Baba Yetu Live | Cadogan Hall 2016

Music: Baba Yetu – Christopher Tin

FOLLOW US:

[shermanthunderbolt]

"A song composed by an asian guy in an African language sung by white people from a game about the rise of humanity. Now if that isn't awesome i don't know what is"

[TapdotWater]

This song was originally written long ago by a Jewish Israelite, translated and sung in Swahili, a widespread African language, rewritten by a Chinese man living in the United States using European techniques, sung by a choir and played by an orchestra of varying people, inspired by one of the largest and most influential religions in the world. This song is more than just an _example_ of humanity and its vastness, but rather a living projection of it, written in musical form.

[Azulakayes]

I am East African and this is my language...I love hearing Swahili sang in diverse places and more points for it being the Lord's prayer.

[kibetronoh]

I'm Kenyan. Not religious but so nice to hear kiswahili by an international group of people. Wonderful!

[elisabethhenssler]

I had the honour in high school of being a part of a choir festival where Christopher Tin came and conducted us through this song. Years later and it’s still one of the most magical songs I know.

[coudak]

The elder black woman is so happy when he starts singing its so cute

[JoshIdstein]

How someone who writes a soul-touching piece like this can not be named in the same breath as the greatest composers of history, just because he wrote it for a video game rather than a king's court, baffles my mind. It's still one of the greatest pieces of music humanity has produced. Christopher Tin is a genius.

[matthewrodriguez]

Christopher Tin, mighty musician and composer; you lead an orchestra unparalleled in skill and fervor. They look to you once more to reclaim the glory of symphonies past. Can you bring about a resurrection in the field of orchestral music? Can you build a soundtrack that will stand the test of time?

[tw]

That guys voice is ridiculously amazing

[AbdullaLima]

Who else spent several minutes in the main menu in Civ IV only to listen to this song over and over?

More than a decade later and I still get goosebumps listening to it. It evokes such a feeling of our primordial origin and its struggles.

[ronancasey]

If you zoom in on Civ VI Amphitheaters you can hear it play themes from previous Civ games

[iiiiitsmagreta]

I just realized Christopher Tin is either mouthing the words or singing along. I dunno why, but that made me smile :)

[WeezaY]

This actually brought tears to my eyes. It really should be the theme song for planet Earth.

[theotherredmeat]

Because of this song, I can recite the Lord's Prayer in Swahili but not in English.

[gregjenkins]

0:27 I cant help but smile seeing that older gentleman behind the lead singer smile grow as they start singing. It really makes you look at music as a true way to the soul, and the impact music has on people. Beautiful absolutely stunning.

[georgeleslie]

If they ever bring the Summer Olympics to Africa, I hope this song could play during the torch lighting ceremony.

[Diegossdelarosa]

Every time you start to lose any hope on humanity in these hard times as I did once, I deeply advise you to come here and listen to this song. I consider it as an ode to our weak, lonely and faulty, but yet a marvelous race. Let's keep trying.

[Gneckes]

This song gave me shivers down my spine ages ago when I first played Civ 4, and it still does today. That crescendo starting at 1:28 gets me everytime.

[lordsaladin]

the lead singer has a voice from heaven, god bless.

[videgameCaster]

This will forever stands as the best Civilization Theme ever. The song is just so powerful. Don't get me wrong, the new theme for Civilization IV is simply but marvelous, but there's something so mystical, so ancient in Baba Yetu Ye.