Confession: today’s selection is not a Christmas song. But today is Beethoven’s birthday, and I hope you’ll agree with me that the words to ‘Ode to Joy’ from his 9th Symphony align with the true heart of the season. And honestly, whose spirits aren’t lifted when they hear the swell of voices joining the orchestra in this exuberant melody?
The original text that Beethoven drew from was written years earlier by German poet Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller. It’s a poem of celebration, rejoicing in the harmony of mankind. Certainly that fits the Christmas message!
Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor
O friends, no more of these sounds!
Let us sing more cheerful songs,
More songs full of joy!
Joy!
Joy!
Joy, bright spark of divinity,
Daughter of Elysium,
Fire-inspired we tread
Within thy sanctuary.
Thy magic power re-unites
All that custom has divided,
All men become brothers,
Under the sway of thy gentle wings.
Whoever has created
An abiding friendship,
Or has won
A true and loving wife,
All who can call at least one soul theirs,
Join our song of praise;
But those who cannot must creep tearfully
Away from our circle.
All creatures drink of joy
At nature’s breast.
Just and unjust
Alike taste of her gift;
She gave us kisses and the fruit of the vine,
A tried friend to the end.
Even the worm can feel contentment,
And the cherub stands before God!
Gladly, like the heavenly bodies
Which He sent on their courses
Through the splendor of the firmament;
Thus, brothers, you should run your race,
Like a hero going to victory!
You millions, I embrace you.
This kiss is for all the world!
Brothers, above the starry canopy
There must dwell a loving father.
Do you fall in worship, you millions?
World, do you know your creator?
Seek Him in the heavens;
Above the stars must He dwell.
Incidentally, the well-known hymn “Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee,” often sung during the Advent season, was written to Beethoven’s famous melody.
Although there are countless recordings worth highlighting, one of my favorite videos of this excerpt takes place on the streets Sabadell in Catalonia.
