I, MacKnight Culdesac, would like to invite you to visit my new shop, Clockwork Music, on Rampart Road in the Academy of Industry (just North of the Academy itself). There you may try my newest invention, a Music Box that plays interchangeable discs (MIDI files).
In my travels before coming to New Babbage, I have seen musical instruments employing a technology called MIDI (which must stand for Musical Instrument Directions and Instructions, or something very similar). This MIDI technology is akin to the punched card technique developed by Monsieur Jacquard in 1801 to control his loom. The information in this MIDI format is essentially a musical score, from which the instrument may learn to perform a song.
By storing the musical score in a notecard, this Music Box is able, with only 25 individual musical tones, to play an infinite number of songs. There are currently 40 songs available, in 6 different collections (plus one Waltz, by your humble servant, inventor and musician, MacKnight Culdesac). All are available at the new Clockwork Music shop, where the Music Box will perform as many of them as you wish.
The current Music Box Disc collections include the following:
The English Traditional Collection
A collection of traditional songs from England whose composers have been lost to history.
America/God Save the Queen
Barb’ra Allen
Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes
Early One Morning
Greensleeves
The Music Hall Collection
A collections of songs from the English and American Music Halls of the 19th century.
Two versions of each of these songs; full version, and chorus-only version.
After the Ball
Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two)
If it Wasn’t for the ‘Ouses In Between
Sweet Rosie O’Grady
The (Daring Young) Man on the Flying Trapeze
The Stephen Foster Collection
Songs by the 19th century American composer Stephen Foster.
Beautiful Dreamer
Jeanie with the Light Brown Hair
(My Old) Kentucky Home
Linger in Blissful Repose
Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)
The Hymnal Collection
Songs from the 19th century Christian hymnal.
Amazing Grace
Navy Hymn
Nearer, My God, to Thee
Simple Gifts
We Gather Together
The Christmas Carol Collection
Religious Christmas songs from the 19th century.
Coventry Carol
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
Good Christian Men Rejoice (In Dulci Jubilo)
Joy to the World
Lo, How a Rose E’er Blooming
O Come, All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)
O Little Town of Bethlehem
Silent Night
We Three Kings
The Winter Carol Collection
Secular songs for the Winter holiday season, from the 19th century
Auld Lang Syne
Deck the Halls
Gloucestershire Wassail
Here We Come A-Wassailing
Jingle Bells
O Tannenbaum (O Christmas Tree)
More collections are expected in the near future. Suggestions for additional songs are encouraged. (No copyrighted material, please.)
Does the City-State of New Babbage have an anthem?
Here’s the SLURL:
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Academy%20of%20Industry/151/149/111
I look forward to seeing you at Clockwork Music.
Your humble servant,
Inventor and musician,
MacKnight Culdesac
Proprietor of Clockwork Music
The Babbage Anthem is everyone picks their favorite song and sings it all at once to any tune at any tempo…. wait, no, thats Hogwart’s School Song… my mistake ;-)
You can also see how the Music Box works in this video (which I can’t embed, for some reason):
http://youtu.be/i5r1okYK98c
there’s two songs i could point to as ‘most likely’s
Take This Waltz by Leonard Cohen
Industrial Revolution by Kevin Macleod, which, by a curious turn of events (see http://cityofnewbabbage.com/reader/node/2323 ), he also did a music box version of called Industrial Musicbox.
Thank you, Mr. Tenk. The Kevin MacLeod piece is wonderful and ALMOST works when simplified to what this music box can handle. The Leonard Cohen song is porbably not public domain, so I’m hesitant to include it.
Could we get some 19th Century continental collections? Say French, German, Austrian.
Also some work songs would be good: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Work_song
particularly industrial work songs: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_folk_song
Here are some French Belle Epoque ‘common’ songs:
Tha-Ma-RaBoum-Di-He
Le Chat Noir
Le Voyage a Robinson
Fermons Nos Reaux
Le Fiacre
Reviens
Quand On Vous Aime Comme Ca
Madame Arthur
Quand La’Amour Meurt
Frou-Frou
La Vale Brune
De Place En Place
Fleur De Ble Noir
Si Tu Le Veux
La Paimpolaise
Le Temps Des Cerises
Thank you, Dr. Cyberusfaustus. I am searching for French and German songs now, although I can’t yet find any recordings or MIDI files of these French songs online (except for Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay, which is actually an American minstrel song). If you could point me in the right direction, I would be extremely grateful.
I have assembled a Mozart collection (which should be available soon), and I’m working on a collection of German folk songs.
Perhaps starting with salon music might be a tad easier:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salon_music
This was done by composers such as Chopin, Liszt, Satie, and that American – Gottschalk…
midis of such pieces from the first three ought to be relatively easy to find… otherwise… perhaps I need to start making midis again…