diff --git a/libs/midi++2/midi++/midnam_patch.h b/libs/midi++2/midi++/midnam_patch.h
index 265511e50c..d810d96c7a 100644
--- a/libs/midi++2/midi++/midnam_patch.h
+++ b/libs/midi++2/midi++/midnam_patch.h
@@ -82,22 +82,24 @@ public:
 	}
 };
 
+class PatchBank;
+
+typedef std::list<boost::shared_ptr<Evoral::MIDIEvent> > PatchMidiCommands;
+	
 class Patch : public PBD::Stateful
 {
 public:
-	typedef std::list<boost::shared_ptr<Evoral::MIDIEvent> > PatchMidiCommands;
 
-	Patch() {};
-	Patch(string a_number, string a_name) : _number(a_number), _name(a_name) {};
-	~Patch() {};
+	Patch(PatchBank* a_bank = 0) : _bank(a_bank) {};
+	Patch(string a_number, string a_name, PatchBank* a_bank = 0) 
+		: _number(a_number), _name(a_name), _bank(a_bank) {};
+	virtual ~Patch() {};
 
 	const string& name() const               { return _name; }
 	void set_name(const string a_name)       { _name = a_name; }
 
 	const string& number() const             { return _number; }
 	void set_number(const string a_number)   { _number = a_number; }
-
-	const PatchMidiCommands& patch_midi_commands() const { return _patch_midi_commands; }
 	
 	const PatchPrimaryKey&   patch_primary_key()   const { return _id; }
 
@@ -107,8 +109,9 @@ public:
 private:
 	string            _number;
 	string            _name;
+	// cannot use a boost::shared_ptr here in order to avoid retain cycles
+	PatchBank*        _bank;
 	PatchPrimaryKey   _id;
-	PatchMidiCommands _patch_midi_commands;
 };
 
 class PatchBank : public PBD::Stateful
@@ -116,21 +119,24 @@ class PatchBank : public PBD::Stateful
 public:
 	typedef std::list<boost::shared_ptr<Patch> > PatchNameList;
 
-	PatchBank() {};
-	virtual ~PatchBank() {};
-	PatchBank(string a_name) : _name(a_name) {};
+	PatchBank() : _id(0) {};
+	PatchBank(string a_name, PatchPrimaryKey* an_id = 0) : _name(a_name), _id(an_id) {};
+	virtual ~PatchBank() { delete _id; };
 
 	const string& name() const               { return _name; }
 	void set_name(const string a_name)       { _name = a_name; }
 
 	const PatchNameList& patch_name_list() const { return _patch_name_list; }
+	
+	const PatchPrimaryKey* patch_primary_key()  const { return _id; }
 
 	XMLNode& get_state (void);
 	int      set_state (const XMLNode& a_node);
 
 private:
-	string        _name;
-	PatchNameList _patch_name_list;
+	string            _name;
+	PatchNameList     _patch_name_list;
+	PatchPrimaryKey*  _id;
 };
 
 #include <iostream>
diff --git a/libs/midi++2/midnam_patch.cc b/libs/midi++2/midnam_patch.cc
index acbf9208a8..87f062e3b2 100644
--- a/libs/midi++2/midnam_patch.cc
+++ b/libs/midi++2/midnam_patch.cc
@@ -38,27 +38,22 @@ Patch::get_state (void)
 	XMLNode* node = new XMLNode("Patch");
 	node->add_property("Number", _number);
 	node->add_property("Name",   _name);
+	/*
 	XMLNode* commands = node->add_child("PatchMIDICommands");
 	for (PatchMidiCommands::const_iterator event = _patch_midi_commands.begin();
 	    event != _patch_midi_commands.end();
 	    ++event) {
 		commands->add_child_copy(*((((Evoral::MIDIEvent&)*event)).to_xml()));
 	}
+	*/
 
 	return *node;
 }
 
-int
-Patch::set_state (const XMLNode& node)
+void initialize_primary_key_from_commands (PatchPrimaryKey& id, const XMLNode* node)
 {
-	assert(node.name() == "Patch");
-	_number = node.property("Number")->value();
-	_name   = node.property("Name")->value();
-	XMLNode* commands = node.child("PatchMIDICommands");
-	assert(commands);
-	const XMLNodeList events = commands->children();
+	const XMLNodeList events = node->children();
 	for (XMLNodeList::const_iterator i = events.begin(); i != events.end(); ++i) {
-		_patch_midi_commands.push_back(boost::shared_ptr<Evoral::MIDIEvent> (new Evoral::MIDIEvent(*(*i))));
 		XMLNode* node = *i;
 		if (node->name() == "ControlChange") {
 			string control = node->property("Control")->value();
@@ -67,18 +62,42 @@ Patch::set_state (const XMLNode& node)
 			assert(value != "");
 			
 			if (control == "0") {
-				_id.msb = PBD::atoi(value);
+				id.msb = PBD::atoi(value);
 			} else if (control == "32") {
-				_id.lsb = PBD::atoi(value);
+				id.lsb = PBD::atoi(value);
 			}
 		} else if (node->name() == "ProgramChange") {
 			string number = node->property("Number")->value();
 			assert(number != "");
-			_id.program_number = PBD::atoi(number);
+			id.program_number = PBD::atoi(number);
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+
+int
+Patch::set_state (const XMLNode& node)
+{
+	assert(node.name() == "Patch");
+	_number = node.property("Number")->value();
+	_name   = node.property("Name")->value();
+	XMLNode* commands = node.child("PatchMIDICommands");
+	
+	if (commands) {
+		initialize_primary_key_from_commands(_id, commands);
+	} else {
+		string program_change = node.property("ProgramChange")->value();
+		assert(program_change.length());
+		assert(_bank);
+		assert(_bank->patch_primary_key());
+		if ( _bank && _bank->patch_primary_key() ) {
+			_id.msb = _bank->patch_primary_key()->msb;
+			_id.lsb = _bank->patch_primary_key()->lsb;
+			_id.program_number = PBD::atoi(program_change);
 		}
 	}
 
-	//cerr << "deserialized Patch: name: " <<  _name << _id.msb << " lsb: " << _id.lsb << " program " << _id.program_number << endl;
+	cerr << "deserialized Patch: name: " <<  _name << " msb: " << _id.msb << " lsb: " << _id.lsb << " program " << _id.program_number << endl;
 	// TODO: handle that more gracefully
 	assert(_id.is_sane());
 	
@@ -152,15 +171,22 @@ PatchBank::set_state (const XMLNode& node)
 {
 	assert(node.name() == "PatchBank");
 	_name   = node.property("Name")->value();
+
+	XMLNode* commands = node.child("MIDICommands");
+	if (commands) {
+		_id = new PatchPrimaryKey();
+		initialize_primary_key_from_commands(*_id, commands);
+	}
+	
 	XMLNode* patch_name_list = node.child("PatchNameList");
 	assert(patch_name_list);
 	const XMLNodeList patches = patch_name_list->children();
 	for (XMLNodeList::const_iterator i = patches.begin(); i != patches.end(); ++i) {
-		boost::shared_ptr<Patch> patch(new Patch());
+		boost::shared_ptr<Patch> patch(new Patch(this));
 		patch->set_state(*(*i));
 		_patch_name_list.push_back(patch);
 	}
-
+	
 	return 0;
 }