Need to hear a pitch? Try this "e-piano"
Music dictionary
Virginia Tech has an extensive
dictionary of musical terms
(the piano above is from their site).
Other MIDI resources
There are other sources of MIDI files available on the internet. Read on for a list of links to some of them, and a bit of critique. Also see my MIDI Universe page for a side-by-side comparison of several MIDI collections to find out who has what.
LearnChoralMusic -- extensive library of midi choral masterworks, madrigals, hymns and carols. Most have not only the choral parts, but also orchestral and other accompaniment, and include dynamic changes. The vocal lines are rendered in as instruments (piccolo/whistle, clarinet/cor anglais, French horn/trombone, or bassoon/tuba) in contrast to the piano we've used (and as you might guess, prefer)*. In short, these midis, with the inclusion of dynamics, accompaniment, etc., are closer to a full experience of the music, but (our opinion) may have too much information included to be as useful for many users' part learning needs, compared to ours. Be sure to check it out, though...it's certainly a major, well-supported, easy-to-use source for choral midi files.
*Some MIDI software will let you change the way the various tracks are rendered, so you could modify the sound of the MIDI files from this or any source as desired.
CyberBass -- includes many links to other commercial sites for sheet music, CDs, etc., and also links to choral group web sites. The midi files include accompaniment in an organ voice, with parts in a piano voice. Extensive list of music available, relatively easy-to-use web site, at least once you get past the very busy home page. CyberBass requires you to use the files on-line rather than downloading them.
The Silvis Woodshed -- another extensive list of midi files of choral masterworks and also smaller pieces. Most are simple piano-voiced renderings without accompaniment, although some also include orchestral parts. The web site is simple to use. The midi files are not separated into emphasized parts (as opposed to ours and some other reviewed here), so you will probably want to use a player that allows you to control individual track (part) volumes to emphasize what you wish to hear. A list of suggested players is include (see our suggestions below as well). The site seems to have been static for a while, and perhaps is not being actively managed...attempts to contact them have been unsuccessful so far.
MIDIWorld -- having trouble getting to the midi files...will update if I can get the web page to open. Requires you to use the files on-line.
ChoralWiki -- the Choral Public Domain Library is a great source for choral music that is in the public domain. Most of it is pdf versions of scores, but there are also midi files for many of the included works. However, they're not specifically intended for part learning.
Players
Windows Media Player and Real Player are the most widely available midi players (for Windows, anyway), and usually work reasonably well. If you want more control, though, you might want to try a commercial or shareware product. We're not recommending any specific product, but suggest checking to see if one of them meets your needs.
For a good discussion of MIDI player options, see John Hooper's notes.
-
VanBasco Karaoke
-- shareware; play MIDI files with full control over tempo,
volume mix, etc.
- Notation
- MidiPlay -- see John Hooper's notes on this one
- RecordingSession -- see John Hooper's notes on this one, including some problems he has identified
- Melody Assistant
- Sweet MIDI Player
- Mitsyn
- Noteworthy Composer
Devices
In addition to computers, of course, MIDI and MP3 files can be played on smart phones, tablets, and other mobile devices. John Hooper has a more thorough discussion of this topic than I am able to present, so I suggest checking there for more information.