Rehearsal files finished (more or less)

The Rehearsal Files page now has MIDI files for all 14 songs plus audio (WMA and MP3) files recorded by Felicia for the sopranos and altos.

Some of the MIDI files are a bit quiet, I think, and some could do with a bit of tweaking. (For example, I just converted the bass instrument on a few of the songs from Flute to Oboe. This gives a fuller, richer sound, not unlike the Capital Choir basses. Perhaps the altos should be clarinets.) This sort of thing is relatively easy so if you have a suggestion I’d love to hear it.

At the top of the page there’s a MIDI file of the whole song cycle. I’ve also converted it to MP3 form via on online converter so it can be played on devices like iPods and portable MP3 players that don’t play MIDI. It’s good for getting an idea of the structure of the work. I listened to it in the gym today (it’s 45 minutes long) and comprehended for the first time that this really is a song cycle, not just a set of 14 songs that sound somewhat similar but are otherwise unrelated.

On the question of playing MIDIs on iPods/iPhones/iPads, I have been told this can’t be done without an app. A quick Google search suggests that there are some out there, but I can’t vouch for them. If you want to play the whole song cycle through you can use the MP3 file I created. I don’t think I’ll be converting all the individual MIDI files, but this could be done by a volunteer with sufficient energy and and several free hours.