Lyrics:

Title: Symphony No. 9
Artist: Ludwig van Beethoven
encoding: windows-1257

Ludwig van Beethoven
Symphony with Final Chorus on Schiller's 'Ode to Joy'

The above is the original title bestowed by Beethoven himself on

the release of his monumental piece, Symphony No. 9 in D Minor,

Opus 125. Chronologically, the completion of the piece in 1824

places the work in Beethoven's third period, his most

contemplative one. However, this is misleading since the symphony

was the result of three separate ideas by Beethoven (the first

dating back as early as 1793, and another one as late as 1823),

finally converging into one complete work. In other words, we can

find elements of style from his earlier periods juxtaposed against

elements from his late period of composition. The integration of

Schiller's Ode to Joy in itself marks a bold transition towards

Romantic Music. The emotion conveyed in this piece could only come

from Beethoven and still succeeds in communicating with audiences

of today - a fifteen minute standing ovation to a recent

performance of the symphony that I attended said it all.


The writing of Symphony No. 9 was quite long-winded. As mentioned

earlier, assuming that this symphony came entirely from

Beethoven's third period is misleading; similarly, referring to

the symphony as the Chorale symphony is equally misleading because

it distorts Beethoven's true intentions of the piece. In

actuality, Symphony No. 9 was not meant to include a vocal

movement; he had worked out a completely instrumental fourth

movement, but threw it out and it later became the finale for the

Opus 132 String Quartet in A Minor (1826). We know that this piece

was many years in the making because of his sketches; he sketched

constantly, and took them whenever he moved, which was quite

often. These sketches, like an artist's doodles, often became

themes of later works.

The earliest conceived idea of Symphony 9 was the idea to set

Schiller's Ode to Joy to music. This idea emerged as early as

1793. He had always admired Schiller, and some of his piano

sonatas of the first period were possibly based on some of

Schiller's essays (e.g. the Path¨¨tique Sonata in C Minor, Opus 13,

1799). One of his sketchbooks from 1811 shows that Ode to Joy

would become a cantata, rather than become integrated within an

orchestral work. On the other hand, Beethoven had plans to write a

ninth and a tenth symphony. The ninth symphony would be completely

instrumental, while the tenth would introduce the voice into the

symphony. In 1822, he visited a prominent Leipzig music critic,

whom he told that in the tenth symphony: 'vocal parts would enter

gradually - in the text of the Adagio Greek Myth, Cantique

Ecclesiastique - in Allegro, feast of Bachus.' (from Thayer's Life

of Beethoven by Alexander Thayer, Plantiga). Yet another idea

Beethoven had was to introduce the voice into the symphony - his

plans for the tenth symphony - since he had exhausted the

expressive resources of instrumentation, and introducing the voice

seemed to be the only way to transcend the restrictive forces of

instrumentation.

Between the years of 1818-1819, and 1822-23, Beethoven worked on

the first three movements of Opus 125, making use of the material

from his sketchbooks. At this point, Symphony 9 did not include

plans to include Schiller's Ode to Joy, let alone voices.

In 1822, he actually sold the rights of the symphony to the London

Philharmonic Society; but he never completed the promised

completely instrumental symphony. It was not until the middle of

1823 when the idea of incorporating these three ideas: setting Ode

to Joy to music, incorporating voice into the symphony, and

writing an instrumental ninth symphony, finally coalesced into one

work. But even at this point, the composer was 'still sorely

troubled' (Plantiga, 64) on how to introduce the voice into the

finale convincingly when the singers had sat quiet upon stage

during the first three movements:

The working out of the fourth movement, however, began as a

struggle seldom encountered before. The problem was to find a

suitable introduction to Schiller's Ode.

One day he burst into the room and shouted at me: 'I got it! I

have it!' He held his sketchbook out to me so that I could read:

'Let us sing the song of the immortal Schiller'; then a solo voice

began the hymn of joy.

Schindler in October 1823 (Plantiga, 64)

Even with this new found idea (although it obviously changed a

bit), it still was another year until the transition of

instruments to voice finalized. He found it difficult to suddenly

introduce a chorus of voices after a long instrumental symphony;

it was simply incongruous. His final conclusion on this difficulty

reflects on the aesthetic struggle he encountered while writing

the fourth movement; this movement is quite unusual in its

structure. In brief, the movement begins with an outraged,

tumultuous, flurry of sound; then a restatement of the prior three

movements, each interrupted and rejected by instrumental

recitative. Finally, a new theme, initially hesitantly advanced by

the orchestra, is slowly accepted, ending in a triumphant

statement of the new theme in D Major. Then the previous

instrumental recitative transforms into real recitative, with a

solo baritone singing: O friends, not these tones; instead let us

sing more pleasing and joyful ones. Berlioz calls this the 'treaty

of alliance between chorus and orchestra.' (Plantiga, 65) Then the

more joyful tones are the first lines of the poem. Beethoven chose

to emphasize two ideals: the universal brotherhood of man through

joy, and the love of the heavenly father. Throughout the fourth

movement, there is a general trend from the terrestrial to the

divine.


Beethoven's move to utilize the human voice elicited numerous

comments and thoughts from other musicians:

Berlioz: Beethoven had already written eight symphonies before

this. What means were open to him, in the event of his proposing

to go beyond the point at which he had already arrived, by the

unaided resources of instrumentation? The junction of vocal wit h

instrumental forces.


Wagner: It is wonderful how the master makes the arrival of Man's

voice and tongue a positive necessity, by this awe-inspiring

recitative in the bass-strings. (Plantiga, 68)

In order to fully appreciate the all encompassing nature of this

piece, we must look into the three periods of Beethoven's

compositional career; since the work is a collaboration between

these styles. His idea to use Ode to Joy came from his desire to s

et it to music, which developed during his first period, when he

was very interested in the writings of various philosophers. The

first and second movements, and even parts of the fourth movement

have echoes of his second period, his 'heroic' era. The third,

fifth, and seventh symphonies were composed during this period.

The third symphony, Eroica, embraced the heroic ideals of the

French Revolution. The great difference between this powerful era

and his third period was quite dramatic. The sudden change in

style was mainly due to his deteriorating hearing loss, which

directly caused his compositions to lose the power of his second

period. All these factors contributed to the new Beethoven: a more

quite, abstract, and introspective Beethoven. Joseph Kerman

describes music of this period as 'miraculous, encompassing all

the strength of his earlier music together with a new gentleness

and spirituality.' (Kerman, 215)


Essentially, only the third movement truly encompasses the

stylistic nuances of Beethoven's third period. This third

movement, an adagio, 'soars effortlessly, constantly renewed by

the veiled cadences and an overlapping of instrumentation; .. a

supreme example of the composer's late contemplative style, and

one of the finest melodies he ever wrote.' (Plantiga, 68)

The musical achievements of this piece are also quite outstanding.

The symphony begins ab origine, beginning as if it had always

existed from birth (Pestelli, 250). The rustling pianissimo on A

and E rapidly crescendo to a powerful theme, with a fallin g

arpeggio in D Minor. The opening of the movement was written in

1816. David Wright, who wrote the program notes to the 23 November

1996 performance of the symphony at Carnegie Hall, says that 'you

feel something stirring up in the pianissimo, but the enigmatic

sound of open fifths, neither major, nor minor, cannot tell us

whether to welcome it or fear it.' (Stagebill, 20) These falling

fifths eventually swell into a 'menacing' fortissimo theme in D

Minor. This movement is far off from classical sona ta form, and

is important because it shows the transition between the Classic

and Romantic periods of music. Towards the end, a haunting theme

played by the bass emerges, a 'kind of funeral march built over a

grinding, chromatic ostinato.' (Cooke, 30) This ostinato (a term

usually used to describe baroque music), is at first played by

just the bass, then spreads upwards, evetually taking over the

orchestra.

A parody of the first movement, the second movement, an engaging

scherzo does not take its time to emerge. It communicates its

energy through the use of staggered rhythm, staccato, and timpani

accompaniment. On a technical note, the scherzo opens with a

falling fifth (just like the first movement), then transforms into

a legato, then plunges a full octave. The scherzo runs along

interrupted until it is interrupted by brief slow interludes by

the strings; the scherzo manages to overpower them initially, but

then a trio takes over. The trio offers a relief, with a change in

timbre. It consists of variations on a folk-like tune. Then the

scherzo enters with a grand re-entrance. What sounds like a

repetition of the trio is quickly stampeded by the scherzo and

timpani, ending the movement quite abruptly.

The adagio movement is a striking contrast to the energetic

scherzo and trio. Kanne said that the third movement was 'a most

profound song, full of warmth, and flowing in heavenly

melancholy.' (Cooke, 32). Dominated by the winds, the melody of

the thir d movement in B Flat Major is truly the product of

Beethoven's third period. Echoes of the first movement can be

heard here. As the melody becomes freer, the strings softly

accompany using pizzicato, setting up an almost ethereal aura. The

melody progresses even more, increasing in volume, and when it

seems that it is coming to a close, a loud fanfare intrudes in E

Flat Major, the key of Eroica.

And another dramatic transition happens between the third and

final movement. Beginning with a outraged flurry of instruments

(dissonant too). Immediately, the cellos and basses play dramatic

recitative, hinting at some sort of 'rapprochement between the

instrumental and vocal music.' (Plantiga, 65) Then, in succession,

themes from the three prior movements are played, but are quickly

interrupted and rejected by the recitatives of the basses and

cellos. Finally, a new theme emerges from the orchestra, now

hesitant because of what happened previously. It is accepted,

however, but not without a minor protest from the basses and

cellos. Eventually other instruments join in, which lead to a

triumphant statement of the theme in D Major. When all seems

dandy, however, Beethoven replays the original confrontation from

the opening of the finale. This time, though, the dramatic

recitative of the cello and basses is replaced with real

recitative - the human voice; in this case, a solo baritone voice.

Then the exquisite choral-orchestral exposition on Schiller's Ode

to Joy engages in four stanzas. A variation, also known as the

Turkish March variation, is indeed a Turkish March, taking its

lead from the words Lauftet, Bruder, eure Bahn, Freudig wie ein

Held zum Siegman, translating to Hasten, Brothers, like a hero

marching to victory (there are several different, but similar

s). This march then leads to a long orchestral

interlude, then to a fugue on two themes. This leads to a an

overpowering full orchestral-choral development. A display of the

male and female choruses is sung in an almost meditative,

prayer-like way, starting from Seid umschlungen Millionen!, or Be

embraced, all ye Millions! As for the ending, I think David Wright

puts it the right way: ' ... [it] ponders the mystery and beauty

of divine grace. Then everybody goes all-out to the joyous and

thrilling close.' (Stagebill, 20A).

We've examined, so far, the history and musical features of the

symphony. The premiere of Symphony No. 9 was performed in Vienna,

7 May 1824. Perhaps this excerpt best describes how the audience

received the piece:
His turning around, and the sudden conviction thereby forced on

everybody that he had not so before because he could not hear what

was going on, acted like an electric shock on all present, and a

volcanic explosion of sympathy and admiration.

English writer George Grove
after meeting with Karoline Ungher,
one of the soloists at the premiere

And over 200 years later, similar reviews can be had from concert

goers, including myself. Honestly, I have been waiting months for

any orchestra to perform Symphony No. 9, and then I discovered

that it was going to be performed at Carnegie Hall on November 23.

The excitement of the audience about the piece filled the air as I

entered the hall. It was much easier to hear the opening of the

symphony, the rustling pianissimo that I mentioned earlier. I

could hear every minor detail of Beethoven's orchestration, which

is something that is lost in recordings, in my opinion. It was

strange how the chorus and soloists sat in the back, quiet, the

entire first three movements. When they all stood up right before

singing in the fourth movement, there was a d efinite energy in

the air - the anticipation of the audience to hear the sacred half

of the fourth movement. There really is no word to describe how

the chorus and soloists performed. Perhaps magical? The experience

of hearing it live as opposed to a CD was overwhelmingly superior.

As the final bars of the symphony were being played, I wished I

could have relived that spent hour again.


Anyone can appreciate Beethoven's Ninth Symphony for its simple,

yet complex aesthetic beauty. Upon understanding what went on

behind the writing of the piece and by investigating its history

does one gain a much greater and deeper understanding of the

music.