represents Georgia (based off of the hymns "Shen Khar Venakhi" and "Tsaiqvanes Tamar Kali") sounds epic enough in its Ancient form, and each subsequent version only grows in scope and emotion.
Mongolia's Atomic era theme does an incredible job of both blending ancient traditions and modern musical styles, and giving the sensation of summarizing their history. Starting with the traditional throat-singing and horse hair fiddle playing backed with subtle strings showing their rather humble and disconnected origins, it smoothly transitions into a brief orchestral which symbolizes the beginnings of their unification. Then there's a gradual increase in beat and pacing, indicating their campaigns across the known world, before quietly returning to the traditional throat-singing as a closer, reflecting the end of their part in the world stage and a return to a humbler life.
Scotland gets the much-beloved "Scotland the Brave", starting with a traditional pipe-and-drum in the Ancient era, which will sound familiar to anyone that has heard bagpipes. While other instrumentation is used for the other eras (the fiddle in the Medieval version pays homage to Scotland's Celtic roots, for instance), the Atomic version brings back the drum line at the end, combined with the full orchestral arrangement used in other countries' atomic eras, with the low brass and strings emulating the long droning of the pipes.
From the Gathering Storm expansion:
Canada gets not just one, not just two, but three songs for its theme, which is a combo of "Vive la Canadienne" (representing the French-Canadians aka the Quebecois), "The Crooked Stovepipe" (representing the Anglo-Celtic Canadians) and "O Canada" (representing Confederated Canada). Starting out with just a simple string guitar and a fiddle in the Ancient era to a more French Canadian influenced style in the Medieval era to the glorious sweeping epic orchestra march of the Atomic era, commentators admitted they couldn't help standing for the anthem at the end in the Atomic era theme.
Hungary's folk music theme starts out fairly simple, with the Ancient era one sounding more like a spontaneous rehearsal between two musicians, but then slowly building up in the Medieval era in tempo and variety of instruments, reflecting the growing population and the need for entertainment. Once you reach the Industrial era, it sounds like a cross between a formal gala and a country town dance party, and by the time the player hears the Atomic era theme (complete with Eurobeat!), it really sinks in that Hungary has been refining their ability to party for hundreds if not thousands of years.
The Maori have two incredibly powerful and quite famous songs combined into great themes - "Ka Mate" and "Pōkarekare Ana" - but what's awesome about them is the order in which they are presented. In the Ancient Era "Ka Mate" plays first, warning others that they are not to be trifled with but then it flows into "Pōkarekare Ana", letting people know that they can be as friendly as anyone else, if you get to know them. But then in Medieval era and the successive eras, "Pōkarekare Ana" plays first, giving the impression that they're no longer reacting with aggression first as their civilization expanded, but "Ka Mate" cuts in towards the middle, reminding you that they are, first and foremost, a proud people who will fight for what they believe in. Really heartwarming in its own way.
Sweden's theme combines three songs into one. "Helan går" is a drinking song, while "Polska efter Pelle Fors" and "Slängpolska efter Byss-Calle" are folk songs. The result is a very optimistic song that sounds almost whimsical in the Medieval era, but reaches a triumphant crescendo in the Atomic era. Fitting for a civilization that, by that point, is likely a cultural and diplomatic powerhouse.
From the New Frontier expansion:
Gran Colombia's theme is a mixture of popular folk songs from the countries that were part of it. It begins with "Velo que Bonito", a Colombian religious lullaby also repurposed as a Christmas carol, then continues with "Reir Llorando", an Ecuatorian pasillo and in the Medieval age, it has "Pajarillo", a joropo of Venezuela. The rearragement of this local music (especially the Atomic version) has an aura of courage and power, perfect for the powerhouse of Gran Colombia.
For Gaul's theme, its Industrial-era version is very powerful and grand, as if it were the opening theme of an epic film, and the theme, despite mainly being an original composition, even contains a short passage from the Belgian national anthem, "La Brabançonne".
Byzanthium's theme, Ti Ipermaho Stratigo, truly brings to mind the pious power of the Eastern Roman Empire with its majestic swell of the male choir and graceful, ancient-sounding harmonies.
Babylon's Industrial-era theme has a very ominous tone that builds up to a grand crescendo in the final part of the track. It doubles down on this mood with the Atomic-era arrangement as Hammurabi turns his science based civilization into an interstellar empire.
took players from the very beginning of the Earth's formation to the Dawn of Man, and is a suitably epic piece that mixes anticipation with the promise of marvels to come.