Stapleford Singers

Information for choir members

If you want to use your computer to help you learn your part, you have two ways of doing it:

• You can download some MIDI files with your particular part emphasised and play them with Windows Media Player or Real Player.
• You can download some unemphasised MIDI files and use my MidiPlay program provide the emphasis for your part. It’s a bit more complicated but it gives you a lot more flexibility in how you listen to the music:
  • You can slow the music down.
  • You can control how loud you make your part and how quiet you make the other parts.
  • You can play the parts on different instruments.
  • You can see the score.

Whichever way you choose to do it, be aware that the MIDI files are not note perfect. There’s the odd mistake in them (if you find any mistakes then please let me know so that I can fix them). And remember that the tempo and dynamics might be different from the way that Adam wants us to do them.

All the MIDI files are on John Hooper's website:

• Bach, Christmas Oratorio part 1
• Bach, Christmas Oratorio part 3 (numbers 24, 26, 28)
• Monteverdi, Beatus vir

Right click on the appropriate links there (then save the files on your hard disk so that you can play them later).

If you want to use MidiPlay then the instructions below tell you how to:

1. Download the MIDI files
2. Download and run the MidiPlay program

and at the end there are:

3. Further Notes
4. Acknowledgements

Here are the instructions:

1. To download the MIDI files

For each of the following links, right click on the link:

• Bach, Christmas Oratorio part 1
  • 1: Christians, be joyful
  • 5: How shall I fitly meet Thee?
  • 7: For us to earth He cometh poor
  • 9: Ah! Dearest Jesus
• Bach, Christmas Oratorio part 3
  • 24: Hear, King of Angels
  • 26: Let us even now go to Bethlehem
  • 28: The Lord hath all these wonders wrought
• Monteverdi, Beatus vir

then click on Save Target As... or Save Link As... and save the files on C:\ or somewhere else on your hard disk.

2. For instructions on downloading and running the MidiPlay program click here.

3. Further notes

• Some of the MIDI files had odd key signatures or time signatures. But this makes no difference to how they sound.

4. Acknowledgements

• The MIDI files above are from John Hooper's website (John is in Harlton).

If you have any problems with the MidiPlay program or the MIDI files or suggestions for improvement then email me at

If any of you want to write something to appear here, or if you have any photographs of the choir, then please let me know.

Cheers,
Chris.

All text and images on this website are © Copyright Chris Hills 1982 - 2009.