Beethoven

’s Ninth Symphony Essay, Research Paper


Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony


It has been called the greatest audio entity one


could ever listen to; a song which can pierce the soul of


even the most dedicated music-hater: Beethoven?s Ninth


Symphony. Not only has it been designated thus; also, as


one of the few truly divinely inspired works, one which most


men can only marvel at, as they wallow in their appropriate


humility. These creations, however, are definitely not the


only aspects of entities beyond the scopes of men; there are


far more examples, which are seen every day, but often


overlooked.


I was walking outside, with this song echoing in the


recesses of my mind, on a dismal, overcast day in the


Autumnal quarter, a day when where the streets blended with


the atmosphere, when one could hardly look up without


feeling the singe of the wind against one?s face. To me,


these days have always conjured up images of some distant,


looming storm, some silent tempest which, if not otherwise


distracted will soon wreak mayhem and disaster on my


environs.


This day had an intense air about it, as do others


of its ilk. This is most likely the fault of the storm


under which it is shadowed, as though it and its inhabitants


are uneasy and harrowed about the imminent predator waiting


overhead to pounce.


As the sky overhead swam with deeper and deeper


shades of gray and hopeless black, the song in my mind was


reaching some vocal crescendo in the fourth movement, a


better foreteller of the gale I could not imagine. While


the winds bullied and tormented the defenseless


neighborhood, I started for my house.


Unexpectedly, as the crescendo was losing speed, a


quiet, pacific violin entered the musical fray in my brain,


and the entire mood of the symphony mellowed, the winds


themselves pacified, seemingly under Ludwig?s fickle


dominion. Thinking the storm had passed, I continued


blissfully onward to the meadows which were my destination.


Again I was assaulted, this time by a different part


of the symphony; not too long after the first chorale. This


was the startling and almost fearful, but still uplifting,


part in which the female and male vocals collided like two


huge tidal waves with the power to splinter a fleet of ships


with the German Alle Menschen repeated several times. Upon


this onslaught of euphony, I turned from whatever I might


have been thinking before, and looked at some violently


twisting and rising leaves and other debris, and gazed at


the playful

heavens, again ominous.


Annoyed with Beethoven and the cruel elements, I


stood there, unmoving; indecisive, not knowing whether to


turn around or pursue my present course, I felt the excited


chorale still striking some unknown and inexplicable fear


within me, as though some divine creature were about to


strike me down in some vehemence which lies well beyond the


realms of verbal description. So, as the chorus continued


repeating its faithful mantra, the winds again rose up


stronger than before, as twigs began to snap and fall about


me; I was still, yet deeply moved.


Perplexed at the whimsy antics of nature, I was


about to retreat to my home, when, in the remarkable


symphony, a single male vocal broke through the complicated


entanglement of godly voices, and I, despite the protests of


my superego, decided to continue on with some alien, renewed


vigor against the gusty weather, as though I were the bearer


of news about the winner of a war or some other momentous


aftermath. At this, as though impressed with my display


of singular determination, the wind made itself placid,


laying down before me.


Violins were heard, along with the driving, male


voice. Suddenly, completely without warning and all at once,


what seemed like throngs of angelic, female voices sang as


though sent on an appeal to God on the eve of apocalypse.


They continued, soon joined by male voices, and other


instruments, in the most spiritual and epiphytic


reverberation I?ve ever had the pleasure of witnessing, and,


seemingly, all in my favor, against cruel and remorseless


nature, pleading to let me pass. I, however, felt like only


a petty bystander in this competition between the symphony


and the elements, completely unable to comprehend, let alone


justify either side?s wish, only able to observe the outcome


and obey it as the gospel that I knew it was.


Thus, whether or not I ever achieved my destination


is beside the point. My sojourn in that small neighborhood


taught me perhaps what is life?s most important lesson.


This lesson is clear: there are many things in this world


completely beyond most men?s small intellects. They may


manifest themselves in certain artworks, novels, or musical


masterworks; however, these manifestations only serve as


reminders to arrogant man. While it is true that these


manifestations are created by singular members of the


selfsame race, these members serve only as conduits of a


greater, nearly incomprehensible power; something which


they, themselves, may often forget.

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