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Keeper's long-lost MIDI files

Recent additions

• Theme from "Star Trek" by Alexander Courage -- Level 1 -- 9 June 1988
  This is a MIDI conversion of a four-voice Amiga DMCS file I made which itself was a manual conversion I did of a three-voice Commodore 64 SID-Player file by Brian Szepatowski.
  
  
• Battle Cry of Freedom by George F. Root -- Level 1 -- 8 August 1991
  One of the most popular Union songs from the American Civil War.
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• Beautiful Dreamer by Stephen Foster -- Level 2 -- 1 January 1992
  This was Stephen Foster's last work, and is one of his most famous.
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• Minuet in A Major by Luigi Boccherini -- Level 2 -- 24 January 1990
  A very well-known piece by this little-known composer. Remember that when I arranged these "long-lost" files, the only MIDI device I had was a piano sound module, so I put dynamics into the file. However, because the piano hadn't been invented when this was composed, I use the harpsichord sound in this MIDI file, but of course harpsichords can't play dynamics. For a harpsichord purist this will sound strange with the instrument getting louder and softer. If you are such, either change the sound to a piano or ask me to make a harpsichord version with the dynamics removed (like I did for Les Grâces Naturèles). I can do this quite easily.
  
  
• Bugler's Dream by Leo Arnaud -- Level 1 -- 10 August 1988
  A tune commonly associated with Olympic-type events. This file is a MIDI conversion of a four-voice Amiga DMCS file I made which was itself a manual conversion of a three-voice Commodore 64 SID-Player file by Gary Oglesby.
  
  
• Les Carillons by Johann Philipp Kirnberger -- Level 1 -- 19 December 1990
  This will test the high ranges of your sound card, MIDI device and speakers! I used the celesta sound for this, appropriately transposing the music two octaves higher than written. I know that the celesta is a relatively modern instrument, invented in the late 19th century, but given the title of the piece it makes a much more appropriate sound than a harpsichord does. I tried using tubular bells, but they produce a far too thick sound without any crisp strike tone. If you have a GS-compatible MIDI device, you might try transposing the music down an octave or two and choosing the church bell patch to get an authentic carillon sound.
  
  
• A Christmas Carol by Tom Lehrer -- Level 1 -- 22 December 1990
  A pretty basic arrangement of Lehrer's 1954 song (from his album An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer) celebrating the true spirit of Christmas...
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• Sa Taille by Erik Satie -- Level 2 -- 1 January 1992
  The first of Les Trois Valses Distinguées du Précieux Dégoûté, dated 21 July 1914. These odd little pieces each tell a story as they go along, though no direction is given to perform the lines. Each of these also has a quotation on the top of the score. It seems as though these were not intended to be performed for an audience. They are to be enjoyed by a pianist. Nevertheless, I arranged this one. The accompanying text and story is available as well.
  
  
• Don't Jazz Me (I'm Music) by James Scott -- Level 2 -- 8 October 1990
  It is known that James Scott often did not name his rags; the titles were given by the publisher, John Stark. This rag, published in 1921, probably shows Stark's opinion about the new music form that was beginning to overshadow ragtime. Of course, since jazz was improvisational and Stark was a sheet-music publisher, I imagine there was a good reason for him not to like the way popular music was heading. The most interesting thing about this rag is when the first strain is reprised, its cadence is replaced with the one from the second strain.
  
  
• Theme to "Doctor Who" by Ron Grainer -- Level 1 -- 26 March 1992
  I made this as a four-voice Amiga DMCS file, though limiting it to three voices so the Amiga could have some echo effect. I transcribed the original 1963 theme by ear. There are many combinations of General MIDI instruments which sound cool with this, but I decided on modest choices, trying to keep it sounding as close to the original as possible. Of course, these synth instruments vary tremendously from device to device, so my choices may sound totally different on your system. DMCS could not do portamento (slides), so this file lacks it. With a few days of tweaking this could be made really nifty!
  
  
• Sonatina in E Major (L. 375, No. 3) by Domenico Scarlatti -- Level 1 -- 21 November 1990
  Originally made as a piano arrangement since that's all I had in those days, this is now played with a correct period instrument, the harpsichord. However, the dynamics remain, so it's some kind of magical harpsichord capable of playing at different volume levels. If this upsets you I can remove the dynamics easily. Just ask.
  
  
• The Earle of Salisbury by William Byrd -- Level 2 -- 1 August 1991
  This pavane is popular among classical guitarists. Here it is played on a pipe organ.
  
  
• The Elements by Tom Lehrer -- Level 1 -- 2 January 1991
  Sung to the tune of Sir Arthur Sullivan's I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General from The Pirates of Penzance, this song from the album An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer remains popular today despite being considerably out of date. It was written in 1958 as an aid to memorizing all the known elements. It served as inspiration to Randy Rogel when he wrote the wonderful list songs for the Animaniacs cartoons Yakko's World and Wakko's America, then later the self-parody, All the Words in the English Language.
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• Prelude in B-flat minor (Op. 28, No. 16) by Frédéric François Chopin -- Level 2 -- 19 March 1993
  In DMCS it was not possible to include the damper pedal commands, so this arrangement is a bit of a D-I-Y. If you're using an external MIDI device and have the sheet music handy, you can add the sustain pedal motions while you listen to this sequence. (If anyone saves a version with pedaling, please send it to me! I don't have an external MIDI device, most of my music books are packed away where I won't be able to get to them until I move again, and the non-synchronous clocks between the Amiga and the PC make these "long-lost" sequences very difficult to hand-edit anyway because you can so easily lose your bearings.) I'm not sure I did the arpeggi correctly; Chopin being a later composer, they might be better off performed before the beat. I've never heard a performance of this to judge by, either, which is true for most of the "long-lost" stuff actually.
  
  
• La Gemissante by Jean François Dandrieu -- Level 2 -- 1 August 1991
  Another one that sounds great on the celesta despite the anachronism. It sounds good on a harpsichord too (try it by transposing down two octaves, removing the chorus effect and reducing the reverb), but the celesta adds to the tranquil and sad nature of tune. In the third strain, the score has a few different types of trill markings and appoggiature on trill notes that most people who make MIDI files probably would not know how to execute properly (let's face it: most people who make MIDI files would mistake an appoggiatura for a grace note).
  
  
• Ricercata by Giovanni Maria Trabacci -- Level 2 -- 5 September 1991
  Here is an example of music in Mixylodian mode. What that means is it's in the key of G, but the scale doesn't have a sharpened F. The third part of this ricercata is the most interesting, with a descending chromatic motive. If someone can get me a more specific title to use, such as a larger collection of works it was originally a part of, I'd appreciate it.
  
  
• Bourrée in A Major by Georg Philipp Telemann -- Level 2 -- 10 October 1990
  
  
• Fantasia in B minor by Georg Philipp Telemann -- Level 2 -- 10 October 1990
  
  
• I Hold Your Hand in Mine by Tom Lehrer -- Level 1 -- 11 September 1992
  This love song written in 1953, featured on the album Songs by Tom Lehrer, was most often requested at his performances ... requested not to play, that is.
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• Heart and Soul arrangement by Jerry Roth -- Level 2 -- 20 June 1988
  The less-annoying of the two tunes that every child somehow learns to play on the piano, in a treatment originally done in a three-voice Commodore 64 SID-Player file by Jerry "Dr. J" Roth, which I then hand ported into a four-voice Amiga DMCS file, and now have converted to MIDI.
  
  
• Intonazione by Giovanni Gabrieli -- Level 2 -- 13 December 1990
  This is a very old piece of music, composed in 1593, and as such is built on very long held chords reminiscent of monasterial chants.
  
  
• Canzon by Johann Jakob Froberger -- Level 2 -- 2 March 1991
  This canzon also is in the Mixylodian mode. Like many baroque pieces, it ends on a second-inversion chord.
  
  
• Two-Part Invention No. 12 by Johann Sebastian Bach -- Level 2 -- 7 August 1991
  After the ending, this sequence will back up a few measures and play the ending again, incorporating the differences found in the Spohr and Hoffmeister manuscripts.
  
  
• Fugue in C Major by Johann Sebastian Bach -- Level 2 -- 24 March 1993
  I don't know where this fugue came from so can't identify it any more than that. This was probably the last DMCS arrangement I ever made that was intended to be played by the Amiga's own sound chip. But here it is converted to MIDI. It is performed by a trio of horns.
  
  
• Toccata in C minor by Leonardo Leo -- Level 2 -- 9 January 1992
  
  
• Hornpipe in G minor by Jean Baptiste Loeillet -- Level 2 -- 10 October 1990
  I chose to do this one because of the constant syncopation in the right hand, which seemed so unusual for such old music.
  
  
• Marching Through Georgia by Henry C. Work -- Level 1 -- 5 September 1991
  Today, the campaign of General Sherman during the American Civil War is known to have been a terrible campaign of mass destruction, but for many years it was considered only for the decisive victory that it was. This song was written to celebrate it, though its lyrics certainly give no reference to the true nature of the events.
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• March Majestic by Scott Joplin -- Level 2 -- 4 May 1993
  This probably is the second-most popular of Joplin's three 6/8-time marches.
  
  
• Military March, 16th century composer unknown -- Level 1 -- 1 January 1992
  The British military still plays this tune, probably because in the 19th century it was given lyrics called The British Grenadiers. A century earlier, it had been given lyrics during the American Revolution, called Free America. If you're curious as to the full lyrics to either, let me know and I can include them.
  
  
• Fantasia in C by Johann Pachelbel -- Level 2 -- 11 October 1990
  Yes, Pachelbel wrote more than that Canon in D you hear everywhere!
  
  
• Fugue in C by Johann Pachelbel -- Level 2 -- 13 November 1990
  I think this is the shortest four-voice fugue I've ever heard.
  
  
• Pastime Rag No. 1 by Artie Matthews -- Level 2 -- 20 December 1991
  The first from a set of five rags (published over about six years, and not in order of their numeration) from the famous blues composer, each in a very different style.
  
  
• Les Plaintes d'une Poupée by César Franck -- Level 2 -- 29 May 1991
  
  
• Sonata in G by Giovanni Pergolesi -- Level 2 -- 7 March 1991
  For baroque music, this really rocks! Again, this was originally done with a piano sound, so there are dynamics which make the harpsichord sound fade and grow like a harpsichord can't really do, but at least it's a correct period instrument (and sounds better on it than on a piano).
  
  
• Poisoning Pigeons in the Park by Tom Lehrer -- Level 1 -- 27 December 1990
  One of his more popular songs, from the album An Evening Wasted with Tom Lehrer.
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• Pollution by Tom Lehrer -- Level 1 -- 22 April 1993
  This originally was designed to be played by the Amiga's own four-voice sound chip, but here it is converted to MIDI. This calypso tune, played here with steel drums and marimba, is Lehrer's version of a song to play on a Come to America travel advertisement in another country. He originally wrote it for the television program That Was the Week That Was in 1965, and appears on his album of songs from that show, titled That Was the Year that Was. While many of Lehrer's topical songs have become dated, this one is just as poignant today as it was then, if not more so.
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• So Long, Mom by Tom Lehrer -- Level 1 -- 27 December 1990
  The first and second world wars produced some of the most memorable and catchy songs in history, and in 1965 with the proliferation of nuclear weapons, Lehrer postulated that if there were to be any songs about World War III, they'd have to be written ahead of time. This appears on his album That Was the Year that Was.
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• Träumerei (four-hand arrangement) by Robert Schumann -- Level 2 -- 11 June 1992
  
  
  
• Gavotte from "Les Petits Riens" (K. 10) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- Level 2 -- 8 March 1991
  
  
• Komm, Lieber Mai (K. 596) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- Level 2 -- 28 June 1991
  This is one of Mozart's last pieces. It is a song, but I do not have the lyrics. The title means Come, Sweet May, but that month never came again for him.
  
  
• Wernher von Braun by Tom Lehrer -- Level 1 -- 28 December 1990
  From 1965 and featured on the album That Was the Year that Was, this song pokes fun somewhat bitterly at the changed allegiance of the man who invented the V-1 rocket bomb for Germany then went to work for the U.S. space program.
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• When Johnny Comes Marching Home by Louis Lambert -- Level 1 -- 6 September 1991
  Probably the most recognizable tune to come from the American Civil War.
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• Who's Next? by Tom Lehrer -- Level 1 -- 17 December 1991
  This was written in 1965 and takes a light-hearted look at the fear setting in as nuclear weapons proliferated around the world. It appears on the album That Was the Year that Was. Lyrics on the album are slightly different than these, from the songbook Too Many Songs by Tom Lehrer.
  Lyrics