Imagine having access to almost every musical composition in the classical genre in the form of sheet music, from a Mozart piano étude to Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. What if you could obtain sheet music for thousands of folk songs from around the world with just a few clicks of a mouse? Think of being able to arrange any musical work within the public domain for any ensemble, regardless of your arranging abilities. Finally, what if access to all of that music were free? While it might sound too good to be true, you can do all of these things with a computer, Internet access, MIDI files, and notation software such as MakeMusic Finale or Sibelius.

The Internet houses countless MIDI files. Almost every style of music is represented in MIDI format, from J. S. Bach to Frank Zappa. Many Web sites offer free MIDI files for downloading. Almost all of those MIDI files can be opened in a notation program and printed out to use for performance purposes.

While some MIDI files are protected by copyright (see the section Copyrights and Wrongs) and therefore cannot be legally used in the classroom, most MIDI files containing music from the public domain are either legal for classroom use or permission to use them can easily be obtained. Furthermore, you don't need to have deep technical knowledge to find, convert, notate, and arrange MIDI files for use in the classroom and beyond.

FIG. 1: The Classical MIDI Archives is one of the best sources of MIDI files for publicdomain classical music.

The MIDI specification was originally created so that electronic musical instruments from various manufacturers could work together as a system. At its most basic level, that allows you to use the keyboard of one synth to trigger notes on another synth and to record the performance in a data file called a sequence.

In the early years of MIDI, each manufacturer tended to go its own way. Each sequencer (whether hardware or software) saved MIDI song data in its own proprietary format, so a piece that was recorded with one sequencer couldn't be played with a different sequencer. In addition, each synthesizer had its own distinctive set of sounds and stored its sounds in a proprietary way. Program 1 might be a trumpet on one synth and a piano on a another synth. The second synth might not even have a trumpet sound.

As a result, even if you had the same type of sequencer with which a song was recorded, the sequence would not play back with the correct sounds (at least, not without considerable editing) unless you also had the same synthesizer used by the creator. That made exchanging sequence files with friends and colleagues extremely difficult.

To solve these twin problems, the MIDI Manufacturers Association (the organization charged with creating and maintaining the MIDI specification) came up with two standards: the General MIDI (GM) sound set and the Standard MIDI File (SMF or .mid) format.

At its basic level, General MIDI specifies 128 commonly used musical sounds and assigns them to standard program numbers, so that, for instance, acoustic grand piano is always program 1, glockenspiel is always program 10, and recorder is always program 75. GM also reserves MIDI Channel 10 for drum kits and specifies MIDI controller numbers for commonly used effects parameters, such as reverb depth and chorus depth. (The standard has since been extended to include more sounds and controllers.) Major synthesizer and sound-card manufacturers soon supported the new standard, providing a comprehensive and consistent set of sounds to trigger with MIDI sequences. Today, almost all digital synthesizers have at least one bank of GM sounds, though they often have other sounds as well. The Mac and Windows operating systems also have built-in GM sound sets, allowing users to accurately play Standard MIDI Files.

The Standard MIDI File format is, as its name states, a universal file format for MIDI performances that today is supported by almost every software and hardware product that plays or records MIDI sequences. The SMF format uses the General MIDI sound-mapping system, so any Standard MIDI File plays properly with any GM sound set. The combination of GM and SMF at last gave musicians a way to create MIDI sequences with any synth and sequencer and play it back properly and predictably on almost any other.

Since MIDI contains performance instructions rather than actual audio, MIDI files are extremely small in comparison to audio files, making them easy to attach to email, upload to a Web site, and so on. For example, while the complete Beethoven's Symphony no. 9 in audio format on a standard CD takes up hundreds of megabytes, the equivalent MIDI file may be considerably less than 1 MB.

If you type “MIDI Files” into a search engine, you will get hundreds of thousands of results. With so many results, it might seem difficult to know where to begin finding specific MIDI files. In reality, finding MIDI files is simple. If you include the name of the composer and the title of the composition you are looking for (Bach + Cello Suite no. 1 + MIDI), your results will narrow considerably, and you will have no problem finding the MIDI file that you are looking for.

A number of excellent Web sites organize MIDI files into genres and composers. For every good site, however, there are hundreds that aren't so good. The following are a few of my personal favorites, with descriptions of what you can expect to find. All of the sites listed offer free downloads.

The Classical Music Archives, at www.classicalmusicarchives.com. The Classical Music Archives is one of the best and most popular sources of public-domain works in the classical genre (see Fig. 1). The first time you visit the site you might find yourself asking where the people who created all of the MIDI files found the time to do it. The site has literally tens of thousands of MIDI files (as well as other file types). For example, when you click on J. S. Bach from the main page, you'll find that almost every work that he ever composed is available as a MIDI file and, in many cases, as an audio file.

Multiple versions of each work are often available; it can sometimes be mind-numbing to scroll through them all! You'll find most instrumental works and many choral works written by a variety of composers from the Renaissance up through the romantic period. Best of all, the files are available for free. To download them, you must subscribe to the Web site and supply some basic personal information. This free subscription allows you to download five files per day, or you can purchase a yearly subscription for $25 that allows you to download as many files as you like.

Contemplations from the Marianas Trench, at www.contemplator.com. This Web site contains an excellent collection of hundreds of MIDI files of folk music from England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and America (see Fig. 2). There are also fantastic collections of popular songs from American history, children's ballads, and songs of the sea. The songs are well organized, and each comes complete with lyrics and its own short history of each song. Many of the MIDI files are beautifully arranged and maintain the historic instrumentation of the original works. I frequently use this Web site in my sixth-grade general music class, which focuses on the history of American popular music.

FIG. 2: Lesley Nelson’s Folk Music site, better known as Contemplations from the Marianas Trench, has a wealth of MIDI files for folk music from England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, and America. Many of them maintain the historic instrumentation of the original works.

The MIDI Database, at www.mididb.com. This site is great for finding free MIDI files of popular music. The home page has links to many musical genres including rock, pop, country, and rap. The MIDI Search feature allows users to search for specific songs anywhere on the Web. There is also a great links menu to other SMF archives. My favorite is the Themes page, where you'll find many MIDI files of Christmas carols that are in the public domain and are perfect for arranging for your ensembles. Also on the Themes page is a wonderful collection of national anthems from around the world.

Standard MIDI Files on the Net, at www.manythings.org/midi. Although this site contains only a few MIDI files created by the page owner, it has an amazing collection of more than 30,000 links to Web sites with MIDI files. Its excellent search function allows you to search the Web for specific MIDI files.

Just because the MIDI file that you find sounds like the composition you are looking for doesn't mean it will work for you. There are two types of Standard MIDI Files: Type 0 and Type 1. The Type 0 MIDI file has all of the various musical events placed onto one track. The Type 1 MIDI file is a multi-track file — that is, each musical part is on a separate track. To notate MIDI files with multiple parts, you must use Type 1 MIDI files.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to tell what type of MIDI file you are downloading until you open it in a notation or sequencing program. I suggest that you download a few versions of the composition; you might not get a perfect file on your first try.

Because MIDI files are created by human beings, their quality varies widely, which is another reason to download a few versions of the same piece. Some versions are carefully notated in terms of correct rhythmic values, and others are not. Some files are transcribed note by note and lack dynamics and musical feel, which is great if you're creating a score but makes dull listening.

FIG. 3: Some MIDI files are more accurate than others. Fig. 3a shows a correctly transcribed and notated version of Beethoven’s “Für Elise.” In contrast, the notated MIDI file in Fig. 3b contains errors.

Many MIDI files are created using sequencers, which typically record the user performing each track. Some files are quantized (that is, the notes are slightly shifted so that they fall exactly on the beats), making notation simple but producing a mechanical rhythmic feel. Some files aren't quantized, preserving the musicality of the piece but leading to rhythmic inaccuracies when converted to notation. And sometimes, the creator introduces errors. For example, if you download a few MIDI files of Beethoven's “Für Elise,” you'll find that some have an accurate time signature and others do not (see Fig. 3). Files of popular music can be notoriously inaccurate. So you should listen to each file carefully before using it, with the understanding that almost every MIDI file that you convert will require editing.

Most of the files on the Classical MIDI Archives convert perfectly, but other sites can be hit-and-miss. Generally, when converting MIDI files to notation, approach the process knowing that you may not get exactly what you want on the first try. Most MIDI files will have the name of the person who created the file listed somewhere. Find reliable sources and stick with them.

Downloading MIDI files is simple. Whether using a Macintosh or a Windows PC, just press the Control key (right-click on a PC) while you click on the file name. In the pop-up menu, choose Download Linked File As or the equivalent (the exact wording varies with different browsers). Be sure to keep track of where you save your files so you can find them later.

FIG. 4: The Import MIDI File Options dialog box from MakeMusic’s Finale 2006 offers several ways to customize the way your MIDI file data will be handled and displayed.

Once you have downloaded the file you'd like to use, open your notation software. If you are using Finale, use the Open option from the File menu and select your MIDI file. You will then see an Import MIDI File Options menu (see Fig. 4). If you click on OK in this menu, your MIDI file will usually be converted and opened as notation.

If you have problems opening the file that way, try some of the import options. Using Sibelius 4, you can open the MIDI file from the Quick Start menu, or you can use the Open option from the File menu and select the MIDI file you'd like to convert (see Fig. 5).

FIG. 5: Sibelius 4 makes opening MIDI files a breeze. You can open the file from the Quick Start Menu (5a), or you can use the Open option from the File menu and select the MIDI file you’d like to convert (5b).

Once you have converted your MIDI file, you can customize it to suit the needs of your performing ensemble. Type 1 MIDI files should convert so that each part is on a separate staff and you can easily change them to the instrumentation you need. I suggest opening a new score with your desired instrumentation, and then cutting-and-pasting the parts from the converted score into your new score. Both Finale and Sibelius point out range errors in your parts, so you don't even have to worry about orchestration.

With the Arrange feature in Sibelius, you can highlight the parts from the converted score, open a new score with your desired instrumentation, and the software will arrange your selection based on various specifications. Sibelius asks you questions about your ensemble when you use the Arrange feature so that it can better fit the score to your ensemble.

Although Finale 2006 does not have a feature exactly like Sibelius's Arrange feature, it does have an Auto Arrange feature that generates harmonies for given melodies. Using this feature with the cut-and-paste method of arranging, you can create works for your band, orchestra, or small ensemble with a few clicks of the mouse.

Once you have converted the MIDI file and customized the arrangement, you are ready to print it. While that may sound like a lot of effort for a free arrangement, once you have done it a few times, it's easy. You might even have your students make their own arrangements using this same procedure.

While it is legal to notate and arrange music in the public domain, using a MIDI file that someone else has created can pose problems. As with published sheet music, a MIDI file is protected by copyright law, even if it's a note-for-note transcription of a composition that is in the public domain. Furthermore, the MIDI file may be an arrangement that displays a high level of musical creativity, in which case the arrangement also is copyrighted.

I suggest reading the copyright page on the source Web site. In most cases, all you need in order to use a file is permission from its creator, which is almost always granted. Many people would argue that use of the MIDI file in an educational setting would fall under fair use of copyright-protected material, but that is not necessarily the case. To avoid any misunderstandings, you should always get permission.

To learn more about MIDI, Standard MIDI Files, and the General MIDI sound set, visit the Web site of the MIDI Manufacturers Association at www.midi.org. There also are numerous books about MIDI, and I highly recommend two of them: MIDI for Musicians by Craig Anderton (Music Sales Corp., 1986) and MIDI Basics by Lee Whitmore and Debbie Cavalier (Warner Bros., 1998). And, of course, you can obtain a wealth of information on the Web.

James Frankel teaches instrumental music at the Franklin Avenue Middle School in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, and is an adjunct faculty member at Teachers College, Columbia University, and Montclair State University. He is the author of Teaching Classroom Music in the Keyboard Lab (SoundTree, 2003).