What does Beethoven's 9th symphony mean to you?

[oyasumi]

it's pointless to write symphonies, do you think you can do better than the "Choral"?

Hummel sure was convinced of that.

Is this serious.

[uffeviking]

Amazingly little.

My feeling too! Kind of anyhow.   It's a fairly nice symphony, the allegro, the molto vivace, the adagio molto e cantabile, but then Ludwig shook his head "There is something missing, it's not quite what I had in mind, it needs something louder, much louder. Got it! I'll hang on all the noise I can get out of a full chorus, that'll wake up the audience, especially the screeching ladies!" 

[stingo]

...with the hopes there wouldn't be too many opera goers in the audience as they'd be inured to the screeching ladies...

[Iconito]

My feeling too! Kind of anyhow.   It's a fairly nice symphony, the allegro, the molto vivace, the adagio molto e cantabile, but then Ludwig shook his head "There is something missing, it's not quite what I had in mind, it needs something louder, much louder. Got it! I'll hang on all the noise I can get out of a full chorus, that'll wake up the audience, especially the screeching ladies!" 

That "freedom of speech" thing is out of control...

[mahlertitan]

Is this serious.

ever heard of "Curse of 9th"? why do you think Bruckner intended to only write 9 symphonies?

[orbital]

Very nice piece of music in the hands of an able conductor and an orchestra

[oyasumi]

ever heard of "Curse of 9th"? why do you think Bruckner intended to only write 9 symphonies?

I'd think we'd be over that kind of stuff by now. So some other people wrote great symphonies. That's nice. It's a medium of personal expression, not a means to one-up dead people.

[Grazioso]

It means very little to me. It's the LvB symphony I rarely listen to, preferring the others much more.

[Cato]

In all great artworks there are multiple layers of Time and Emotion, and these are fluid, amorphous, yet tangible.

So you might very well feel Loneliness in the face of Beethoven's Beer-Hall Brouhaha for Brotherhood, if you have the present sense of being an Outsider.

Given the caveat above, the "message" in the first 3 movements, and summarized in the fourth's beginning, is that a great struggle is involved in attaining the brotherhood lionized in the final movement: Beethoven himself of course felt cut off from Humanity, both because of his deafness and of his "Beethovenness."

To continue: the opinion of member Josquin given earlier is also on target.  People have called the opening of the first movement a type of swirling amorphous primordial moment before creation, with a "Lux fiat!" finally coming forth.  Whether or not it represents "youth" is maybe too specific, but certainly not impossible.

Anyway, Mr. Mozart, what you need to determine is what Beethoven's Ninth means to you.  You might try just listening to the individual movements, and then listen again to the entire symphony in one sitting.  Also, try following the score.

Eventually (I think I am on safe ground here) you will reach some understanding!   0:)  Maybe even Enlightenment!   0:)

[karlhenning]

Eventually (I think I am on safe ground here) you will reach some understanding!   0:)  Maybe even Enlightenment!   0:)

I always sing "Om" along with the opening fifth of the first movement.

[carlos]

All of LvB's symphonies bored me. But Liszt's piano
transcriptions, and in particular the 9th.,are just
extraordinary.

[mahlertitan]

All of LvB's symphonies bored me. But Liszt's piano
transcriptions, and in particular the 9th.,are just
extraordinary.

both bore me

[Cato]

I always sing "Om" along with the opening fifth of the first movement.

Apparently some people here prefer to open a fifth rather than singing Om! 

[Iago]

It means (in no particular order)

1. An orchestras "pension fund" concert
2. The "opening" of a season
3. The "closing" of a season
4. The "closing" of a summer festival
5. The performance of a work audiences want to hear, and never tire of.
6. The "standard" by which any conductor or fledgling music director is measured.
7. I get to listen to one of the greatest orchestral creations in the history of music.

[Larry Rinkel]

Amazingly little.

Not as good as one of the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, eh?

[karlhenning]

Not as good as one of the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, eh?

:-)

[BachQ]

Not as good as one of the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, eh?

 

[Cato]

Not as good as one of the Pomp and Circumstance Marches, eh?

Prove the following:

Elgar [ P + C] > Beethoven 9 x ?

Somebody link the answer        to the Music and Math topic!   

[Steve]

I'd think we'd be over that kind of stuff by now. So some other people wrote great symphonies. That's nice. It's a medium of personal expression, not a means to one-up dead people.

It is by no means insignificant when a great composer pays such homage to another. My mind immediately travels to Beethoven and his great respect for the music of Handel and Mozart. While there will never be an objective standard by which we can universally select certain pieces whose greatness is beyond question, there are some works which have drawn so much attention and praise since thier composition that not being familiar with them is unacceptable. Beethoven's 9th is one such work. It is not only a canonical piece, but it is one of the most influential pieces of music to emerge from the Romantic period. That sort of lasting influece, is generally earned. In the case of the 9th, I can't think of a more storied, more spoken about, piece of music in the classical repotoire. It is not simply a 'great symphony' in a sea of others, Beethoven's 9th is in that small ring of works which is often considered the greatest artisitic achievement of humankind by critics. Its not just a great symphony. Its the symphony.

[Danny]

One of the most inspiring influential symphonies ever written.