Anthem - Intellect

Signifying Europe
Figure 7.2. Graphic overview of the Fourth Movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.
A. Bar 1–207. The movement starts with a three minutes d-minor introduction
that unfolds a frustrated dialogue between a review of the preceding three symphony
movements and an instrumental string bass recitative. It is as if the motives from those
previous movements or times were presented and all lead to strife and chaos, which
the bass recitative has to interrupt with its rubato speech-like but still wordless voice.
This leads up to bars 92ff. where the D-major ‘Joy’ theme is first presented by the string
basses and developed in higher and fuller registers through three variations: first by
the full string orchestra, then finally with full orchestra and much wind instruments
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