DIVE IN!
Ludwig van Beethoven’s astonishing Symphony No. 9 is widely recognized as his most popular and frequently performed work. In the 2019 and 2020 seasons, covering Beethoven’s 250th birth year, countless performances of Symphony No. 9 were scheduled to be presented around the globe. This included a massive undertaking by Colorado Symphony Conductor Laureate Marin Alsop to collaboratively perform the work on 6 of the 7 continents, with added contemporary texts and the original text sung in the native language of each location. This colossal work of art and its message of unity and brotherhood will continue to stand the test of time in part due to Beethoven’s authenticity and drive as a creative artist in spite of consistent devastating obstacles in his life. Dive right in and let yourself be transported to a place of resilience and faith in the best of humanity with this performance by your Colorado Symphony.
RESOURCES
A short description of the first movement...
The second movement...
The third movement...
The fourth movement...
HIGHLIGHTS
Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 was composed between 1822 and 1824, and premiered that same year in Vienna. Though he conducted the premiere, he was unable to hear any of it clearly due to his advanced hearing loss and was frequently “off” from the musicians, who instead watched a second conductor for important cues.
Symphony No. 9 was immediately notable for its unusual use of vocal soloists and a chorus.
Many other composers paid homage to this great piece by quoting or incorporating material from the symphony into their works. In his first symphony, Johannes Brahms composed a beautiful melody which leaned so heavily on the Ode to Joy theme that it was often mockingly referred to as “Beethoven’s Tenth”.
CDs, those quaint tiny plastic “records” of the 80s and 90s, were engineered to hold 74 minutes of music based on the timing of the longest existing Symphony No. 9 recording at the time.
The “Ode to Joy” portion of Symphony No. 9 has been the European Anthem since 1972. Fun fact - your Colorado Symphony made a socially distanced recording of the Herbert von Karajan arrangement during the Covid pandemic quarantine in March 2020 which was viewed approximately a bazillion times.
Beethoven’s score calls for 2 flutes and piccolo, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons and contrabassoon, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, timpani, bass drum, cymbals, triangle, violins, violas, cellos, and basses, plus a full chorus and soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone vocal soloists.
Symphony No. 9 takes about 65-75 minutes to perform and is in four movements - the famous “Ode to Joy” final movement taking a full 25 minutes.
Explore the music
The first three movements of this work are an incredible introduction to the final movement, in which the major thematic material of each of the previous movements is reviewed before launching into an all out celebration of the 1785 “Ode to Joy” text by Friedrich Schiller.
The 4th movement music begins with an explosion of notes that deliver us into a new world of sound - at turns dramatic and wild, at turns tender and searching. We know things have really strayed from typical symphonic writing when a baritone begins singing, and then we are in a completely different experience when the full chorus and orchestra launches into face melting mode! Here is the text Beethoven uses from Schiller’s poem, translated into English:
Nerd Assignments
Consider and Discuss
Beethoven dealt with consistent adversity throughout his life. Resilience and gratitude became a recurring theme in his composition as well. How do you express resilience and gratitude. What creative activities do you engage in to relieve stress or give yourself space to think? Journaling, volunteering, cooking, tinkering, gardening, inventing new ways to do old things? Take some time to consider how you practice creativity in your daily life and how that practice connects you to humanity and community. You and Beethoven have a lot more in common than you might have thought!
Extra credit reading recommendation on this topic: “The Everyday Work of Art: Awakening the Extraordinary in Your Daily Life” by Eric Booth
Activate!
Do you have a favorite poem, inspirational speech, or quote? Think about how you would set it to music! Beethoven set a portion of Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” to a variety of styles of music, some of it hymn-like, some of it a jovial dance, some of it a rollicking party. What styles of music might reflect all the different ways you feel connected to the central message of your chosen text? What styles of music might bring new or different meaning to the text? Have some fun experimenting with your ideas!
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