5 Things to Know About Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony

It was the first major symphony to use voices Beethoven’s Ninth was the first major symphony to incorporate vocal soloists and a chorus, fundamentally expanding what a symphony could be.

The final movement sets Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Joy” The choral finale is a setting of Schiller’s poem, celebrating universal brotherhood.

It premiered in 1824, when Beethoven was completely deaf Beethoven conducted the premiere, but had to be turned around to see the audience’s applause.

The symphony is in four movements, with the choral finale as the longest The final movement alone lasts about 25 minutes, longer than many entire symphonies of the era.

It influenced generations of composers The Ninth showed that symphonies could include text and voices, inspiring works like Mahler’s symphonies and Berlioz’s “Symphonie Fantastique.”