BACKGROUND PLAYER
                                 Version 1.1.
                   (C) Copyright 1990,1992 by Alex Reshetov

          ÉÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍ»
          º  Version 1.1 is shareware and may be freely copied and º
          º  shared on a non-commercial basis.  If you  choose  to º
          º  register ($20 fee), I will send you latest version of º
          º  BGP with source code and updated music library.       º
          ÈÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍÍͼ


                             Hardware requirements
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          - IBM PC/XT/AT or compatible,
          - DOS 2.0 or higher.


                                 Installation
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               The following files are provided:

          - READ.ME        This file.
          - BGP.COM        BackGround Player version 1.1.
          - MUSIC.ZIP      Description of various melodies.
          - INSTALL.BAT    Batch file to uncompress MUSIC.ZIP
                           (with subdirectories).

               After executing  INSTALL.BAT  directory  MUSIC will be
          created.  It contains descriptions of various melodies. Run
          any batch file to load and play a melody.


                                 Introduction
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               BGP is a  resident  program  which  plays user-defined
          melody  in background mode.  While BGP is playing music You
          can use computer for anything else: editing, compiling etc.
          BGP  understands  music  in  format  of  Basic  Music Macro
          Language (Âm) of Microsoft Corporation. This permits You to
          use   a  large  volume  of  melodies  developed  for  Basic
          language.

               Resident part of BGP uses only 0.7 Kb of memory + size
          of  melody  itself.  You  can unload BGP from memory at any
          time. To call BGP enter from DOS prompt:

          BGP <command string>

               After that  You  can  work  as  usual:  load  editors,
          compilers  etc.  And  melody  which  have been described in
          <command string> will go on. To drop the melody in any time
          You  may  call  BGP  without  parameters.  If  You call BGP
          without parameters while there is no copy of BGP in memory,
          You receive some help.

               <Command string>  is very similar to Basic Music Macro
          Language with the following exceptions:
          1. Instead  of  command  X<var>; to execute string variable
          <var> BGP  use  command  X<file>; to  execute  melody  from
          <file>.
          2. With  symbols  '<'/'>'  to  lower/raise  octave  symbols
          '{'/'}' is also used.  This extension is done to bypass DOS
          files redirection.
          3. Commands 'MB'/'MF' (music back/foreground) is absent.
          4. Repetition symbol '$' is added.

          The single character commands in <command string> are:

          A-G[#,+,-] Play the note.  A "#" or  "+"  afterwards  means
                     sharp  and  "-" means flat.  Sharp or flat notes
                     must correspond  to  a  black  piano  keys.  The
                     following notes are meaningful:
                     C C# D- D D# E- E F F# G- G G# A- A A# B- B
          Ln         Sets the  length of each note (n in range from 0
                     to 64). The length may also follow the note when
                     it is desired to change the length only for this
                     note, for example: A16
          M[N,L,S]   Music [Normal, Legato, Staccato]. Each note will
                     play [7/8th, full, 3/4th] of the period set by L.
          X<file>;   Load melody  from  <file>.  Files  may be nested
                     without constrains.
          {[.,:]}    Scale duration  of the previous note or pause by
                     (3/2)*(# of dots), for example: A4..
          [>,<,{,}]  Raise, lower] current octave.
          On         Set octave n (0..6).
          Nn         Play absolute note n (0..84).
          Pn         Pause (1..64).
          Tn         Tempo (32..255).
          $          Play "forever" (loop).

               Default settings  is  O4L4T120MN,  scale  is  BAGFEDC.
          Successive  calls of BGP replace melody with new one.  Call
          without parameters makes music off (if any) and deletes BGP
          from memory or output help screen.

               Convenient way  to produce file-like melody from Basic
          program is to replace all  operators  "PLAY"  to  operators
          "WRITE" to file.

               If a  program  which  have been load after BGP is also
          using  dynamic  it  led   to   two   possible   situations:
          interferation  of  sound  will  arise or BGP will play it's
          melody soundless and resume it in full strength  after  the
          program  finish  it's work.  The later is very probably for
          computer games.

               BGP needs DOS version 2.0 or higher and no  less  than
          40 Kb of free memory to parse command line.


                             Music library for BGP
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               Sample melodies are contained in the  MUSIC  directory
          and it's subdirectories (extracted from file MUSIC.ZIP). To
          load any melody execute according batch file.

               In this version  of  BGP  music  of  Bach,  Beethoven,
          Julius   Fucik,  DeBussy,  Ernesto  Lecuona,  S.Morrow  and
          several unknown (for me) composers is used.  The adaptation
          for  PC was performed by Michael Baum,  Con Spirito,  Carol
          Hall,  Tom Sorber,  PC WORLD,  Richard Eaton, Tina Anameier
          and several other programmers.


                            DISCLAIMER AND WARRANTY
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               This program is supplied AS IS without  any  warranty,
          expressed or implied,  including but not limited to fitness
          for a particular purpose.

               You may freely copy and  distribute  this  product  as
          long as you abide by the following conditions:

          a) You may not charge any fee for  making  copies  or  sell
             this product.
          b) You may not distribute this as part of  any  product  or
             service for which you charge a fee.
          c) You must copy  the  product  in  its  entirety  with  no
             changes.


                                 REGISTRATION
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               If you find BGP useful, a registration of $20.00 would
          be appreciated. For your registration, you will receive the
          assembly  source  for  BGP and updated music library.  Send
          check to:

          District "B"-2, 86
          Troitsk, Moscow region
          142092, Russia
          Alexander Reshetov

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 //  Reshetov Alexander,             II  Voice : (+7 095) 334-09-79       \\
||   Russian Academy of Sciences,    II  E-mail: ar@kaon-inr.msk.su        ||
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