Who was Beethoven's symphony No. 9 written for? Unlike previous works, Beethoven's Ninth was not written for a specific person in mind; it was commissioned by The Philharmonic Society of London (later the Royal Philharmonic) in 1817. He began writing in 1818 and it was premiered in 1824. By then the poor fellow was totally deaf, but he conducted at the premiere although he was always a few bars off.
You might have heard the story of him being turned around at the scherzo or at the final movement of the symphony premiere, depends on which testimony you want to believe. Well, at least he had his revenge to those who said he was no longer a composer. He was determined to silence those critics and this was his major backlash to them.
So, I hope that whenever you listen to the Ninth, I hope you give a moment to reflect that the melodies you hear come from a soundless place. Beethoven's Ninth was written for humanity as an example of the good we can accomplish. At least, that's how I view it! |
