Term 2 Week 3: Beethoven Symphony No. 9: Ode to Joy

Here's the link to a site where you can make up your own music and learn about note values. If you are clever with working out things on the computer, you'll work out how to do this by yourself.

Symphony No. 9 in D minor op 125 (Choral Symphony) by Ludwig van Beethoven

This one of the most famous pieces of music ever written and one of the most frequently played symphonies in the world. Many people believe it is Beethoven's best work, and  one of the greatest pieces of music ever written.

A symphony is a piece of music for orchestra.

This was the  last symphony Beethoven wrote.  It is a very long symphony - over an hour - and is  unusual because the last movement also has singing in it: four soloists and a choir.

This symphony has four movements.  The last movement sets the words of a poem called Ode an die Freude ( Ode to Joy) written by  a German poet called Friedrich Schiller. The poem is about living in peace together. It was written at the time when these ideas were becoming very important in Europe.

Beethoven  started to write the symphony in  1817 and he finished it in 1824 when it was played for the first time - in Vienna.  It was the first time Beethoven had been on stage for twelve years, and it was the biggest orchestra he had ever used.  Beethoven conducted the performance but he couldn't hear the audience applaud because of his deafness. Someone made him turn round, and he saw that people were applauding enthusiastically.  It was customary at that time for the Imperial couple (Emperor and Empress)  to have three standing ovations when they entered a hall. When Beethoven  had five standing ovations, police tried to stop them because he was receiving more than the Emperor. People waved their handkerchiefs and hats in the air so Beethoven could see their enjoyment - because he couldn't hear them.

The main tune of the last movement is one of the best known tunes in the world. Many children like to play it on instruments because the first part of the tune only uses five notes (it can be played on C, D, E, F, G).


The Ode to Joy was adopted as Europe's “National anthem” in 1972.

The Symphony No. 9 - with the chorus - is traditionally performed throughout Japan during its New Year celebrations.  It was introduced to Japan by German soldiers held at a prisoner-of-war camp in World War 1, when Japan was an ally of Britain. Japanese orchestras started performing it and it became more popular in during World War II  when Germany was an ally of Japan.

When compact discs (CDs) were first being made,  different companies  had different ideas about what size they should make CDs.  Someone suggested that a compact disc ought to have the capacity to contain a complete performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony - about  65 to 74 minutes which requires a 12 cm diameter, the size of a CD.

Here's the Muppets version of  Ode to Joy

Here's David Beckham doing an advertisement using the music of Ode to Joy.

Here's a rock version of the  European Union Anthem of Ode to Joy

Air guitar and air drums version with Wes Borland (Ex-Limp Bizkit) and Richard Fortus (Guns n Roses)  and this version by Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord of Deep Purple.

David Garrett starts a very serious Ode to Joy - but listen to how it ends. 

Here's a flash mob version. Watch the young girl.
Glass harp version of Ode to Joy.

Here's a girl doing a mix of classical and jazz singing of Ode to Joy.

Rowan Atkinson doing a humorous version. You may not understand all of the jokes, but you will get the idea.


Here's 10,000 Japanese performing  part of the Ninth Symphony.   You can see how impressive it is to get this many people to perform together.

Here's the full version of Beethoven's 9th Symphony with conductor Daniel Barenboim. 

Here's a version with English subtitles.

Here's the European Anthem version on karaoke German.

Here's a graphic representation of the orchestra playing Ode to Joy.

A cats' chorus of Ode to Joy.

Here's a colour-coded score for the music of Ode to Joy

Link

Here's a join-the-dots picture of Beethoven you can print and complete.

Here's a song based on the Ode to Joy tune, and written about the Emerald City from the Wizard of Oz. 

Here's a Horrible Histories meeting between Mozart and Beethoven...