Freude, schöner Götterfunken...

Greetings, dear readers!

As I mentioned in my previous post, I will be taking part in a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony as part of the chorus for Ode To Joy. This concert forms part of the Beethoven Festival, which will be hosted by the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) next month at the Melbourne Town Hall.

Last week at MUCS rehearsal we obtained copies of the Finale and eagerly began practicing the chorus. Since then, I have been listening to the symphony many times (especially the chorus part) and reading along with the score.

I have long known that Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is one of the greatest musical works of all time. But it's not until you perform it or experience its power in a live concert that you even begin to appreciate the sheer depth of God-inspired genius contained in it.

Although I will focus here mainly on the Finale, I recommend listening to the first 3 movements, which are all as sublime as the last one. To use a Biblical analogy, you need to refer back to the Old Testament in order to fully understand the New Testament. In the same way, a deeper appreciation of the Ode To Joy starts by identifying the key themes of the previous movements and the gradual progression of ideas leading into the chorus.

First, let me set the context about this Meisterwerk and the man behind it. It is well known in the music world that the Ninth Symphony had been years in the making, right from the time Beethoven first considered setting Friedrich Schiller's poem An die Freude to music in 1792 to its Vienna premiere in 1824. Like reading the initial character developments and plot outlines of an author's novels, it would be interesting to observe the development of the main themes of the Ninth Symphony in Beethoven's various sketchbooks.

Like Brahms, Beethoven laboured over his many of his works, drafting and re-drafting his music again and again until he was satisfied with the final product. I have visited Beethoven's birthplace in Bonn, which is now a museum. There I was able to view some of his written manuscripts. I have immense respect for Beethoven's poor publishers, because much of his music writing resembles a bombsite on paper. It is seriously THAT hard to read!

The Ninth Symphony is the only one to emerge from the final decade-and-a-half of Beethoven's life, his previous symphony being completed in 1812. By 1814, Beethoven had become almost totally deaf and had withdrawn from performing. Over the following years, Beethoven would suffer some bitter blows that would break any other person. Besides deafness, he suffered, among other things:

• loss of income due to the devaluation of the Austrian currency;
• various physical ailments;
• the loss of some loyal patrons through death and bankruptcy; and
• a legal wrangle with his sister-in-law over the custody of his nephew, which caused everyone much grief.
  

If ever there was a candidate for a broken vessel that God used to transmit inspiring music, it was Beethoven. It is astounding and somewhat sad to consider that while on earth, Beethoven was never to hear the final product of the Ninth Symphony, except in his own mind. One only hopes that he is indeed in heaven, basking in the amazing sounds of the angelic orchestra and chorus!

Another thing some might not be aware of is that Beethoven did not intend for the Ninth Symphony to be his swansong. The London Philharmonic Society commissioned Beethoven to write a Ninth and Tenth Symphony. Plans for the latter were under way before he died.

In the next post, I will provide a brief synopsis of the Finale. Then I will give my own personal thoughts about the Ode to Joy chorus from a listener's and a performer's perspective.