CPKS Music Page

Below, I offer a number of music files which may be of interest. I present them in Noteworthy file format (.NWC). This format is used by an excellent shareware music notation package which I strongly recommend: visit the Noteworthy site. There is a freeware version of NWC for playback purposes, but it is well worth trying the full product.

For some of the items here I also provide a MIDI download. Don't hesitate to e-mail me if you'd like me to make further MIDI downloads available.

1. Early Compositions

Here are some of my early compositions (at least their file size is proportionate to their musical interest):

Psalm 141 for 4-part male voice choir (1970) — Noteworthy format and MIDI.

Præludium for unaccompanied violin (1972) — Noteworthy and MIDI

Where is Fancy Bred? For voice and harpsichord (1975) — Noteworthy and MIDI

2. String Quartet Arrangements

2.1 Standard String Quartet

Tallis's hymn O Nata Lux — Noteworthy and MIDI

John Bull's Ut Re Mi from the Fitzwilliam Virginal Book — Noteworthy and MIDI.
Interesting because of the way it passes through all the keys: apparently one of the earliest examples of enharmonic key-change.

Bach Kanon X from Das Musikalisches Opfer: Noteworthy and MIDI.

Purcell 4-part Fantasias

No. 8 in d — Noteworthy
No. 10 in e — Noteworthy
No. 11 in G — Noteworthy

Elgar: Chanson de Matin — Noteworthy.

Here are some well-known ditties whose settings I hope will amuse you.

Noël Coward: Mad Dogs & Englishmen, arr. Carlo Martelli — Noteworthy
D. Wilson: theme tune to Fawlty Towers — Noteworthy
Bratton: The Teddy Bears' Picnic — Noteworthy

And some short ones by me:

Der Tannenbaum, also known to some as The Red Flag, or even "O Christmas Tree" (1997) — Noteworthy and MIDI
Happy Birthday — Noteworthy and MIDI
Rule Britannia — Noteworthy
God Save the Queen — Noteworthy
For He's a Jolly Good fellow — Noteworthy and MIDI.

2.2 String Quartet with two violas

Some of the second parts of Purcell's Fantazias go below g, and so require the second violinist to take up the viola.

Purcell 4-part Fantazia 6 in F — Noteworthy

Purcell 4-part Fantazia 7 in c Dorian — Noteworthy

3. String Trio Arrangements

3.1 Some canons from Das Musikalisches Opfer:

Canon Per Tonos — Noteworthy

Canon I — Noteworthy

3.2 Purcell 3-part Fantazias:

No. 1 in d Dorian — Noteworthy

No. 2 in F — Noteworthy

No. 3 in g — Noteworthy

3.3 Other

Tallis: Ricercar — Noteworthy

4. String Quintet Arrangements

Purcell 5-part Fantazia "Upon one Note" — Noteworthy
(The second viola player's part is not very taxing, since it involves playing only a sustained middle C, and could equally well be played on the violin.)

5. Miscellaneous

5.1 Kodály Zoltán

Here is a superb work by Kodály which I took down from the CD (recommended: Hungaroton HCD 12948). Entitled Arva Vagyok (I am an orphan, 1956), the words are utterly miserable and despairing. The tune is suggestive of a Csík origin, with a highly decorated melody whose rhythm varies in each verse. The scoring is for 3-voice female choir, and each part takes the tune in turn, working downwards from Treble I to Alto. Note the inventive final harmonic sequence. My barring in the Noteworthy version is quite conjectural (not to say Stravinskyesque). I have written out the ornaments and the final ritardando to the best of my ability. And, with apologies for the poor sound, here is a MIDI version so that those of you still without Noteworthy can get an idea of what I am enthusing about.

The Music Page