Symphony no 9 beethoven history biography

Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, is a symphony written by Ludwig van Beethoven. It is one of the most famous pieces of music ever written.

A symphony is a piece of music for orchestra.

Beethoven wrote nine symphonies. This one, the last one he wrote, is very unusual because the last movement also has singing in it: there are four soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) and a choir. This is why it is known as the “choral” symphony (“choral” means: “for choir”).

Symphony no 9 beethoven history biography wikipedia

It is a very long work, lasting more than an hour. This, too, was unusual.

This symphony has four movements. The first movement is in sonata form.

Symphony no 9 beethoven history biography

The second and third movements come the other way round from the usual order: the second movement is the scherzo and the third movement is the slow movement. It is a theme and variations. The last movement sets the words of a poem by Friedrich Schiller, a famous poet who had only recently died.

The poem was called Ode an die Freude (in Eng