The Top 10 MIDI downloads

• Beethoven - Fur Elise
• Vivaldi - Autumn from "The Four Seasons"
• Johann Pachelbel - Canon in D
• Bach - Toccata and Fugue in Dm
• Scott Joplin - The Entertainer (theme from The Sting)
• Mozart - Minuet (K2)
• Beethoven - 5th Symphony, 1st Movement
• Beethoven - Moonlight Sonata, 1st Movement
• Tchaikovsky - Sugar Plum Fairy
• Satie - Gymnopedie No.1

Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik

One of Mozart's most popular pieces of music is his "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" (or "A Little Night Music"), the more memorable title of his Seranade No.13 for Strings. Even if you don't normally listen to classical music, you have almost certainly heard this before on films or television. Here is a midi file of the first movement of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in its original form for string orchestra.

Christmas Carols MIDI files:

As it gets closer to Christmas, you will start to hear Christmas Songs and Carols all over the place.

• It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Traditional
• Once in Royal David's City - Henry J. Gauntlett
• While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night - Traditional
• What Child is this? (Greensleeves) - Traditional
• Oh Little Town of Bethlehem - Traditional
• Joy to the World by Lowell Mason
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing by Felix Mendelssohn
• Silent Night by Franz Gruber
• Away in a Manger by W. J. Kirkpatrick
• The First Nowell - Traditional
• Good Christian Men Rejoice - Traditional
• The Holly and the Ivy - Traditional
• Deck the Halls (with Boughs of Holly) - Traditional
• God rest you Merry Gentlemen - Traditional
• A Coventry Carol - Traditional
• The Huron Carol - Traditional

Tchaikovsky: Piano Music

The Russian composer Peter Tchaikovsky is best known for his ballet music and large scale orchestral works including six Symphonies and several Concertos. He also composed quite a large number of smaller works for the piano and many of these are good practice pieces for piano students. The "Album for the Young" is a set of 24 short pieces and, since Tchaikovsky is well-known for some of his Waltzes in his Ballet music and other works, we've chosen to provide No. 8 Waltz as a sample. Although much of Tchaikovsky's ballet music is very happy in mood, the composer suffered from bouts of depression and some of his shorter piano works seem to reflect that. Here is his "Sad Song" or Chanson Triste.

Dvorak's New World Symphony

Czech composer Antonin Dvorak was well known for his use of music derived from the folk traditions of his home country and surrounding regions, such as his "Slavonic Dances". For a few years, until homesickness overcame him, he held a post in the National Conservatory of Music at New Work and there he discovered some new music traditions and composed some of his greatest works, among them his "New World Symphony". This contains a theme which is derived from the song "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot", but is best known for the theme from the 2nd movement played on the Cor Anglais which seems to speak of his longing to be home in his native land.

Here is our midi file version of the slow movement of Dvorak's New World Symphony.

Joseph Haydn and his piano sonatas:

Joseph Haydn is considered to be a key founder of the Classical Style of music. Although he built on the work of others, his wide range of output was to influence many later composers especially Mozart and Beethoven. He composed many Symphonies, String Quartets and Keyboard Sonatas, all of which rely on the principles of "Sonata Form". Here is the first movement of one of his Piano Sonatas which illustrates the basic structure of Sonata Form:

• Piano Sonata No. 31 in A-flat (first movement)

Robert Schumann and his piano music for children:

The composer Robert Schumann composed a range of music from symphonies to songs. He is often remembered however for his piano works, and among these are several collections for or associated with children. His ealier "Scenes from Childhood" displayed his affinity for children and has later "Album for the Young" was composed specifically for his own children.

• About Strange Lands and People Scenes from Childhood No. 1
• Traumerei (or Reverie) Scenes from Childhood No. 7
• Soldiers' March Album for the Young No. 2
• Song of the Reapers Album for the Young No. 18

Mozart's music in the film "Elvira Madigan":

Among Mozart's great legacy of classical music are a total of 27 Piano Concertos. The slow movement of his Piano Concerto No. 21 in C may be familiar from its use on television and its regular inclusion in albums of classical favourites. This movement is often called "Elvira Madigan" because it was used on a Swedish film of that name. This film and its music captured the public imagination and made the music even more famous. As a reminder of how this music goes, here is a realisation of it in Midi file format

Original Ragtime:

Ragtime continues to be a popular choice of music, and we are please to present an original two-step rag:

• Mizzourah Fuss by Karl Schröder

And here is a reminder of another original rag in our catalogue:

• Ragtime for Bedtime by Jim Paterson

Franz Schubert - Moments Musicals

Among the many piano works by Franz Schubert are several collections of shorter pieces, such as the Impromptus and the Moments Musicals or "Musical Moments". There are six Moments Musicals altogether and we present here Number 5 from the set. Typical of Schubert No. 5 has some sharp contrasts between alternating loud and soft sections and, as the fastest of these pieces, present some challenges to a player of moderate ability.

Bach's only two-part Fugue from "The 48" :

The 48 Preludes and Fugues of Johann Sebastian Bach, known collectively as "The Well-Tempered Clavier", consist of two sets in each possible major and minor key. The Preludes of Bach are in a variety of relatively free forms, but his Fugues conform to stricter rules and Bach was an expert in their construction. Fugues generally consist of a fixed number of independent "parts" and of the 48 Fugues, most are in three or four parts and sometimes even more. We introduce this week the only Fugue from the collection which has only two parts, No. 10 from Book 1. Here is a MIDI file of this fugue for you to download and play.

Beethoven's Violin Sonatas :

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote for many different instrument combinations, including a total of 10 Violin Sonatas. Despite the name, these are for Violin and Piano, and provide many challenges to players of both instruments. On this occasion we focus on the first movement of the first Violin Sonata and provide it in a variety of different formats. In Midi format we have three different versions. If all you want to do is listen then you can play the movement in full but if you want to hear just one of the parts or you want a virtual partner to play with, then hear are additional midi files with either the Piano alone or the Violin alone. Remember that a Midi file is inflexible in the way it plays. Once you have practiced your own part we suggest you find a partner to play with.

Franz Schubert's "Death and the Maiden" Quartet

Although Franz Schubert is now widely recognised as one the great composers, this wasn't always the case. In fact during his short lifetime only a small proportion of his music was published, and there were only a few public performances featuring his music. Over the years, the importance of his skill and innovations became acknowledged, and he is now famous for his songs, symphonies, piano works and chamber music. This last category includes 15 string quartets and one of these is called "Death and the Maiden" because it shares a theme with a song he had previously written. We present the Scherzo from this work, and remind you of our existing piano music by Schubert:

• Solo: Impromptu No. 2 from Set 1
• Duet: Marche Militaire No. 1