file: liebest.mid

Richard Wagner: Tristan and Isolde
Ending of Act III - Liebestod ("Mild und leise...")

Release 1.0

(c) Roman Zielinski 1995

(May be freely re-distributed)

This is a "lite" version of the original score. 
Even if I'd to make some simplifications, it is enough complete to help you
to pick up the architecture of the music and control the complex harmonies.

Wagner uses the following voices:
2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 1 english horn, 4 horns, 3 basoons,
1 bassclarinet, 3 trombones, 1 basstuba, kettledrums, harp, strings divided 
into up to 9-10 voices (instead of the "normal" 5) and a soprano.

I skipped: kettledrums, harp and soprano. Basstuba is played by trombones.
And so in some places I skipped one or more wind notes, alt/cello when they
were already played by other similarily sounding instruments. 
However I should have still >90% of notes.
These restrictions to keep the music within 15/16 instrument polyphony
and 32 voices...

VOICES (using GM setup):
Ch 1: Flute             Ch 7: Bassoon
   2: Oboe                 8: (Bass) clarinet
   3: Clarinet             9: Trombone
   4: Eng.Horn             11-15: String Ensamble and Tremolo strings
   5: (French) Horn        
   6: (French) Horn


PLAYING ON SIMPLE BOARDS:
If you play Liebestod on a SoundBlaster FM-"synth" (OPL2/3/4 chip)
you wil hear mostly *NOISE* due to an overflow of frequences! 
You can try to mute some channels, e.g. channel 4,5,6,7,8,9.

BUGS:
I hope that all sharp, flats and naturals are where they should...
Wind instruments have a not so nice balance with the orchestra, 
they are too loud or simply disappear... 
I lack the elegance you find in Karl Böhm's and Solti's recordings.
Dynamics and phrasings are somewhat simplified, I tried to preserve 
the overall dynamics.

I tested it on AWE32 with the native GM-instruments from the ROM.

May your speakers survive the crescendos!!!

/Roman  (rzielins@cap.se)
