National Anthems and Patriotic Songs

In our review of National Anthems and Patriotic Songs we find that some are based on hymn songs while others are more closely related to folk songs. Our article includes a number of sheet Music and audio examples from the the US, the UK, France, Germany, Australia and More...

Military Bugle Calls

We have completely revamped our collection of Bugles Calls, adding many more examples to our catalogue. Our article on Bugle Calls looks at the history of these pieces and their influence on Classical, Film and Popular music. The complete set of examples can be accessed from the article, including The Last Post, Taps, First Call, various versions of Reveille and much more. All the examples include sheet music, midi and mp3 downloads. More...

Scott Joplin and the Age of Ragtime

Scott Joplin was a fascinating figure in the world of music, though there are tantalising gaps in our understanding of his life. Scott Joplin and the Age of Ragtime takes a different approach and explains the wider context of music and the arts against a backdrop of American culture and politics, and sheds new light on Joplin's achievements and motivations. More...

Scott Joplin: Bethena - A Concert Waltz

We add a new ragtime piece to our catalogue of Scott Joplin's piano rags. "Bethena" is a ragtime waltz and so it is quite unusual, since a waltz has 3 beats in a bar whereas most ragtime pieces have 2 or 4 beats in a bar. This work is also a neat tie-in with last week's review of the soundtrack to "Benjamin Button" since it is the final track on the second album. We provide the piece in the following formats:

• Bethena: A Concert Waltz by Scott Joplin - scorch sheet music and video
• Bethena: A Concert Waltz by Scott Joplin - PDF sheet music to download
• Bethena: A Concert Waltz by Scott Joplin - MIDI file
• Bethena: A Concert Waltz by Scott Joplin - MP3 file

Electronic Music

Whichever way you look at it, the creation and processing of music by electronic methods is a huge industry which grew from small seeds sown more than 100 years ago. Many engineers, musicians and composers have been caught up in the Electronic Music revolution which now permeates many aspects of different media and music genres. With his range of instruments from the Moog Modular to the MiniMoog, Robert Moog (who died in 2005) was one of the key players in that fascinating and complex history. In this article we pay tribute to Robert Moog and those other pioneers who have helped to shape electronic music into what it is today. We have also included mp3 downloads of some of our own electronic classical music. More...

The Wexford Carol and Other Carols

Already people are counting down to Christmas. If you are looking for Christmas sheet music, then mfiles has a wide range of Christmas Carols arranged for a wide range of instruments. The "play" links below will take you to the piano version of the carols, and from there you will see the different versions for other instruments:

• The Wexford Carol Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• Cradled in a Manger Meanly Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• Joy to the World Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• Silent Night Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• Away in a Manger Play, Print, MIDI, or MP3
• The First Nowell Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• Deck the Halls Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• A Coventry Carol Play, Print, Midi or MP3
• The Holly and the Ivy Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• It Came Upon a Midnight Clear Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• Once in Royal David's City Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• What Child is This? (Greensleeves) Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• Oh Little Town of Bethlehem Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• While Shepherds Watched their Flocks by Night Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• Good Christian Men Rejoice Play, Print, MIDI or MP3
• God rest you Merry Gentlemen Play, Print, MIDI or MP3

If your instrument is the guitar, then we have a number of very special arrangements of Christmas Carols by guitarist and regular contributor Glenn Jarrett:

• The Wexford Carol (guitar) - Traditional (Print, MIDI or MP3)
• Once in Royal David's City (guitar) - Henry John Gauntlett (Print, MIDI or MP3)
• I Saw Three Ships (guitar) - Traditional (Print, MIDI or MP3)
• Cradled in a Manger Meanly (guitar) - S J P Duncan (Print, MIDI or MP3)
• Silent Night (guitar) - Franz Gruber (Print, MIDI or MP3)
• A Coventry Carol (guitar) - Traditional (Print, MIDI or MP3)
• The Huron Carol (guitar) - Traditional (Print, MIDI or MP3)
• Gabriel's Message (guitar) - Traditional (Print, MIDI or MP3)

Church Music and Hymns

We've made some enhancements to our section on Church Music and these improvements include some additional hymns arranged for piano or organ:

• Abide With Me by W. H. Monk
• The Lord's My Shepherd by Jessie Seymour Irvine
• The Old 100th (Psalm 100) by Louis Bourgeois
• Oh Perfect Love by Sir Joseph Barnby

Download Cheap MP3s - tracks & albums

mfiles launches a Price Comparison service. Search for music with a single click, and instantly compare prices. Here's some suggestions to get you started:

• Michael Buble - Crazy Love
• Susan Boyle - I Dreamed a Dream
• Shirley Bassey The Performance
• Chart: Top 50 UK tracks
• Chart: Top 50 UK albums

Popular Wedding Music :

Although Weddings take place all year round, the summer months are a popular time in the hope of sunshine and flowers and a chance to spend time outdoors. If you are planning or arranging a wedding remember to consider appropriate music for the occasion. We propose a few traditional pieces for the event in our Wedding Music page, including the following classical favourites:

• Wedding March by Felix Mendelssohn
• Bridal Chorus by Richard Wagner
• Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel

How Music Works

Giles Swayne (composer-in-residence, Clare College, Cambridge) is to present a series of sessions to tell us "How Music Works". These will take place in London, with the first event on November 9th. Each session consists of a 60-minute talk with musical illustrations, followed by an uplifting drink and 45 minutes of open discussion. This PDF contains More Information.

Solace by Scott Joplin, now with video :

We've started including videos along with certain pieces of sheet music available on mfiles. First up in the Scott Joplin Ragtime collection is one of our favourite rags Solace:

• Solace - print sheet music
• Elite Syncopations - print sheet music
• The Easy Winners - print sheet music
• Swipesy (with Arthur Marshall) - print sheet music
• The Chrysanthemum - print sheet music
• The Entertainer - print sheet music
• Maple Leaf Rag - print sheet music

What is Music?

Music is weird stuff. It is just sounds strung together, but it is everywhere - in our homes, cars, shops and restaurants. People build careers in music, popular songs sell in their millions, concerts are attended by thousands, music is played at all sorts of ceremonies, there are radio stations dedicated to playing music, television uses music during soaps, quiz shows and adverts, and films use music to heighten dramas. It is everywhere because we like music, we crave it, it is a powerful phenomenon and it affects our moods. But what is music and why does it affect us so? We try to answer this question in our article What is Music?.

Powaqqatsi - Philip Glass

The striking image on the cover of the Powaqqatsi album shows a boy walking down the side of a dirt road with a huge truck advancing from behind bringing with it a storm of dust which is about to engulf him. This brief moment seems to sum up the film, which observes a range of third world countries moving rapidly from traditional practices of farming, fishing and crafts towards huge sprawling cities, traffic jams and junk food. The music by Philip Glass borrows a number of ideas from "world music" traditions, and weaves these ideas in his own inimitable style into a striking tapestry full of rhythms, soundscapes and themes which are as diverse as the cultures they accompany, yet united in their depiction of a world in transition leaving the observer to ask where is it heading. More...

Music to welcome the New Year

Help us celebrate the New Year with some traditional music associated with the mfiles home of Scotland. Each version is available in different formats and can be played by a variety of instrumental combinations.

• Auld Lang Syne
• Amazing Grace for Guitar - an arrangement by Glenn Jarrett
• Amazing Grace for Piano
• Amazing Grace for Flute and Piano