Chorus, the ninth symphony in D minor, composed between 18 19 and 1824, is the highest peak and summary of Beethoven's whole musical career. The work premiered in Vienna on May 7th 1824, and it was a great success, with thunderous applause as many as five times. This symphony is broad in conception, profound in thought and rich in image. It expanded the scale and scope of the symphony, transcending the genre and norms at that time, and became a magnificent ode full of philosophy and heroism played by symphony orchestras, choirs and soloists and duets. Through this work, the author expresses the will of mankind to seek freedom, and firmly believes that this struggle will eventually end with the victory of mankind, and mankind will gain joy, unity and friendship. The chorus part of the fourth movement of this work is created with the lyrics of the famous German poet Schiller's Ode to Joy, which is also the most famous theme in this work. The Ninth Symphony, the pinnacle of Beethoven's musical career, has devoted decades of painstaking efforts from its gestation to its completion. It takes at least an hour to play the whole song from beginning to end, but there is no sense of long delay. Immortal Ode to Joy —— Symphony No.9 "Chorus" —— Excerpted from Zhao Xinshan's Beethoven's Soul. 1824 has been premiered for nearly 200 years, but Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Ode to Joy have become eternal classics. In these two hundred years, almost all young musicians and composers were fascinated by this magnificent work; There are countless amateur listeners who are infected by the musical philosophy and musical temperament brought by this work! Because of this work, Beethoven became a god-like figure, and Ode to Joy became an eternal beacon of freedom and peace in the long river of human history. Let's approach this work together and walk into Beethoven's ideal kingdom. The ninth symphony consists of four movements. The first movement is solemn allegro in D minor, in 2/4 beat, sonata form. The first theme is stern and powerful, showing the image of hard struggle, full of great shock and tragic color. At first, the theme was played by the string part in a low and depressing atmosphere, and then gradually strengthened until the whole band played all the themes with dignity and strength. As soon as the composer came up, he expressed the ideological source of the whole work with serious and grand momentum. In fact, this is the theme repeatedly expressed by Beethoven in many works-struggle, which also reflects the inevitable process of struggle-hardship. Melody ups and downs, sometimes depressed, sometimes tragic, we seem to see the warriors constantly hitting the barrier, going forward, looking forward to victory. The next second movement is usually an adagio version according to tradition, but Beethoven broke this convention and used an extremely lively allegro in D minor, with 3/4 beats, and it was a huge scherzo style. The theme of the whole second movement is distinct, exciting and full of motivation, which seems to give positive encouragement to the warriors who are fighting, and it seems that people can see the warm sunshine and blue sky on the cloudy battlefield at once. At the same time, the main theme has the characteristics of the Austrian folk dance "Liandele", which is harmonious and dancing. But after careful taste, it is not difficult to find that at the end of the movement, the melody began to rush again, vaguely revealing a very uneasy atmosphere. The third movement is adagio, such as adagio, B flat major, 4/4 time, irregular variations and so on. It can be seen that Beethoven is deliberately innovative in arrangement. Compared with the first two movements, this movement is much quieter and more serene. Although the melody is gentle, it is feminine. Berlioz, a famous French composer and music critic, rated this movement as "a great movement". There are two themes in the third movement. The first theme is full of meditation and has strong lyricism and philosophy. After the first two movements show fierce fighting scenes, the third movement seems to be a brief calm in the war. The fourth movement is the essence of the whole work, Allegro, D major, 4/4 beat. It is usually divided into two parts-prologue and voice. In some records, the fourth movement occupies one track, and in some records, the overture and vocal solo, duet and chorus are divided into two tracks, but in fact, both of them belong to the whole of the fourth movement. Among them, the vocal part sang the poem "Ode to Joy" by German poet Schiller! However, before the vocal part came on stage, music experienced a long painful experience in instrumental part, which included memories of the first three movements. This overture is powerful, resolute and thrilling. Then the woodwind slowly leads to the theme of Ode to Joy, as if a ray of sunshine broke through the dense clouds and sprinkled on the earth, and the whole happy theme gradually kicked off, and Beethoven's real ideal kingdom was just around the corner! After a series of preparations, the vocal part finally surfaced and began to sing "Ode to Joy"! As mentioned above, this poem is the love of the composer's life. Therefore, at the last moment of composing the ninth symphony, Beethoven didn't even want to put the ode to joy into his works prematurely. He doesn't want to regard the Ninth Symphony as his last work in the field of symphony, but as the embodiment of his highest ideal. At that time, he was still planning the tenth symphony and even the eleventh and twelfth symphonies. But in the end, Le Sheng gave in. Perhaps by fate or coincidence, the Ninth Symphony became Beethoven's last symphony and finally became the peak of his composition career. Ode to Joy, accompanied by passionate lyrics and rapid and magnificent melody, sings people's yearning for freedom, equality and fraternity. Of course, Beethoven did not copy Schiller's original poems, but made some abridgements and modifications with his own unique ideas to meet the needs of music. Under the mutual contrast of gripping lyrics and Beethoven's superman melody, under the solo, duet and chorus of four different voices, Ode to Joy has been sublimated, and those who appreciate it have gained unparalleled strength and spiritual support. At the end of the movement, this atmosphere is shown to the extreme, and the whole work ends in an extremely bright and brilliant scene. Today, the Ninth Symphony is recognized as Beethoven's highest achievement in the field of symphony. There are even many composers and musicians who believe that no work can surpass Beijiu's achievements. Whether this statement is biased or not, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony will be eternal! Ode to Joy is immortal!