daemon@BARTOK.ENG.SUN.COM (09/10/89)
Music-Research Digest Sat, 9 Sep 89 Volume 4 : Issue 55 Today's Topics: Machine-readable JSBach? (3 msgs) *** Send contributions to Music-Research@uk.ac.oxford.prg *** Send administrative requests to Music-Research-Request *** Overseas users should reverse UK addresses and give gateway if necessary *** e.g. Music-Research@prg.oxford.ac.uk *** or Music-Research%prg.oxford.ac.uk@nsfnet-relay.ac.uk ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 6 Sep 89 15:19:24 GMT From: John Ioannidis <read.cs.columbia.edu!ji@edu.columbia> Subject: Machine-readable JSBach? To: music-research@uk.ac.oxford.prg [[I had posted a similar request to rec.music.classical a few months ago and all I got was one answer along the lines of ``good luck''. This is hopefully a more appropriate forum.]] Does anyone have or know where I can find scores of Johann Sebastian Bach works in machine-readable form? I'm particularly interested in the WTK, the organ preludes/tocattas and fugues and the Art of the Fugue. Thanks in advance, /ji In-Real-Life: John Ioannidis | Science is to Computer Science as E-Mail-To: ji@cs.columbia.edu | Hydrodynamics is to Plumbing ... It's all Greek to me! ------------------------------ Date: 8 Sep 89 01:54:34 GMT From: Brad Rubenstein <bartok!bradr@com.sun> Subject: Machine-readable JSBach? To: music-research@uk.ac.oxford.prg In article <6485@columbia.edu> ji@read.cs.columbia.edu (John Ioannidis) writes: >Does anyone have or know where I can find scores of Johann Sebastian >Bach works in machine-readable form? I'm particularly interested in the >WTK, the organ preludes/tocattas and fugues and the Art of the Fugue. > >Thanks in advance, > >/ji Compiling the Bach corpus online was one of the major projects of the Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities. Send them paper mail at CCARH, 525 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025. Here is an extract from a leaflet they publish: ---------------------------------------------------------------------- The Center for Computer Assisted Research in the Humanities (CCARH) is an independent facility engaged in the development of computer-assisted methodologies intended for specific academic purposes. It was established in 1985 [by Dr Walter B. Hewlett] as a non-profit organization. In the field of musicology the present goals of the Center are: (1) to develop hardware and software to support the processing of musical data; (2) to develop data bases of large musical repertories and various text sources of proven significance to the discipline; (3) to identify areas of scholarship that might be aided significantly by the application of such emerging technology; and (4) to coordinate and disseminate information concerning technological developments and applications. The computer system used at the Center is called IBYCUS. It was designed by David Woodley Packard for use in the Classics. Its particular strengths include text processing and the representation of non-Roman alphabets and foreign languages generally, as well as speed and efficiency in searching and manipulating large textual data bases. These features are of potential value in handling both music and the unusual range of foreign languages with which it may be associated. [ ... ] An important goal of the Center is to develop and make available to the musicological community a large range of data, both musical and textual. [ ... ] Currently an Urtext data base of all the music of J.S. Bach is in formation at the Center. Among the works that have been entered are The Well-Tempered Clavier, books I and II, the French and English Suites, the Inventions and Sinfonias, the Brandenburg Concertos, the Orchestral Suites, the trio sonatas for organ, and a number of cantatas. [ ... ] The study of potential computer applications in musicology and the dissemination of information about current applications are ongoing concerns of the center. [ ... ] The Center is developing a small library of materials related to the discipline and maintains an address list of those with an interest in this field. Enquiries, news, and observations are cordially welcome. ---Brad Rubenstein-----Sun Microsystems Inc.-----bradr@sun.com--- ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 9 Sep 89 07:36:43 bst From: Stephen Page <sdpage@uk.ac.oxford.prg> Subject: Machine-readable JSBach? To: read.cs.columbia.edu!ji@edu.columbia Brad Rubenstein's reply gave a good summary of the work at CCARH on Bach coding. I have in fact worked with a tape from CCARH - I used the Well-Tempered Clavier to test my query language for my D.Phil thesis. For information, here is a short extract from the start of BWV846. The data contains a header, listing edition, number of parts, etc., then it lists pitches and durations for each note in a "track" (voice). Those who know BEV846 will soon recognise the extract. I've wrapped it around into five columns to make the newsletter more readable. Those who have read my thesis or read my ravings in this newsletter will know that I use CCARH's Bach encoding as an example of "reduced information content", in that (unlike, say, a DARMS encoding) it cannot be used to reconstruct a printed score. For example, tied notes are collapsed into a single total duration (typical for databases compiled from "played" input); and accidentals are in sounded, not written form. Nevertheless, the availability of this data is a very significant achievement which CCARH should be congratulated for. (Now, if only we could get them to participate in the discussions in this newsletter...!) UK readers who would like a copy of this tape may be interested to know that it was donated by Walter Hewlett to the Oxford Text Archive. BEGIN G4 1 G4 1 E5 1 A4 1 846 1 C5 1 D5 1 rest 2 E5 1 Bischoff E5 1 F5 1 G4 1 A5 1 1883/1884 measure 2 G4 1 C5 1 measure 6 rest 2 D5 1 E5 1 rest 2 3 1 A4 1 F5 1 G4 1 F#4 1 35 0 16 4 D5 1 rest 2 C5 1 A4 1 4 4 0 1 1 F5 1 G4 1 E5 1 D5 1 measure 1 A4 1 D5 1 measure 5 F#4 1 rest 2 D5 1 F5 1 rest 2 A4 1 G4 1 F5 1 G4 1 A4 1 D5 1 C5 1 rest 2 D5 1 E5 1 rest 2 E5 1 A4 1 F5 1 A5 1 F#4 1 G4 1 D5 1 measure 4 A4 1 A4 1 C5 1 F5 1 rest 2 E5 1 D5 1 E5 1 A4 1 G4 1 A5 1 F#4 1 rest 2 D5 1 C5 1 rest 2 A4 1 G4 1 F5 1 E5 1 A4 1 D5 1 C5 1 measure 3 G4 1 E5 1 measure 7 E5 1 rest 2 C5 1 A5 1 rest 2 ------------------------------ End of Music-Research Digest