The untold story of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 

Do you like listening to music? Of course, you do, who doesn’t? The love for music and art is universal. Artists are endowed with the ability to create music that transports us to a different world altogether. Unfortunately, some musicians are unable to enjoy their own creation because their audio capacities are compromised. They compose music by sensing the instrument’s slight vibrations. Incredible, isn’t it? Ludwig Van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers of all time, is one among these rare geniuses. One of his timeless works is Symphony No. 9, created between 1822-1824. However, a tragic story lurks behind this great work. Read on to find out. 

The tragic story  
Beethoven’s 9th symphony is a masterful musical celebration of humanity and is regarded as one of the most lengthy and complex symphonies ever written. This masterpiece sets melody to the words of the poem Ode to Joy, penned by German poet, playwright, and historian Friedrich Schiller. 

While Beethoven was composing the symphony, he was beginning to lose his ability to hear. It took him years to complete the symphony, and his hearing capacity deteriorated over time. Despite this, Beethoven continued to write and even went on stage to conduct the piece. The audience erupted in applause when he was on stage conducting the premiere. Beethoven, whose hearing had failed him, was unaware of the response. It is said that a musician had to alert and turn him around to see the audience’s happy and lively faces.  

Beethoven, undeterred by deafness 
This music maestro was not born deaf. Beethoven had written a couple of piano concerts, six string quartets and his first symphony by the age of 30, when he started losing his hearing capacity. Although the cause of his hearing loss is unknown, people believe it was induced by syphilis, lead poisoning or typhus. Whatever the reason be, none of the treatments worked, and by the age of 44, he was nearly completely deaf. Since he had spent three decades of his life hearing and playing music, he could imagine how compositions would sound. Relying on the wings of imagination, Beethoven went on to create his timeless compositions.  

‘Ode to Joy’: The anthem of European Union  
Beethoven’s music has left an indelible mark on the global community. Since 1985, the melody of ‘Ode to Joy’ was used to represent the European Union (EU). As you may know, the official anthem contains no words. But the poem expresses a vision of the human race becoming brothers and living in harmony. The song was first adopted by the Council of Europe in 1972, and after the EU took it over, it was officially immortalised as the EU National Anthem. According to their website, the anthem expresses the European ideals of freedom, peace and solidarity.