Although any transcription of Bach's music is by definition in the Public Domain, these 'interpretations' ARE copyrighted as performances:
This music may not be reproduced by any means without the expressed written permission of S. D. Rodrian... with the one exception that these Midi files may be freely distributed through the WWW as long as they are not modified in any way.
GO FILES or: RETURN TO MAIN MIDI INDEX
All Copyright (P) 1997 Mr. S. D. Rodrian
I am making these midi files available now (rather than later) because I have reached a point of diminishing returns in their editing. That is, theoretically the pieces can always come closer still to the way I think they ought to be interpreted--but not by so much that it justifies my spending all that much more effort on it. Although it was fun while it lasted, it's time to work on something else now.
This music may not be reproduced by any means without the expressed written permission of S. D. Rodrian... with the one exception that these Midi files may be freely distributed through the WWW as long as they are not modified in any way.
As a point of departure you must understand that I use the SoundBlaster AWE32 card (on a P.120 PC): This card comes with digitally sampled instruments. [I use Master Tracks Pro.]
On other software (provided the hardware is capable of digitally-sampled instruments), if you don't know how to avoid the FM banks of computer-generated instruments try the Midi Mapper (which might have been properly programmed with your card's wave table instruments).
These files are set to a minimum 'stereo' pan. The following set of 'controls' instructions are for the AWE32 card, but users of other cards may deduce the effect I'm after from them...
for the CREATIVE MIXER: set the Treble, Bass, and MIDI Volumes
to their loudest possible settings. Then set MAIN VOLUME to play at your
own particular comfort level. NOTE that the note 'velocities' in these files
are set to the loudest possible setting (whenever and wherever possible).
Set all right/left 'balances' as close as possible to the center.
for the AWE32 CONTROL PANEL: Use the Qsound (not Reverb and Chorus).
for the BOB (break-out box): Make sure all the controller 'boxes' (under the M's) are unchecked... Save this setting to the default.bob file if need be: When any box is 'checked' it interferes with the controller information sent by the midi files for proper playback.FILES:
MP3 versions of these files are available at:
BACH_ORGAN_FAVORITES or at either:
http://mp3s.sdrodrian.com or:
http://mp3.sdrodrian.com
FILES:
Johann Sebastian Bach's 'little' organ fugue in G minor is almost a perfect jewel, both sweet and angelic... its theme is so easy to follow that this piece is probably one of the best intros to both contrapuntal writing and to Bach himself.
Johann Sebastian Bach's great Passacaglia & Fugue in c minor is typical of Bach in the sense that no one else could sustain musical ideas quite like him. Only the greatest movements in Beethoven come anywhere near the concentration and sheer imagination displayed in this really impressive masterpiece.
Johann Sebastian Bach's fabulously famous Toccata & Fugue in D minor is a very loud and exciting piece which was probably designed by Bach to rouse up the parishioners (certainly the celebrated opening phrases of the toccata sound like a wake-up call).
Johann Sebastian
Bach's incredible Toccata, Adagio & Fugue is probably my favorite
of all Bach's organ pieces--which is saying a lot. But I can never get enough
of the sheer joy and delight of the toccata, of the sublimity of its Adagio,
nor of the excitement of the concluding Fugue. And, somehow, it always suggests
to me something like a stupendously fully-formed classical concerto or a
sonata-form without actually having such 'forms' (and all contrapuntal
considerations aside)... you know: allegro, adagio moderato,
presto.
More to come... LATER
SDR@SDRodrian.com
You can visit me at
SDRodrian.com