Symphony No. 9

One of the examples I thought it would be interesting to examine and research was Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 being used after the 9/11 incident. It was used to unite America in a time of turmoil. United we were together and behind a political agenda to go to war. To me this piece was used for its qualities of hope and its long standing message. Another examples I found interesting that I stumbled upon while researching the other examples from the Philadelphia Orchestra’s Program notes was Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 being sung by choirs around the country in Japan during Christmas time. Apparently, this the most popular choir song that is performed during this time and it started with German prisoners of war during World War One in Tokushima (BBC News 2017). They would sing in the prison to boost spirits and morale, showing one could make the most of any situation. The German prisoners who were captured set up an orchestra and a makeshift stage and would perform for the others. Symphony No. 9 was a popular one played (Maynard 2016). After the war was over the prisoners played symphony no. 9 outside the prison walls in Naruto in 1927 (Maynard 2016). They did this for the same reasons the Germans after the fall of the Berlin wall did or the many performances after the 9/11 attack, to express freedom and hope. Music is one of the best ways for expressing how you feel and this song has been chosen for many different occasions. Today, they sing at year end to honor and remember the year in a powerful and dynamic way. The Japanese people are very fond of Beethoven and not only that feel empowered and energized by singing this song. They have a sense of unity when 10,000 are gathered to all join together and sing regardless of the circumstances that have happened throughout the year, good or bad. Many of the singers are not professional, and most come from different professional backgrounds and come in all different ages and personalities. The challenge is making everyone feel like an important piece to the whole and not just an unseen spot in a sea of people (BBC News 2017). This says a lot about humans and our cultures, we want to be heard and noticed. It seems this piece is used to portray that feeling or sense of importance and this can be done in a way that's outcome can be both good or bad deciding how you view it. This is one similarity I’ve found between all political uses of Symphony No. 9 no matter which political side or views and that's unity, togetherness, and oneness. With this behind you anything seems possible and any agenda, right or wrong, seems achievable. Music has the power to sway the hearts and minds of thousands and unite them in a message through song or instrument. Music is a powerful tool.

Works Cited

"Beethoven's Ninth: 10,000 Singers for Japan's Christmas Song." BBC News. December 22, 2017. Accessed July 25, 2018. https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-42436120/beethoven-s-ninth-10000-singers-for-japan-s-christmas-song.

Maynard, Lynnsay. "How World War I Made Beethoven's Ninth a Japanese New Year's Tradition." The Seattle Times. January 01, 2016. Accessed July 25, 2018. https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/classical-music/how-world-war-i-made-beethovens-ninth-a-japanese-new-year-tradition/.

Jordan Palmer

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