Introduction to Ode to Joy
Ode to Joy, also known as Ode an die Freude in German, is a poem written by German poet Schiller in 1785. Beethoven composed music for this purpose, which became the main part of the fourth movement of his ninth symphony, including four independent parts, chorus and orchestra.
Beethoven's music, which contains no words, has become the union song of the European Union today, and the Whig Party of the Council of Europe has also appeared in the national anthem of 1974- 1979 as the melody of the voice of Rhodesia.
Schiller's A Dead Man was first written in 1785 and included in the magazine Talia published the following year. This poem is written by the Economic Association. Schiller modified a die Freude in 1803 and deleted some words. The lyrics used by Beethoven in the fourth movement of the Ninth Symphony are adapted from Schiller's 1803 version of A Dead Man.