MIDI copy/paste -> TidalCycles

midi.tidal

{-

Importing MIDI to TidalCycles

Beethoven 7th Symphony II Allegretto

Time signature: 2/4

Key: C Major

Info: https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Symphony_No._7_(Beethoven)#/Second_movement

MIDI: http://www.kunstderfuge.com/beethoven/variae.htm#Symphonies

-}

{-

Opening sequence MIDI imported and copied from Logic Pro. Columns left-to-right:
- Position (bar, beat, submeasure, decimal)
- Status (event type)
- Channel
- Number
- Value
- Length/info (same format as position?)

- First two bars of Contrabassi, raw paste:

        5  1  1      1  Note    13    A1      50          0  0  3  200 
        5  2  1      1  Note    13    A1      50          0  0  1  200 
        5  2  3      1  Note    13    A1      50          0  0  1  200 
        6  1  1      1  Note    13    G♯1     50          0  0  3  200 
        6  2  1      1  Note    13    G♯1     50          0  0  3  200 

- Tidy spacing and separate types with commas

5 1 1 1, Note, 13, A1, 50, 0 0 3 200
5 2 1 1, Note, 13, A1, 50, 0 0 1 200
5 2 3 1, Note, 13, A1, 50, 0 0 1 200
6 1 1 1, Note, 13, G♯1, 50, 0 0 3 200
6 2 1 1, Note, 13, G♯1, 50, 0 0 3 200

- This MIDI starts in bar 5 so let's subtract 5 from the first column
- Replace the special character '♯' with 's'
- We do not need the 'Note' and 'Channel' info right now

0 1 1 1, A1, 50, 0 0 3 200
0 2 1 1, A1, 50, 0 0 1 200
0 2 3 1, A1, 50, 0 0 1 200
1 1 1 1, Gs1, 50, 0 0 3 200
1 2 1 1, Gs1, 50, 0 0 3 200

- Take the first column (note position info; bar, beat, submeasure, decimal)

0 1 1 1
0 2 1 1
0 2 3 1
1 1 1 1
1 2 1 1

-}

-- Column 1: create a pattern with events equal to total number of bars

"[[~] [~]]"

-- Column 2: subdivide each 'bar' by total number of 'beats'

"[[~ ~] [~ ~]]"

-- Column 3: subdivide each 'beat' by total submeasures

"[[~ [~ ~]] [~ ~]]"

-- Column 4: no additional onset position info in this case

-- This rhythm is the main motif of the whole symphonic movement! Let's define it as a note pattern

let motif = "[[0 [0 0]] [0 0]]"

{-
Now we can add our actual note data
  0 1 1 1, A1
  0 2 1 1, A1
  0 2 3 1, A1
  1 1 1 1, Gs1
  1 2 1 1, Gs1
-}

let contrabassi = "[a1 gs1]"

{-

Before we listen, let's pick a tempo for 'Allegretto'

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Tempo#/Italian_tempo_markings

"Allegretto – by the mid 19th century, moderately fast (112–120 bpm); see paragraph above for earlier usage"

Ok...

"One striking example is that Allegretto hastened as a tempo from the 18th to the 19th century: originally it was just above Andante, instead of just below Allegro as it is now."

Ok...

"Andante – at a walking pace (76–108 bpm)"

Alright!

-}

cps (76/120)

d1 $ n (motif + contrabassi) # s "superpiano" # octave "6"

-- Err. We forgot our motif is two bars long! Let's formalise this code structure a bit...

do
  let motif       = "[[0 [0 0]] [0 0]]/2"
      contrabassi = "[a1        gs1  ]/2"
  d1 $ n (motif + contrabassi)
     # s "superpiano"
     # octave "6"
     
{-

That's better but it's a bit loud for the first two bars

What do we have left?

0 1 1 1, A1, 50, 0 0 3 200
0 2 1 1, A1, 50, 0 0 1 200
0 2 3 1, A1, 50, 0 0 1 200
1 1 1 1, Gs1, 50, 0 0 3 200
1 2 1 1, Gs1, 50, 0 0 3 200

- Velocity (50)
- Length

-}

-- Velocity can be expressed as (50/127) or roughly "0.4"
-- Length expressed as a 'sustain' pattern using the same motif structure, but this time we can simplify it a bit

do
  let bars = slow 2
      motif       = bars $ "[[0 [0 0]] [0 0]]"
      contrabassi = bars $ "[a1        gs1  ]"
      duration    = bars $ "[[1 0.5  ] 1    ]"
  d1 $ n (motif + contrabassi)
     # s "superpiano"
     # octave "6"
     # velocity "0.4"
     # sustain duration

{-

Sounds a little bare...

Let's grab the other parts, viole and violoncelli

        5  1  1      1 	Note	 	11	 	E3	 	  50	        0  0  3  200 
        5  1  1      1 	Note	 	12	 	C3	 	  50	        0  0  3  200 
        5  2  1      1 	Note	 	11	 	E3	 	  50	        0  0  1  200 
        5  2  1      1 	Note	 	12	 	C3	 	  50	        0  0  1  200 
        5  2  3      1 	Note	 	11	 	E3	 	  50	        0  0  1  200 
        5  2  3      1 	Note	 	12	 	C3	 	  50	        0  0  1  200 
        6  1  1      1 	Note	 	11	 	E3	 	  50	        0  0  3  200 
        6  1  1      1 	Note	 	12	 	B2	 	  50	        0  0  3  200 
        6  2  1      1 	Note	 	11	 	E3	 	  50	        0  0  3  200 
        6  2  1      1 	Note	 	12	 	B2	 	  50	        0  0  3  200 

- Viole:
0 1 1 1, E3, 50, 0 0 3 200
0 2 1 1, E3, 50, 0 0 1 200
0 2 3 1, E3, 50, 0 0 1 200
1 1 1 1, E3, 50, 0 0 3 200
1 2 1 1, E3, 50, 0 0 3 200

- Violoncelli
0 1 1 1, C3, 50, 0 0 3 200
0 2 1 1, C3, 50, 0 0 1 200
0 2 3 1, C3, 50, 0 0 1 200
1 1 1 1, B2, 50, 0 0 3 200
1 2 1 1, B2, 50, 0 0 3 200

Everything is the same here except the notes, so...

-}

do
  let bars = 2
      motif       = "[[0 [0 0]] [0 0]]"
      viole       = "[e3             ]"
      violoncelli = "[c3        b2   ]"
      contrabassi = "[a1        gs1  ]"
      duration    = "[[1 0.5  ] 1    ]"
  d1 $ slow bars
     $ stack [
         n (motif + viole),
         n (motif + violoncelli),
         n (motif + contrabassi)
       ]
     # s "superpiano"
     # octave "6"
     # velocity "0.4"
     # sustain duration

{-

How do we expand this to do more bars?

-}

do
  let bars = 8
      motif       = fast (bars/2) $ "[[0 [0 0]] [0 0]]"
      duration    = fast (bars/2) $ "[[1 0.5  ] 1    ]"
      viole       = "[e3 e3  e3 e3 [e3 [e3 fs3]] g3 g3           [g3 ~]]"
      viole2      = "[~  ~   ~  ~  [~  [~  d3]]  e3 [d3 [c3 d3]] [e3 ~]]"
      violoncelli = "[c3 b2  b2 c3 c3            c3 [b2 [a2 b2]] [c3 ~]]"
      contrabassi = "[a1 gs1 e1 a1 a1            g1 g1           [c2 ~]]"
  d1 $ slow bars
     $ stack [
         n (motif + viole),
         n (motif + viole2),
         n (motif + violoncelli),
         n (motif + contrabassi)
       ]
     # s "superpiano"
     # octave "7"
     # velocity "0.4"
     # sustain duration

{-

And that's it! One of the most famous motifs in romantic music.

Now go build a parser and do this properly...

-}

hush

This is wonderful. Thank you for posting this.