Ludwig van Beethoven, composing in Vienna for…
May 1824 CE
Ludwig van Beethoven, composing in Vienna for the new larger orchestras, forges the symphony into a vehicle for greater personal expression.
His Symphony No. 9 (the "Choral") premieres at the Theater am Kärntnertor in Vienna on May 7, 1824.
The deaf composer has to be turned around on the stage, to witness the enthusiastic audience reaction.
One of the best-known works in common practice music today, it is regarded by many critics and musicologists as one of Beethoven's greatest works and one of the supreme achievements in the history of western music.
In the 2010s, it stands as one of the most performed symphonies in the world.
The symphony is the first example of a major composer using voices in a symphony (thus making it a choral symphony).
The words are sung during the final movement by four vocal soloists and a chorus.
They have been taken from the "Ode to Joy", a poem written by Friedrich Schiller in 1785 and revised in 1803, with text additions made by the composer.