Symphony No. 9 "Choral" (Beethoven) facts for kids

Ludwig van Beethoven was almost completely deaf when he wrote his ninth symphony.

Symphony No. 9 in D minor op 125 by Ludwig van Beethoven is one of the most famous pieces of music ever written. It's often called the "Choral Symphony" because it includes singers, which was very unusual for a symphony at the time.

What is a Symphony?

A symphony is a long piece of music written for an orchestra. An orchestra is a large group of musicians playing different instruments like violins, flutes, and trumpets. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies in total. His Ninth Symphony was the last one he completed.

What makes this symphony special is that its final part, called a movement, includes singing. It features four solo singers (a soprano, alto, tenor, and bass) and a large choir. This is why it's known as the "choral" symphony, as "choral" means "for a choir." It's also a very long piece, usually lasting more than an hour, which was also uncommon for symphonies back then.

Parts of the Symphony

This symphony has four main parts, or movements:

• The first movement is written in a style called sonata form.
• The second movement is a fast and playful part known as a scherzo.
• The third movement is a slow and beautiful part. It's a theme and variations, meaning a main tune is played and then repeated with changes.
• The last movement is the most famous. It uses the words of a poem by Friedrich Schiller, a well-known poet who had recently passed away.

The "Ode to Joy"

The poem used in the last movement is called Ode an die Freude, which means Ode to Joy in English. This poem has a powerful message about people living together in peace and harmony. It was written around the time of the French Revolution, when these ideas were very important in Europe.

The main tune from the last movement, sung to the words "Freude, schöne Götterfunken, Tochter aus Elysium" (Joy, beautiful spark of the gods, daughter of Elysium), is one of the most recognized melodies in the world. Many children enjoy playing it because the first part of the tune only uses five notes (C, D, E, F, G). When this famous tune first appears in the symphony, it's played by the cellos and double basses.

The Ode to Joy tune became Europe's official "National anthem" in 1972. A special version for orchestra was arranged by Herbert von Karajan.

How the Symphony Was Created

Beethoven had been interested in Schiller’s famous poem since he was a young man. He started writing the first two movements of the symphony in 1817. In 1822, he decided to include Schiller’s poem in the symphony. Most of the rest of the symphony was written in 1823, and he finished it in 1824.

The first performance of the Ninth Symphony happened in May 1824. Beethoven himself conducted the orchestra. A famous story tells that after the music finished, Beethoven wondered why the audience wasn't applauding. The truth was, they were applauding very loudly, but Beethoven was almost completely deaf by then and couldn't hear them. Someone had to turn him around so he could see the audience cheering enthusiastically!

Images for kids

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  Theater am Kärntnertor in 1830

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  Caroline Unger, who sang at the first performance and helped Beethoven see the applause

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  Portrait of Friedrich Schiller by Ludovike Simanowiz (1794)

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  Handwritten page of the fourth movement

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  Ino Savini conducting the Ninth Symphony at the Rivoli Theatre in Porto, Portugal (1955)

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  Plaque at building Ungargasse No. 5, Vienna, where Beethoven completed the symphony.

See also

In Spanish: Sinfonía n.º 9 (Beethoven) para niños