for lovers of baroque keyboard music (mainly organ)
I play keyboards and used to spend several hours a week playing pipe organs (badly) and I love organ music. It's not for very everyone I know, in fact I'm aware there are very few other nutters who share my taste :evil - organists appear to be a dying breed....
however if there is anyone else here who likes organ music (and also there is some harpsichord and harmonium music) I just came across this site by chance and was bowled over by how great an idea it is.
http://www.virtuallybaroque.com/
Basically a UK company (Crumhorn Labs) came up with a virtual pipe organ, in fact several pipe organs.
Painstakingly carefully sampling every single pipe of some of the nicest and best organs in the world (and a few other instruments including harpsichords and harmoniums) they enable users of the software to play (using a midi keyboard attached to the computer) the virtual recreation of these instruments in their own home or sequence them with sequencing software (bit like a player piano). A decent set of speakers attached to the PC is kind of important.
Basically you get to play the actual sounds of the organ of the Marienkirche, the organ at St. StephanusKirche, the Carmel organ Chicago, the Cavaille-Coll in Mainz, the Arp Schnitger in Gronigen etc etc. without going there.
Only of interest to organists and keyboard music players and enthusiasts I know, but what a resource for those of who love keyboard music!
For those who don't play so well themselves, the site above has hours and hours of music sorted in various ways which you can download and listen to performed using these 'virtual' organs for free.
I hope my neighbours like organ music!
