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Keith Francis Arnold Beal is an English painter, sound engineer, recording engineer and producer, musician and composer, and author.

Early years
Born on 22 December 1933 in Chalfont St. Peter, Buckinghamshire, Beal grew up in Potters Bar, Hertfordshire. After the Second World War, he was sent to Sweden in 1948 to gain strength, staying there for the better part of a year.

Painting
In 1955 Beal spent a year in Paris, aiming to develop his painting skills. He found quick success, putting up an exhibition in Bond Street and selling out on the day. Beal has remained actively interested in painting throughout his life. Don Quixote by Cervantes has been a recurring inspiration for his paintings.

Sound engineer
Beal worked as a sound editor for the BBC, as well as commercial television and films from 1956 to 1973.

University
In 1966, Beal enrolled at the London School of Economics, gaining a BSc degree in Economics in 1971.

Music
On his fortieth birthday in 1973, he was given a saxophone, and won a bet that he could learn to play within a year. In 1974, he co-founded Ogun Records, a record label specialising in jazz and modern classical music. Initially, he worked as a recording engineer and editor, but later became producer, eventually leading the company as managing director. In his time at Ogun, Beal recorded and/or produced some 50 records by such artists as Trevor Watts, Chris McGregor’s Brotherhood of Breath, Elton Dean and Keith Tippett. After leaving Ogun in 1980, Beal concentrated on playing the saxophone. He toured extensively with Trevor Watts Moiré Music, an avant garde jazz ensemble, between 1982 and 1986.

In 1987, Beal moved to the Netherlands. He initially focused on jazz, both as a performer and composer, but increasingly moved towards modern classical composition. Early works include pieces for tuba quartet and saxophone quartet, but he became ever more confident and productive, recording his Second Symphony in Kiev with the Kiev Modern Symphony Orchestra in 2001. He went on to compose two operas, the first of which, Dulcinea, was written on the 400th anniversary of the publication of Don Quixote by Cervantes, on which the libretto is based.

Novels
In 2011 and 2012, Beal published two strongly autobiographical novels, entitled Counterpoint in Three Parts: Reflexions on the Life and Loves of a Musician , and Cadmium Red

Compositions
The following is an as yet incomplete overview of Beal's major compositions.