Uematsu was given a lot of freedom for the Final Fantasy IX soundtrack.
Uematsu originally tried writing the music for Final Fantasy IX using only traditional instruments (non-electronic/digital), but felt the sound would 'be unbalanced' and 'a little boring'. One such track as the original main theme that would've played on the world map, but even if Uematsu really liked the track it ended up not being used due to there not being a suitable place for it in the game. He initially composed around 160 tracks, but it would have required six CDs to release and was deemed too large, and around 20 of the tracks he composed ended up not being used. The series's composer, Nobuo Uematsu, finished composing the music for Final Fantasy IX in a period of little less than a year, a rather long development time compared to the time he used with previous Final Fantasy soundtracks, despite working over 12-hour days.
5 Uematsu's Best Selection - Music From The Final Fantasy IX Video Game.
