5 Facts About Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' as the EU Anthem

The melody was adopted as the official EU anthem in 1985. It is taken from the final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.

The anthem is purely instrumental. No lyrics were included to avoid favoring any EU language.

Herbert von Karajan arranged the official version. He created three short instrumental arrangements for piano, wind instruments, and orchestra.

The melody symbolizes unity and peace. It was chosen to represent the shared values of European nations.

It remains one of the most recognizable classical melodies. The ‘Ode to Joy’ theme is widely known even outside classical music circles.