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4 unusual facts about Ode to Joy


G. W. Briggs

His most famous hymn is "God Has Spoken by His Prophets" as set to the tune written for Ode to Joy by Beethoven.

Ode to Freedom

An die Freiheit ("Ode to Freedom"), purported original phrase in Ode to Joy, lyrics that accompany the final movement of Symphony No. 9 by Beethoven

Tanglewood Festival Chorus

In February 1998, singing from the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations, the chorus represented the Americas when Seiji Ozawa led the Winter Olympics Orchestra with six choruses on five continents, all linked by satellite, in the Ode to Joy from Beethoven's Ninth Symphony to close the Opening Ceremonies of the 1998 Winter Olympics.

Thou Art in Heaven

Unlike the full "Art in Heaven", "Thou Art in Heaven" does not include "Ode to Joy" from Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.


2004 enlargement of the European Union

President Romano Prodi took part in celebrations on the Italian-Slovenian border at the divided town of Gorizia/Nova Gorica, at the German-Polish border, the EU flag was raised and Ode to Joy was sung and there was a laser show in Malta among the various other celebrations.

Metaphor: The Tree of Utah

Inscribed on the plaque are the words from Ode to Joy by Friedrich Schiller; also used as the chorus of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

Signing of the Treaty of Lisbon

When all participants and the audience were seated inside the main courtyard of the monastery (with a temporary roof for the occasion), a choir of Portuguese children, accompanied by a piano, performed the original German-language version of the European anthem, the Ludwig van Beethoven's Ode to Joy.


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