Symphony No. 9
Choral orchestral masterpiece
Symphony No. 9 refers to any composer's ninth symphony, but without qualification it almost always means Beethoven's final symphony, completed in 1824.
The work is famous for incorporating a full chorus and vocal soloists in its final movement, setting Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy"—unprecedented for a symphony.
The "Ode to Joy" melody has become a universal symbol of unity and celebration: They played the "Ode to Joy" at the ceremony.
Other notable ninth symphonies include Dvořák's "From the New World" and Mahler's, which some composers superstitiously considered a limit—the so-called "curse of the ninth."
- BeethovenGerman classical music giant
- musical geniusExceptionally gifted in composition
- choralOf group singing
- Ode to JoyCelebrated choral hymn
- JoyCommon feminine given name
orchestra · masterpiece · finale · deaf · triumph · movements · conductor · opus · classical · Vienna · premiere · chorus · soloists · crescendo · triumphant · humanity · human spirit · full orchestra
- classical musicBach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Brahms
- MasterpiecesMona Lisa, Last Supper, Starry Night, The Scream, David
- BeethovenFur Elise, Moonlight Sonata, Ode to Joy, Fidelio, Adelaide
- Dvorak Works
- Mahler
Symphony No. 9chamber music
Small-group classical compositions
string quartet · solo piece · art song · lied · bagatelle
Symphony No. 9bagatelle
Trivial matter or thing
trifle · fragment · incidental music · ditty