# can you suggest suitable music for a game?



## tolworthy (Oct 17, 2009)

This is my first post so I hope I don't make a fool of myself!

I'm making an adventure game based on Hesiod's Theogony (the creation of the Greek gods). The original poem starts with "sing, oh muses!" so I thought I'd have a musical puzzle: the user is in this cave, and if they click on a pillar it lights up and plays a note (an ethereal "aah" sound - as if it's the echo of a dead muse).









The cave will play a tune and the user has to repeat it. But what tune? I'm looking for something that:


is classical (i.e. the melody is out of copyright!)
can be simplified into 20 note chunks
sounds deep and meaningful: like the death and resurrection of distant, ancient gods. 
Any suggestions?


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## MusicalOffering (Sep 11, 2009)

Don't think classic music (Baroque or Romantic period etc) will fit your game, seeing as it is set about 2000 years before the western classic music was introduced. Try searching on youtube for some ancient greek music, there is actually quite alot of it.


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## Chi_townPhilly (Apr 21, 2007)

I don't think gamers would be particularly bothered by anachronisms here. Stanley Kubrick made the opening bars of R. Strauss' _Also Sprach Zarathustra_ work during a scene set in the Stone Age.

Since that piece isn't an option, and Wagner's Prelude to _Das Rheingold_ is likely too overused to be placed in that context-- how about a passage from the opening movement of Mahler's _Symphony #1_?


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## tolworthy (Oct 17, 2009)

Thanks! I'll look for both of those. Ancient Greek music would be great if I could find something suitable - it's nice to have those authentic touches. But of course the most important thing is to be entertaining, as Kubrick knew, so I'll check out Mahler as well. Thanks again!


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## Cortision (Aug 4, 2009)

Love the graphics!


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## tolworthy (Oct 17, 2009)

Cortision said:


> Love the graphics!


Thanks! I posted plenty more on the game blog, enterthestory.wordpress.com.
(You'll need to scroll back a couple of weeks to see most of them) - here's the most recent:


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## bassClef (Oct 29, 2006)

Wagner, Sibelius and Rimsky-Korsakov - plenty of fairy-tale type stuff in their catalogue.


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## SalieriIsInnocent (Feb 28, 2008)

Well I think that the Tomb Raider games did a great job with orchestrated music in Anniversary. So I would say anything like Mussorgsky, Stravinsky (if it is mainly an American or non-Russian release) Mahler.


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## tolworthy (Oct 17, 2009)

re: Wagner, Sibelius and Rimsky-Korsakov

would you recommend anything in particular? I've tried a little Wagner, but I'm afraid I'm very ignorant. Most of what I found was beautiful but unsuitable for reducing to 20 notes or so. Maybe what I need is a book called "classics for the one handed glockenspiel"


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## MusicalOffering (Sep 11, 2009)

Some greek music:


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## tolworthy (Oct 17, 2009)

Those Greek tracks are perfect! Thanks so much! If I find any others that are simple I'll use those as well (if it doesn't take too long I'd like to offer a reasonable number of melodies in the game) but those are excellent. Thanks again.


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## tolworthy (Oct 17, 2009)

Chi_town/Philly said:


> how about a passage from the opening movement of Mahler's _Symphony #1_?


I only just checked this - you, sir are a genius! It's simple, powerful, and about the exact topic of my game: the creation of the Titans! (The creation of the gods comes later in the game.) I'm listening to the first movement now, and it's full of memorable little snippets with just the right mood.

I definitely came to the right forum.


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## Herr Direktor (Oct 18, 2009)

I might also suggest the first movement of Bruckner 3rd. Very dark and almost medieval sounding IMHO.


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