FAQ & Help
GENERAL
I had an internet problem whilst ordering. Has my order gone through?
When a transaction is complete, we will send you a confirmation email. If you haven’t received any email, it is likely the transaction hasn’t gone through – however, please remember to check your spam folder, as it is possible our email was blocked by your spam filter. If you cannot see any email, please check with your bank whether any amount has been debited; if not, your order did not go through and you will need to start again.
I am unable to order online, can I order over the phone?
Unfortunately we are currently unable to take orders over the phone. If for any reason you are unable to make online purchases, our CDs are distributed by many CD shops in the UK and Europe.
There seems to be a problem with my PayPal account.
If this issue is specifically with your Paypal payment or Paypal account, please get in touch with the Paypal team who will be able to assist.
DELIVERY
Is postage included in the price of the CDs?
Standard postage worldwide is included in the price of the CDs. If you would like your parcel to be trackable or simply delivered faster, you have the option to pay for courier delivery.
I ordered a CD a while ago and I still haven’t received it.
All CD orders are dispatched within 1-2 working days. If you ordered via standard delivery, please allow 3 weeks for the CDs to arrive. If the CDs haven’t arrived by then, please contact us and we will send you a replacement CD. If you have ordered via courier delivery, please contact us and we will be able to track your order for you.
Can you deliver in time for Christmas?
Our office usually closes for the period between Christmas and New Year. Please check with us before purchasing if you would like your order to arrive before Christmas, as orders placed towards the end of December may not be processed until the New Year.
MP3/FLAC DOWNLOADS
What is FLAC? How is FLAC compared to MP3?
FLAC stands for Free Loseless Audio Codec. Since the compression is lossless (i.e. without any loss in quality), FLAC produces digital audio files that are CD-quality, thus it is popularly used to archive CD. In other words, you can enjoy CD-quality music using your computers or digital players simply by purchasing FLAC downloads, saving your time waiting for the CD delivery and ripping the CD.
Because FLAC has a much higher quality than MP3, FLAC files are around double of the size of mp3 files, so it may be less suitable for use on your mobile device. It may also take a longer period of time to download than MP3 so you will need to be prepared to run your internet connection until the download is complete. You may wish to visit the official site of FLAC to learn more about the file format.
How can I play the FLAC files I downloaded?
You can download and install free audio players that support FLAC (VLC Media Player, Winamp Media Player etc.) on your computer to play the FLAC files. Please refer to the official list of supporting players for more options.You may check the official list of supported hardware to see if your preferred devices work with FLAC.
What is the quality of the MP3 files?
All the MP3 downloads on our website have the bitrate of 320kbps (kilobits per second), which is by far the highest mp3 quality available.Please note that, in contrast, the 30-second samples of all the tracks are 192kbps mp3 files in order to minimise the loading time.
How can I play the MP3 files I downloaded?
The MP3 files can be played on all popular media players on computers (e.g. iTunes, Windows Media Player). After installing a media player, simply click on the MP3 files, or open the MP3 files within the media player to play the music. The MP3 files can also be played on portable music players (subject to the supporting file types of the devices). There is no limit to how many copies of the MP3 files you can make or how many times you can transferred the MP3 files to portable devices, as long as the MP3 files are for your personal use only.
CDs/DOWNLOADS
I received a faulty CD
If you have received a product you are not entirely happy with, we sincerely apologise. Please return it to us in the post (please return the whole product, even if only 1 of the CDs is faulty) explaining what the problem is and we will send you a replacement. Please remember to include your name and address, and the purchase transaction number so we can refer to your original order.
My Internet connection stopped while I was downloading my MP3. Can I download it again?
You can download the MP3 files (for your personal use only) unlimited times within one month of your purchase, through the download link sent to you in the confirmation email. If you experience any Internet connection problems during your download, simply download the files again.
The MP3 I downloaded isn’t playing
First try to re-download the MP3 files again in case this problem is caused by bad Internet connection. Secondly, check that the media player you are using supports MP3 files and is functioning properly, and that the speakers of your device are turned on. If the problem persists or if you believe the problem is caused by faulty MP3 files, please contact us and we will provide the correct files for you.
The MP3 I downloaded is faulty
We sincerely apologise if any of the MP3 files we have provided are faulty. Please make us aware of the problem by emailing us at [email protected] or by calling Steve Long on +44 (0) 208 997 4000. We will provide the correct files as soon as possible.
GENERAL QUERIES & FEEDBACK
Why are your products more expensive here than on Amazon, iTunes, etc.?
Amazon and iTunes are much larger organisations than we are, so it is impossible for us to match their low pricing. When making your choice, you may want to bear in mind that we are a non-profit organisation so any profits we do make are used to finance further recordings.
Why aren’t you replying to my email?
If you have emailed us and received no reply, we sincerely apologise. This may have happened if your messages were blocked by our spam filter. Our team is entirely committed to giving you a great service so if you are experiencing problems, please phone +44 (0) 208 997 4000 where we will be able to offer you prompt assistance.
ABOUT THE BACH CANTATA SERIES
I am looking for a specific cantata, can you help me?
If you are looking for one specific cantata, you may wish to visit at the website www.cantatafinder.com which references all our recordings.You can search the site in several languages, and look for cantatas by name, BWV number, date, recording place, etc. The site also contains score and orchestrations for each cantata.
I am a subscriber to the Bach Cantatas Series, when is the next release coming out?
The Cantatas subscription series came to an end at the end of 2010, after the release of volume 27. There were 27 volumes in total. If you are missing some of the CDs which you think you should have received, please get in touch with us. Volume 28 (Cantatas for Ascension Day) was subsequently recorded in 2012, for release in April 2013. Please note this will not be sent as a subscription album.
I used to subscribe to the Bach Cantatas Series but I am missing some issues, how can I receive them?
If the CDs you are missing came out while you were a subscriber, there are several reasons why you may have missed them. They could have been lost in the post, or there may have been a problem with your credit card at the time resulting in the CD not being sent out. Please contact us so we can help you resolve this.
If you would like to complete your series with CDs that came out before you were a subscriber, please contact us and we will let you know how you can still benefit from the subscriber rate.
Will the recordings from the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage that were released on Deutsche Grammophon also be released on SDG?
Some of the Bach Cantatas performed during the Pilgrimage do no currently appear on the SDG releases. Some were recorded by Archiv (Deutsche Grammophon) and have so far not been released due to licensing rights issues; others were not recorded due to logistical problems on the original tour. We are very much hoping we can complete the series in the next few years. We will notify all our series subscribers via email when we have any more news on this.
Available on both Archiv (DG) and SDG:
Archiv 463 580-2 and SDG128 (volume 22) BWV 6, 66
Archiv 463 584-2 and SDG121 (volume 26) BWV 172, 59, 74, 34
Archiv 463 586-2 and SDG168 (volume11) BWV 98
Archiv 463 586-2 and SDG174 (volume 12) BWV 139
Archiv 463 586-2 and SDG137 (volume 17) BWV 16
Archiv 463 587-2 and SDG174 (volume 12) BWV 140
Archiv 463 587-2 and SDG162 (volume 13) BWV 174
Archiv 463 588-2 and SDG162 (volume 13) BWV 61, 62, 36
Archiv 463 589-2 and SDG171 (volume 18) BWV 63
Archiv 463 589-2 and SDG127 (volume 15) BWV 64, 133
Archiv 463 589-2 and SDG113 (volume 14) BWV 121
Archiv 463 583-2 and SDG185 (volume 28) BWV 43, 128, 37, 11 (Ascension Day cantatas)
Available only on Archiv (DG), from the Bach Cantatas Pilgrimage:
Archiv 463 582-2 BWV 72, 73, 111, 156
Archiv 463 585-2 BWV 83, 82, 125, 200
Archiv 463 590-2 BWV 94, 168, 105
Archiv 463 591-2 BWV 179, 199, 113
Available on Archiv (DG), from a studio recording prior to the Pilgrimage:/p>
Archiv 463 581-2 BWV 106, 118/231, 198 (Bach’s death day)
If you cannot find a suitable answer to your query on this page, please email: [email protected]