When I first started playing violin one of the earliest songs we played was the melody to the Ode to Joy. The melody itself is pretty simple and easy to play, it only requires two strings which makes it a perfect choice for beginners. I never really paid much attention to the song after that because I thought it was simple and lackluster. I later re-discovered this piece of work and it changed how I viewed music in many ways.
During my senior year at Mahopac High School, I had the opportunity to go on an orchestra class trip to see the New York Philharmonic perform Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. I quickly signed up for the trip because the New York Philharmonic Orchestra always puts on incredible performances. A few days before we went to see the show my orchestra teacher told us that if we looked up information about the piece beforehand it would enhance our experience when we went to the performance. I decided to learn a little bit about Beethoven and the piece before the show because I realized I really did not know that much about Beethoven.
There are a few things that a lot of people know about Beethoven. The most well known facts about him are that he wrote the Ode to Joy and that he was deaf. Both of those are important facts to know about him but I think there are a few more interesting things to know about him. By the time he wrote his 9th symphony he was living alone in a hermit lifestyle. His wife has died and his deafness made it a struggle for him to interact with others.
For years he spent his time alone writing music for patrons and sending compositions. He had severe emotional problems that he faced throughout his career.You could hear the sadness in many of his works. Leading up to the 9th symphony, he was searching for the “perfect melody”. That was an idea that he struggled with for the whole time he was writing the 9th symphony and that is what makes the piece so interesting. The song itself almost mirrors his struggle to discover the “perfect melody.”
My thoughts on what the Symphony tells the audience
The 9th Symphony was a commissioned piece that was written for the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The Symphony starts off with a repeated theme of notes descending in fourths. (You can hear this at the very beginning 00:00) The sound is very similar to tuning a string instrument from the highest string to the lowest string. The piece begins with something that sounds like the orchestra warming up or setting some sort of place to go back to. The first movement is not extremely special in any way but it sounds like Beethoven’s mind is wandering and searching for something and anytime he gets too far off track he goes back to the opening sequence. (A great example of this is at 4:52)
The Second Movement starts off on a quicker and seemingly lighter sound. The movement seems over the top, as if it were making fun of itself.(16:10) Some people believe that the Second Movement was written out of spite because the second movement of a symphony usually had to contrast the first in a very predictable way. Beethoven changed the order of what would usually come after the First Movement with this faster Scherzo. The sound is so incredibly powerful that audiences believed that it was the end of the Symphony when they heard it. In his search for the perfect melody, this was just getting in his way. During the Second Movement, you can hear small sequences that sound similar to the beginning of the Ode to Joy melody that are passed over as a part of the piece. (There is a soft comforting sound in the horn section around 20:10 that sounds similar to the Ode to Joy melody) The Second Movement ends as abruptly as it starts. (25:40) Many people see the Second movement as extremely cheerful but I believe it has a more chaotic and intense nature.
The Third Movement is noticeably slower with a more thoughtful feel. The piece follows a traditional structure using variations on a theme. The feeling of searching for something is evoked again in this passage. It is not nearly as angry as the First or Second Movement but more of a deep thoughtful search for what he is looking for. (At 33:00 there is a variation on the theme that starts to explore another similar sounding melody.)
The Fourth Movement of the Symphony is the main feature of the piece and it contains the famous Ode to Joy melody. The piece begins with a sense of stress and then starts by “reviewing” themes from the first three movements and tries to find his perfect melody in each one (41:03). After each movement is presented again the sound gets increasingly frustrated. After a dismissive section the orchestra goes quiet and then the cellos begin to play the melody alone. (44:00) Listening to this part sounds like the Symphony stops completely and is pushed aside for this melody that popped into Beethoven’s head. The cellos play the melody first and then more parts are layered on as if the audience is watching Beethoven write this part of the piece in front of them. After layering parts together, the entire orchestra comes back into action as the fully realized melody is played. (46:15) It seems like Beethoven found what he was looking for as the orchestra plays the Ode to Joy until everything suddenly stops and then restarts from the angry beginning of the Fourth Movement even though he found what he was looking for. The anger continues and builds until something completely unexpected happens.
The “Choral Symphony”
A solo voice emerges that sings in German “O friends, no more of these sounds!
Let us sing more cheerful songs, More songs full of joy!” (47:47) This was something that was never done before in a symphony. Adding a chorus to a symphony work was something that surprised everyone at the time. The solo voice sings the Ode to Joy melody with an accompaniment. The Chorus then joins in as the movement gets more complex in the fully realized Ode to Joy that Beethoven was looking for. The lyrics are incredibly joyful and speak of unity and happiness. The “perfect melody” continues with variations for the rest of the piece and fully explores this feeling of overwhelming joy. Beethoven’s 9th Symphony was revolutionary and is hailed as one of the greatest compositions ever written to this day.
After the Symphony was written and performed, there were reports that Beethoven left his house more often and was seen walking through his town greeting people. While I’m not sure this is completely true I think its certainly possible that he found what he was struggling to find for years and it gave him a sense of peace.
The 9th symphony is not just about the Ode to Joy. It can be seen as Beethoven finding that feeling of joy for himself and sharing how he got there.
