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Beethoven remixed

At first glance Beethoven's work did not look likely to provide much in the way of useful material for this site because much of the MIDI sequencing has focussed on heroic attempts at the Symphonies or piano sonatas.

But to my surprise the Bagatelles proved to be quite entertaining and it is becoming evident that keyboard works will be a particularly productive in providing adaptable pieces where new instrumentation can generate interest and exitement. Here it proved possible to incorporate the synthesised Marimba from the Moog and together with the steel drums to produce an all round Carabbian feel to the sound. (I am right up against my system's processing capacity here because this marimba sustains dying notes for a long time and the volume of calculations build up fast in complicated pieces.)

The real surprises however, were the marches. More percussion instruments were introduced including bells, glockenspeil, vibes and for the Turkish the Hammond organ with one of its more percussive settings. The overall effect is less new world but they are still evocative and fresh.

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