Here is a set of MIDI files of chorales harmonized by J. S. Bach. These short works are used in church services and in the study of the practices of harmony.

The file names may be understood as follows:

0000xxB_.midi

0000 is the BWV #
xx is the movement # within the BWV
B means that the chorale is numbered in the BWV catalog, A in this spot would be the anhang #, C in this spot would be some other series of numbers if necessary

_ is a placeholder for some other information, eg. a first or second version of the BWV, S for an abbreviated version.

The movement #'s are from the NBA edition which are indicated in Wolfgang Schmieder's _Thematic Catalog of the Musical Work of Johann Sebastian Bach_, Breitkopf & HŠrtel, WiesbŠden, 1990.

For example, for the chorale that closes BWV 42, the file name would be 004207B_.midi.
For the chorale that closes the first part of BWV 36(2) would be 003604B2.midi.

In other words,to interpret the file name: 024833B_:

0248  =  248
33    =  Movement #33
B     =  BWV series
_     =  no other special info.

Chorales are found in the following two editions:

 _Bach, 371 Harmonized Chorales and 69 Chorale Melodies with Figured Bass_, ed. Albert Riemenschneider,  G. Schirmer, NY, 1941.

   This is a reworking of the Bach-Kirnberger edition of 370 chorales.

_Johann Sebastian Bach, 389 Chorales_, Kalmus K06002, Belwin Inc, 15800 NW 48th Ave, Miami, FL 33014

   This is a republication of the Richter edition of 389 chorales.

A tab delimited text file which can be imported into a database or formatted in a word processor is also included. The fields in the file are: 

MIDI file #
# of chorale in A. Riemenschneider
# of chorale in Kalmus
analysis

The analysis field indicates those chorales shown with a figured bass. Those with RM are included in _Figured Harmony at the Keyboard, Part 2_, R. O. Morris, Oxford University Press, 1933. ISBN 0 19 321472 5. Those with BR have the figured bass included in Charles N. Boyd and Albert Riemenschneider's _Chorales by J. S. Bach_, G. Schirmer, Ed.1628.

In chorales with repeats and an initial pick-up note, the repeat has been written out rather than written as a graphic repeat, and the pick-up has been included in the incomplete measure preceding the second playing of the repeat. Sometimes a final note of the chorale has been extended 1 beat if the measure allowed, for the sake of the sound of the final cadence. Initial pick-up measures were created by using rests to fill the beginning of the first measure, before the pick-up note.

If possible, check the files against an original copy of the chorales, for accuracy and for preferences in writing odd measures.

I would appreciate any messages, corrections or comments. These files were created on a Macintosh LC III with Finale 3.2.

Margaret Greentree
mgtree@netcom.com