More about Beethoven....

  With a little more reading after last night's blog I discovered two more interesting facts related to Beethoven's Symphony 9 in D minor.  First, and this is the part most of you already know, Beethoven was deaf when he composed this, his final and most ambitious symphony. He completed it in 1824 but never heard it performed.

Second, I was surprised to learn that "Ode to Joy" incorporated into the finale of this work was actually composed by Friedrich Schiller.  Those of you who are much more knowledgeable about classic music have probably know this all along.  I decided I needed to find out something about Fredrick Schiller.

Here's what I found. Isn't Wikipedia wonderful?

Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller (German: [ˈjoːhan ˈkʁɪstɔf ˈfʁiːdʁɪç fɔn ˈʃɪlɐ], short: [ˈfʁiːdʁɪç ˈʃɪlɐ] 10 November 1759 – 9 May 1805) was a German playwright, poet, philosopher and historian. Schiller is considered to be one of Germany's most important classical playwrights.

He was born in Marbach to a devoutly Protestant family. Initially intended for the priesthood, in 1773 he entered a military academy in Stuttgart and ended up studying medicine. His first play, The Robbers, was written at this time and proved very successful. After a brief stint as a regimental doctor, he left Stuttgart and eventually wound up in Weimar. In 1789, he became professor of History and Philosophy at the University of Jena, where he wrote historical works.

During the last seventeen years of his life (1788–1805), Schiller developed a productive, if complicated, friendship with the already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. They frequently discussed issues concerning aesthetics, and Schiller encouraged Goethe to finish works that he had left as sketches. This relationship and these discussions led to a period now referred to as Weimar Classicism. Together, they founded the Weimar Theater.

They also worked together on Xenien, a collection of short satirical poems in which both Schiller and Goethe challenge opponents of their philosophical vision.

The above was interesting, but didn't answer my question about who actually wrote "Ode to Joy."  I dug a little deeper and found the straightforward simple answer.  Schiller, a poet, playwright and historian, wrote the poem "Ode to Joy" in 1785.  Beethoven set it to music in his 9th Symphony.  So there you have it.  The music is all Beethoven's.