MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (MuseWire) – MakeMusic, Inc. (NASDAQ:MMUS) this week announced it has signed an agreement to acquire Garritan Corporation, a leading provider of software musical instruments. Under the terms of the agreement, Garritan Corporation will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of MakeMusic. Founder Gary Garritan will be joining MakeMusic as director of instrumental sciences.

Closing is subject to customary conditions and is expected to occur within the next few weeks. “The acquisition of Garritan is an exciting addition to MakeMusic,” said Karen van Lith, MakeMusic CEO. “Garritan Libraries provide breathtaking sounds to inspire the musician’s creative experience. Gary Garritan is a true pioneer, and we are fortunate to add his technological expertise and pursuit of innovation to our growing team.”

“MakeMusic is the industry leader in music notation and technology,” said founder, Gary Garritan. “They have a talented team, a history of success, a passion for excellence and a bright future. The sky is the limit as we look to expand our success with MakeMusic and prepare to launch exciting new software instrument offerings.”

Used in conjunction with music-writing software such as Finale, Garritan software libraries provide sounds so realistic they can be indistinguishable from a live performance. Garritan sounds are widely used in television, film and on the world’s greatest concert stages.

Garritan Corporation’s holdings include Garritan Personal Orchestra 4, World Instruments, Concert & Marching Band 2, Jazz & Big Band 3, Authorized Steinway, McGill University Master Samples, the Giga technologies and more. Garritan sounds have also been licensed in numerous music apps from Apple, Avid, AKAI, Cakewalk, Microsoft and Sony.

A statement from Gary Garritan in the company’s holiday newsletter said: “Garritan is about to become a part of MakeMusic! MakeMusic is a top-notch company that is number one in notation technology, with a talented team, a history of success, a passion for excellence, and a bright future. This is a very positive development and I’ll still be here but as part of MakeMusic. We look to expand our success with MakeMusic and prepare to launch exciting new software instruments.”

Garritan will be exhibiting at the NAMM Show, January 19-22. 2011 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California, Booth 6820 in Hall A. More information: http://www.garritan.com/ .