heights, is a vast work, the first three movements purely instru-
mental, and the Finale, for the first time in symphonic litera-
ture, a union of solo voices and chorus with the instrumental
forces. The text was taken from Schiller’s “Ode to Joy.” The
spirit of the poem made a strong appeal to Beethoven’s human-
itarian and democratic aspirations and there is no question of
the grandeur of his conception. But it is not carping criticism to
say that his thoughts were too heaven-soaring for a perfect re-
alization through any earthly means. Beethoven moreover was
seldom happy in writing for the human voice—he thought in
terms of the instruments—and it is not to be denied that there
are several passages in the Finale which consist of mere boister-
ous shouting. No one save believers in plenary inspiration can
give to this Finale the whole-hearted admiration that is paid
to the three instrumental movements which are pure gold; es-
pecially the seraphic Adagio and the Gargantuan Scherzo with
its demoniacal rhythmic energy. To sum up the foregoing es-
timates, if the student is forced to select and cannot become
equally familiar with all of the nine symphonies, a reasonable
order of study would be the following: the Fifth, the Third,
the Seventh, the Eighth, the Fourth, the Ninth, the Second, the
Sixth and the First. See Supplement No. 44.
[Footnote 136: See Beethoven, Kerst-Krehbiel, p. 45.]
[Footnote 137: Read the appropriate essay inBeethoven and His
Nine Symphoniesby Sir George Grove.]
[Footnote 138: Vox populi, vox Dei.]
[Footnote 139: D’Indy, however, in hisBeethoven(p. 61, En-
glish translation) dissents from this view; not at all convincingly,
it would seem to us. For the basic rhythm of each movement is
on a definite dance metre and the theme of the first movement
is a regular Irish jig (Beethoven at one time being very much
interested in Irish folk-dances) with its typical three final notes,
e.g.
[Music]]
[Footnote 140: It was written, to use Beethoven’s own words, in
an “aufgeknöpft” (unbuttoned) condition,i.e., free, untramelled,
rather than straight-laced, swaddled in conventions.]
We shall now make a few comments[141] on the first move-
ment of theThirdorHeroic Symphony, merely to stimulate the