Children of Dune

One of my favorite past-times as a kid was to sit beside my brother as he played PC games. I eventually played several of those games myself - 7th Guest, Leisure Suit Larry. But most days, I would just watch him play. One of those games was based on Dune, the world that Frank Herbert created in a series of books. In the computer game - a strategy one - my brother would build cities and monitor the spice flow. My sole task was to alert him of the great Worm that appeared every now and then, and off he'd go, rescuing his buildings and the people of Dune.

It was noob who got me hooked on the song "Inama Nushif," written in Fremen, the native language in Dune, by Brian Tyler. The young composer's dedication led him to plough through Herbert's novels so that he could learn enough of the language to put lyrics to one of the 174 tracks that he'd written and recorded in six weeks. The result of those six weeks is a startingly majestic TV mini-series score that is available on CD. Alas, it contains only 36 of those original cues.

So noob had (or still has?) the song on repeat mode in his car (a neat feature to have), while I recently got hold of the rest of the score. I put it on the Ipod, brought it with me to the Commons on Friday night, where I read Don Lee's novel Country of Origin while listening to the entire score. Didn't even have to skip a track. It's that good.

Tyler has scored some other films; he started small and then he got bigger jobs. His latest project is the film, Constantine. Children of Dune has really impressed me. I listen to it before going to school - the music gets me into the right mood. Very rousing.

Inama Nushif

Inama nushif (She is Eternal)
Al-asir hiy ayish (No malice can touch)
Lia-anni (Singular and ageless)
Zaratha zarati (Perpetually bound)
Hatt al-hudad (Through the tempest)
Al-maahn al-baiid (be it deluge or sand)
Ay-yah idare (A singular voice)
Adamm malum (speaks through the torrent)
Hatt al-hudad (Through the tempest)
Al-maahn al-baiid (be it deluge or sand)
Ay-yah idare (A singular voice)
Adamm malum (speaks through the torrent)
Inama nishuf al a sadarr (Forever her voice sings)
Eann zaratha zarati (through the ages eternally bound)
Kali bakka a tishuf ahatt (Sacrifice is her gift)
Al hudad alman dali (one that cannot be equaled)
Inama nishuf al a sadarr (Forever her voice sings)
Eann zaratha zarati (through the ages eternally bound)
Kali bakka a tishuf ahatt (Sacrifice is her gift)
Al hudad alman dali alia (that Alia will one day equal)
Inama nushif (She is eternal)
Al-asir hiy ayish (No malice can touch)
Lia-anni (Singular and ageless)
Zaratha zarati (Perpetually bound)