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Keeper's long-lost MIDI files

Non-ragtime music listed alphabetically

• 12 Variations on "Ah! Vous Dirai-je, Maman" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- Level 2 -- 2 September 1992
  Also known as "Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star" or "Baa! Baa! Black Sheep."
  
  
• Theme to "Angelina" by Ron "Keeper" O'Dell -- Level 3 -- 2 August 2004
  NOTE: This is an orchestral/choral file with portamento controls on the voices and so forth which probably will not play properly on anything but another Yamaha XG SoftSynthesizer, with which I composed it. Angelina is a cartoon series concept with a 36-episode storyline by an extremely talented Italian animator friend of mine, Federica Giulietti. Between jobs on various TV shows and at graphics arts studios, she has been working on this concept for close to 10 years, and finished the animated title sequence in 2003. I decided that it should have an original theme, so I wrote this music. It's my first attempt at writing for orchestra. You can view the animation matched with the theme by clicking here then choosing on the left side which size file to download. Because of the compression, the sound quality isn't so great. You can hear a clear MP3 of this music the way it should sound and with most sound effects removed by clicking here (the laughing voice is my own!).
  
  
• Theme to "Animaniacs" by Richard Stone (piano four hands) -- Level 3 -- 12 January 1997
  Lyrics
  
  
• Theme to "Animaniacs" by Richard Stone (orchestra) -- Level 3 -- 11 January 1997
  
  
• 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.
  Lyrics
  
  
• Beautiful Dreamer by Stephen Foster -- Level 2 -- 1 January 1992
  This was Stephen Foster's last work, and is one of his most famous.
  Lyrics
  
  
• Bourrée in A Major by Georg Philipp Telemann -- Level 2 -- 10 October 1990
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Canzon by Johann Jakob Froberger -- Level 2 -- 2 March 1991
  This canzon is in the Mixylodian mode, and, like many baroque pieces, it ends on a second-inversion chord.
  
  
• 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...
  Lyrics
  
  
• Clavier Partie by Johann Nikolaus Tischer -- Level 1 -- 30 September 1990
  
  
• Courante in C Major by John Blow -- Level 2 -- 5 March 1991
  Hear also the prelude, listed below.
  
  
• Dark Eyes arrangement by Richard Bender -- Level 2-- 18 March 1993
  
  
• Theme to "Doctor Who" by Ron Grainer -- Level 3 -- 4 January 1994
  Based on the 1980-1984 version by Peter Howell. Piano-roll arrangement, transcribed by ear.
  
  
• 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! The music is in Phrygian mode, which is to say it's in the key of E but has no sharps or flats (except for the second strain which is modulated).
  
  
• 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.
  Lyrics
  
  
• Fantasia in B minor by Georg Philipp Telemann -- Level 2 -- 10 October 1990
  
  
• 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
  This is the shortest four-voice fugue I've ever heard.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Gavotte from "Les Petits Riens" (K. 10) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- Level 2 -- 8 March 1991
  
  
• 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).
  
  
• Les Grâces Naturèles by François Couperin -- Level 3 -- 10 February 1993
  To be more authentic, listen to this harpsichord version.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• 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.
  Lyrics
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• 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.
  Lyrics
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• The Musical Snuff-box by Anatol Liadov -- Level 2 -- 9 July 1991
  Although it was written as a piano piece about a music box, try loading this one into your sequencer and changing the instrument to Music Box for kicks. It sounds great!
  
  
• Excerpts from Passacaglia in D minor by Christian Friedrich Witt -- Level 2 -- 27 June 1991
  
  
• Le Petit Nègre by Claude Debussy -- Level 2 -- 28 May 1991
  
  
• A Picture of Her Face by Scott Joplin -- Level 1 -- 11 April 1993
  Lyrics
  
  
• Les Plaintes d'une Poupée by César Franck -- Level 2 -- 29 May 1991
  
  
• 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.
  Lyrics
  
  
• 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.
  Lyrics
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Prelude in C Major by John Blow -- Level 3 -- 5 March 1991
  Hear also the courante, listed above.
  
  
• Ricercata by Giovanni Maria Trabacci -- Level 2 -- 5 September 1991
  Here's another example of music in the Mixylodian mode. This means that it's the key of G but without 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.
  
  
• Sarabande and Gigue by Domenico Zipoli -- Level 2-- 6 May 1992
  From his Suite in G minor.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• 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.
  Lyrics
  
  
• 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).
  
  
• Sonatina in C Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart -- Level 3 -- 31 August 1992
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• Toccata in C minor by Leonardo Leo -- Level 2 -- 9 January 1992
  
  
• Toccata in D minor by Pietro Domenico Paradisi -- Level 3 -- 24 June 1992
  From his Sonata in D Major.
  
  
• Träumerei (four-hand arrangement) by Robert Schumann -- Level 2 -- 11 June 1992
  
  
  
• From the opera "Treemonisha" by Scott Joplin:
• Aunt Dinah has Blowed de Horn -- Level 3 -- 29 June 1994
• Frolic of the Bears -- Level 2 -- 29 June 1994
• Good Advice -- Level 3 -- 27 June 1994
• I Want to See My Child -- Level 3 -- 5 July 1994
• Prelude to Act 2 -- Level 3 -- 30 June 1994
• The Sacred Tree -- Level 3 -- 24 June 1994
• Superstition -- Level 3 -- 29 June 1994
• We're Goin' Around -- Level 2 -- 22 June 1994
• We Will Rest Awhile -- Level 3 -- 29 June 1994
  
  
• 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.
  
  
• From "The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2" by Johann Sebastian Bach:
• Prelude in C Major -- Level 3 -- 15 May 1990
• Fugue in C Major -- Level 3 -- 16 May 1990
• Prelude in C minor -- Level 3 -- 17 May 1990
  
  
• 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.
  Lyrics
  
  
• 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.
  Lyrics
  
  
• 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
  
  
• Yakko's World (traditional; arranged by Randy Rogel) -- Level 3 -- 7 December 2007
  This arrangement of the Mexican Hat Dance appeared in the second episode of Steven Spielberg Presents Animaniacs in 1993, as the character of Yakko Warner sang a rhyme of countries and territories around the world. I was asked to make this by an anime cosplay group in Ohio who wanted to do a musical sketch with the tune, but could find no recording of it without Yakko's singing (because no such recording existed). I transcribed the arrangement by ear.