Om to Joy

A recently unearthed collaboration between Beethoven and a bunch of Tibetan monks who happened to be wandering around Vienna at the time.

In a letter dated 1822 to his patron Count de Thalern, Beethoven wrote “These bald blokes in spa attire are extremely amiable company and they make the very floorboards resonate. It has been a most [ILLEGIBLE SCRAWL…] Elbow still playing me up, chizz chizz. Please send money, Yours LvB”.

One for silly season. I was writing about MIDI production last year and then idly suggested to someone that I might cobble together a version of Beethoven’s Ninth for cartoon Buddhist monks. So…

This is REAPER driving 13 channels of MIDI into 4 instances of Garritan Personal Orchestra 5, plus another 8 channels into Delay Lamas. The soloists are displayed, the chorus parts aren’t (although I’ve taken a couple of dramatic liberties).

I’ll get my excuses in early:

This in no way represents a political statement on the forthcoming UK referendum on EU membership. I have my view, but will keep it between me and my little X. Politics in music is problematic, and I’ve never been happy with Beethoven’s wondrous setting of Schiller’s hymn to common humanity being co-opted by anyone. As far as I’m concerned, it’s just a belting good piece of art that’s beyond politics.

If the propellerheads want to get on my case about the quality of MIDI programming, they can save their breath (or rather fingers). It’s just a bit of fun. I’ve put in a fair bit of effort, but I don’t pretend to be Molly Mockup.

New lyrics (well, Ludwig mucked about with his source material, so I have no shame):

“Freude om namaste funken,
Nirvana und Elysium,
Wir betreten darma trunken,
Deine mani padme hum.”

PS Never make a bet with me on the assumption that I wouldn’t be daft enough to bother… You know who you are…