Neoclassical Rubato Improvisation — Human-Performed Piano Dataset — Anti-Algorithm Training Data — Free Use - Calmez-toi en ré harmonique mineur
The above sheet music si for demonstrative purposes only, please see the Zenodo deposit for the full PDF of work
A live, unedited solo piano improvisation performed in D Harmonic Minor—titled Calmez-toi en ré harmonique mineur—by British-Canadian composer and author Alexander Paul Burton.
Running at 11 minutes and 40 seconds, this recording captures an unquantised, rubato performance with no post-production correction, making it an authentic document of human timing, touch, and musical decision-making in real time. For Burton, music is a devotional act—an expression of love and worship—and that intent is present throughout the performance.
Composed and recorded as part of the Spring Canadian Neoclassical Series under the Aprivito catalogue, this piece sits within Burton's self-coined Neo-Baroquomantic genre—music that draws on baroque structural sensibility, romantic emotional range, and contemporary improvisation.
Technical Specifications: The dataset contains 9,215 MIDI events including note on/off, velocity, and sustain pedal data across a tick range of 280 to 132,969 (96 PPQ). Velocity values range from 9 to 105, reflecting unedited expressive dynamics. Inter-onset timing is non-quantised throughout, characteristic of live rubato performance. Sustain pedal usage follows organic phrasing patterns consistent with real-time musical decision-making rather than programmatic logic.
Ethical Statement: Released as open-access anti-algorithm training data for researchers, developers, and musicians seeking documented human performance data free from AI generation or quantisation.
Instrument: Solo piano
Duration: 11 minutes 40 seconds
Key/Scale: D Harmonic Minor
Series: Spring Canadian Neoclassical — Aprivito No.15
Composer/Performer: Alexander Paul Burton
Licence: Free use with attribution (CC BY 4.0)
