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Beethoven's Ninth: A Political History
Who hasn't been stirred by the strains of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony? That's a good question, claims Esteban Buch. German nationalists and French republicans, communists and Catholics have all, in the course of history, embraced the piece. It was performed under the direction of Leonard Bernstein at a concert to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall, yet it also serves as a ghastly and ironic leitmotif in Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange . Hitler celebrated his birthdays with it, and the government of Rhodesia made it their anthem. And played in German concentration camps by the imprisoned, it also figured prominently at Mitterand's 1981 investiture.
In his remarkable history of one of the most popular symphonic works of the modern period, Buch traces such complex and contradictory uses—and abuses—of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony since its premier in 1824. Buch shows that Beethoven consciously drew on the tradition of European political music, with its mix of sacred and profane, military and religious themes, when he composed his symphony. But while Beethoven obviously had his own political aspirations for the piece—he wanted it to make a statement about ideal power—he could not have had any idea of the antithetical political uses, nationalist and universalist, to which the Ninth Symphony has been put since its creation. Buch shows us how the symphony has been "deployed" throughout nearly two centuries, and in the course of this exploration offers what was described by one French reviewer as "a fundamental examination of the moral value of art." Sensitive and fascinating, this account of the tangled political existence of a symphony is a rare book that shows the life of an artwork through time, shifted and realigned with the currents of history.
In his remarkable history of one of the most popular symphonic works of the modern period, Buch traces such complex and contradictory uses—and abuses—of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony since its premier in 1824. Buch shows that Beethoven consciously drew on the tradition of European political music, with its mix of sacred and profane, military and religious themes, when he composed his symphony. But while Beethoven obviously had his own political aspirations for the piece—he wanted it to make a statement about ideal power—he could not have had any idea of the antithetical political uses, nationalist and universalist, to which the Ninth Symphony has been put since its creation. Buch shows us how the symphony has been "deployed" throughout nearly two centuries, and in the course of this exploration offers what was described by one French reviewer as "a fundamental examination of the moral value of art." Sensitive and fascinating, this account of the tangled political existence of a symphony is a rare book that shows the life of an artwork through time, shifted and realigned with the currents of history.
- GenresMusicHistoryNonfiction
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
5 people are currently reading
109 people want to read
About the author
Esteban Buch
30 books10 followersEsteban Buch is professor of music history at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.
A specialist in the relationship between music and politics, he is the author of la Marche funèbre. L'Orchestre de Paris dans l'Argentine de la dictature (Seuil, 2016), Le cas Schönberg. Naissance de l'avant-garde musicale (Gallimard, 2006) et la Neuvième de Beethoven. A Political History (The University of Chicago Press, 2003), among other books. He is also co-editor of Composing for the State: Music in Twentieth Century Dictatorships (Routledge, 2016) and Finding Democracy in Music (Routledge, 2020).
A specialist in the relationship between music and politics, he is the author of la Marche funèbre. L'Orchestre de Paris dans l'Argentine de la dictature (Seuil, 2016), Le cas Schönberg. Naissance de l'avant-garde musicale (Gallimard, 2006) et la Neuvième de Beethoven. A Political History (The University of Chicago Press, 2003), among other books. He is also co-editor of Composing for the State: Music in Twentieth Century Dictatorships (Routledge, 2016) and Finding Democracy in Music (Routledge, 2020).
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 8, 2024
A Troubled History
Much of the theme of this book is illustrated by its cover, a garish portrait of a blue-faced Beethoven painted by Andy Warhol in 1987 to inform the viewer, according to the author of this study, that the "composer had more to do with Marilyn Monroe rather than John Cage. This illustrated the banalization of the Beethoven mythos."
Esteban Buch's study has little to do with Beethoven's music. Rather, the book offers some background on the creation of the Ninth Symphony and studies the way it has been received, interpreted, and politicized over the years following Beethoven's death in 1827. There are two interrelated themes in the book: 1. The Ninth Symphony has been used by groups as diverse as socialists, communists, American democrats, pan-Europeanists, fascists, nazis, racists, and many others to support their ideologies and 2. With the passage of time and the dramatic changes that societies have undergone since the composition of the Ninth, Beethoven's music, and its sense of heroism and universality, become ever more difficult for the modern listener to understand and appreciate.
Neither of these claims are particularly new or surprising. Buch devotes most of his attention to the first claim but the second is broader and more interesting.
The first part of this study discusses the development of what Buch terms "modern political music". He discusses the reception of Handel in England, the use of "La Marsellaise" as an anthem for the French Revolution, Haydn's composition of an anthem for the German Emperor, Franz Joseph II, "God Save the Emperor" and other sources as predecessors to Beethoven. Buch also discusses insightfully Beethoven's own efforts as a composer of overtly "political" music to celebrate the reactionary Congress of Vienna of 1814. Chief among these works is Beethoven's cantata "The Glorious Moment", opus 136. The discussion of Beethoven's own overtly political compositions is probably the most valuable part of this uneven book.
Buch offers a discussion of Schiller's composition of "Ode to Joy", which Beethoven set in the last movement of his Ninth Symphony. His book includes little in the way of musical analysis of Beethoven's setting and still less of a discussion of the Ninth Symphony as a whole. This limits the book's value and its interest.
The book explores how various groups tended to read their own meanings into Beethoven's music and Schiller's poem. In other words, there was a tendency to take Beethoven's majestic music and use it to call attention to the political causes of the day rather than to the music itself. This should surprise no one.
Buch develops his theme through a discussion of the 1845 ceremony in Bonn in which a statue was erected to Beethoven's memory (strangely, the book does not include a photo of this still-standing statue), followed by a discussion of the rise of nationalism, communism, democracy, Nazism and other causes, some good, some bad, some horrible. He points out that from the mid-19th Century there was an attempt to claim that when Schiller wrote his "Ode to Joy" (Freude) he meant "Freedom" (Freiheit). There is no historical evidence to support this claim but it has been used by many. Buch suggests that Beethoven's music has become platitudinous through exposure and through the uses to which it has been put.
There are some interesting points to be made here. In the Ninth Symphony, Beethoven did seem to be addressing humanity. He wanted to write a "public" work rather than a work of a deeply introspective character such as, say, the last string quartets or the opus 109 piano sonata. It is not necessarily a bad thing that people have used this work to reflect their own ideals, and Beethoven cannot be blamed for some of the dreadful causes that have looked to him as an alleged forbearer. That people have done so does not exhaust his music or its meaning. Buch's study could have used more musical analysis and could have considered other ways of thinking about the Ninth Symphony in addition to its uses in the service of various, contradictory forms of political propaganda. I am not sure if Buch really touches the Ninth Symphony as a work of art and as an ideal. He seems to want to deconstruct the Ninth as both, and he fails.
The writing in this book is verbose, jargon-ridden, and hard to follow. This may be due to the text, the translation, or to both, as I suspect. Sentences are long and stringy and run-on too much for English. There are some sections of interesting discussion, but they are combined with too much irrelevance and too much of a tendency to polemicize.
This book taught something of Beethoven as a political composer that was worth knowing (chiefly his composition of the "Glorious Moment" cantata,), but it does not appreciably increase understanding the Ninth Symphony. The book's discussion of the vagaries of modern politics is of limited value at best. Thus on the whole I found this book disappointing.
Robin Friedman
Much of the theme of this book is illustrated by its cover, a garish portrait of a blue-faced Beethoven painted by Andy Warhol in 1987 to inform the viewer, according to the author of this study, that the "composer had more to do with Marilyn Monroe rather than John Cage. This illustrated the banalization of the Beethoven mythos."
Esteban Buch's study has little to do with Beethoven's music. Rather, the book offers some background on the creation of the Ninth Symphony and studies the way it has been received, interpreted, and politicized over the years following Beethoven's death in 1827. There are two interrelated themes in the book: 1. The Ninth Symphony has been used by groups as diverse as socialists, communists, American democrats, pan-Europeanists, fascists, nazis, racists, and many others to support their ideologies and 2. With the passage of time and the dramatic changes that societies have undergone since the composition of the Ninth, Beethoven's music, and its sense of heroism and universality, become ever more difficult for the modern listener to understand and appreciate.
Neither of these claims are particularly new or surprising. Buch devotes most of his attention to the first claim but the second is broader and more interesting.
The first part of this study discusses the development of what Buch terms "modern political music". He discusses the reception of Handel in England, the use of "La Marsellaise" as an anthem for the French Revolution, Haydn's composition of an anthem for the German Emperor, Franz Joseph II, "God Save the Emperor" and other sources as predecessors to Beethoven. Buch also discusses insightfully Beethoven's own efforts as a composer of overtly "political" music to celebrate the reactionary Congress of Vienna of 1814. Chief among these works is Beethoven's cantata "The Glorious Moment", opus 136. The discussion of Beethoven's own overtly political compositions is probably the most valuable part of this uneven book.
Buch offers a discussion of Schiller's composition of "Ode to Joy", which Beethoven set in the last movement of his Ninth Symphony. His book includes little in the way of musical analysis of Beethoven's setting and still less of a discussion of the Ninth Symphony as a whole. This limits the book's value and its interest.
The book explores how various groups tended to read their own meanings into Beethoven's music and Schiller's poem. In other words, there was a tendency to take Beethoven's majestic music and use it to call attention to the political causes of the day rather than to the music itself. This should surprise no one.
Buch develops his theme through a discussion of the 1845 ceremony in Bonn in which a statue was erected to Beethoven's memory (strangely, the book does not include a photo of this still-standing statue), followed by a discussion of the rise of nationalism, communism, democracy, Nazism and other causes, some good, some bad, some horrible. He points out that from the mid-19th Century there was an attempt to claim that when Schiller wrote his "Ode to Joy" (Freude) he meant "Freedom" (Freiheit). There is no historical evidence to support this claim but it has been used by many. Buch suggests that Beethoven's music has become platitudinous through exposure and through the uses to which it has been put.
There are some interesting points to be made here. In the Ninth Symphony, Beethoven did seem to be addressing humanity. He wanted to write a "public" work rather than a work of a deeply introspective character such as, say, the last string quartets or the opus 109 piano sonata. It is not necessarily a bad thing that people have used this work to reflect their own ideals, and Beethoven cannot be blamed for some of the dreadful causes that have looked to him as an alleged forbearer. That people have done so does not exhaust his music or its meaning. Buch's study could have used more musical analysis and could have considered other ways of thinking about the Ninth Symphony in addition to its uses in the service of various, contradictory forms of political propaganda. I am not sure if Buch really touches the Ninth Symphony as a work of art and as an ideal. He seems to want to deconstruct the Ninth as both, and he fails.
The writing in this book is verbose, jargon-ridden, and hard to follow. This may be due to the text, the translation, or to both, as I suspect. Sentences are long and stringy and run-on too much for English. There are some sections of interesting discussion, but they are combined with too much irrelevance and too much of a tendency to polemicize.
This book taught something of Beethoven as a political composer that was worth knowing (chiefly his composition of the "Glorious Moment" cantata,), but it does not appreciably increase understanding the Ninth Symphony. The book's discussion of the vagaries of modern politics is of limited value at best. Thus on the whole I found this book disappointing.
Robin Friedman
March 26, 2020
(Note: this book and review were written before the Brexit vote.)
The author's conclusion that "making the history of a symbol into a symbol of history is a delicate operation" perfectly sums up the central question of this study. Can there be such a thing as "European citizenship" if there is no common history or culture upon which to build it? Can a symbol such as Beethoven's Ode to Joy be grafted onto European Union political solidarity without a historical or cultural tradition? These questions plus Buch's overview of the genesis of the concept of national anthems and how Beethoven's work has been canonized, trivialized and adapted over the past two centuries sum up, in my view, what this book is all about.
Many will find Buch's language to be too academic. Indeed, it takes more than a third of the book before he gets to Beethoven. Then we are given a lot of information about how Beethoven's work was commemorated through public observances (of which the most interesting trivial fact is that prior to the statue of Beethoven erected in Bonn, there were no statues in Europe commemorating cultural figures).
Of the discussions comparing how Ode to Joy has been manipultated for political purposes, Buch begins with a short summation how how the song was adopted by Rhodesia as its national anthem. The unfortunate goal was to create a diversion from the oppression of apartheid. The experience has many superficial similarties of what was to follow in the European Union as it adopted Ode to Joy as its own anthem, sans lyrics. Did Beethoven's universal theme belong to the world or could it be appropriated for political purposes by any country or union of nations?
Buch rightly points out that some ideas of a "European" political culture have coalesced around negative view of freedom. For example, he points out "the development of a certain 'European racism,' particulary with regard to the immigration phenomenon." Obviously, no nation—especially the United States—is immune from these types of attitudes. But can the idea of European "citizenship" be built on such a flimsy platform? Buch quotes René Girault, who sums up the problem with the question, "might European identity, in these troubled times, not be in the process of becoming entrenched in a kind of solidarity that is turned against the outside world?"
As we witness the saga of the Euro currency, this study provides some useful historic parallels to ponder. Despite the public pronouncements that the Euro will survive, rules are being discussed that would, in Orwell's words, make some members "more equal than others." How this eventually plays out will determine the future of Europe more than the creation of symbols. Will the European Union be a valid political entity capable of respresenting its "European" interests? Based on the experience of finding an anthem for Europe, it won't get any easier.
The author's conclusion that "making the history of a symbol into a symbol of history is a delicate operation" perfectly sums up the central question of this study. Can there be such a thing as "European citizenship" if there is no common history or culture upon which to build it? Can a symbol such as Beethoven's Ode to Joy be grafted onto European Union political solidarity without a historical or cultural tradition? These questions plus Buch's overview of the genesis of the concept of national anthems and how Beethoven's work has been canonized, trivialized and adapted over the past two centuries sum up, in my view, what this book is all about.
Many will find Buch's language to be too academic. Indeed, it takes more than a third of the book before he gets to Beethoven. Then we are given a lot of information about how Beethoven's work was commemorated through public observances (of which the most interesting trivial fact is that prior to the statue of Beethoven erected in Bonn, there were no statues in Europe commemorating cultural figures).
Of the discussions comparing how Ode to Joy has been manipultated for political purposes, Buch begins with a short summation how how the song was adopted by Rhodesia as its national anthem. The unfortunate goal was to create a diversion from the oppression of apartheid. The experience has many superficial similarties of what was to follow in the European Union as it adopted Ode to Joy as its own anthem, sans lyrics. Did Beethoven's universal theme belong to the world or could it be appropriated for political purposes by any country or union of nations?
Buch rightly points out that some ideas of a "European" political culture have coalesced around negative view of freedom. For example, he points out "the development of a certain 'European racism,' particulary with regard to the immigration phenomenon." Obviously, no nation—especially the United States—is immune from these types of attitudes. But can the idea of European "citizenship" be built on such a flimsy platform? Buch quotes René Girault, who sums up the problem with the question, "might European identity, in these troubled times, not be in the process of becoming entrenched in a kind of solidarity that is turned against the outside world?"
As we witness the saga of the Euro currency, this study provides some useful historic parallels to ponder. Despite the public pronouncements that the Euro will survive, rules are being discussed that would, in Orwell's words, make some members "more equal than others." How this eventually plays out will determine the future of Europe more than the creation of symbols. Will the European Union be a valid political entity capable of respresenting its "European" interests? Based on the experience of finding an anthem for Europe, it won't get any easier.
December 26, 2020
El recorrido histórico desde los inicios de los himnos nacionales del Reino Unido y Francia, hasta la concepción misma de la obra y su aplicación en las discusiones políticas e históricas durante el siglo XX, hacen de este un libro clave para comprender cómo la humanidad ha pretendido dar un mensaje acomodado a las circunstancias políticas particulares, a una obra que se limitó a afirmar de manera vehemente que todos los hombres serán hermanos.
Se reafirman todos los motivos que han llevado a que la novena de Beethoven sea el fetiche musical de occidente. Los extremos la han manoseado a su antojo, olvidando que la superioridad moral de la obra trasciende del significado que quiera darse a las notas de Beethoven y al poema de Schiller.
Se reafirman todos los motivos que han llevado a que la novena de Beethoven sea el fetiche musical de occidente. Los extremos la han manoseado a su antojo, olvidando que la superioridad moral de la obra trasciende del significado que quiera darse a las notas de Beethoven y al poema de Schiller.
October 21, 2018
The strength of this book is its earnestness. The title, "A Political History", tells you from the get-go that its focus is a particular aspect and reading of the history. It's surprisingly Marxist, with a focus on how Beethoven's Ode to Joy has been used in so many different contexts in a way divorced from any reason, creating a logical need to "resolve the contradiction" therein. I find the postmodernist writing style more annoying than the actual ideological lens here. The facts contained in the book suggest a more Straussian reading is warranted, though.
The book is in two parts: a first half that describes the music and puts it in historical context and a second half that argues that the work has become larger than life and divorced from its original meaning. Despite its status as a non-musical book I rather enjoyed learning about the musicality of Ode to Joy itself in the first half. I walked away thinking that Beethoven has as much in common with Kanye as Mozart.
In all, this book is for a very specific kind of person: you like art and believe that there is sometimes more to a work than its aesthetic qualities as long as you look hard enough. If you are that sort of person, you'll find this book enjoyable but not mindblowing. A good pairing is "Beethoven: Impressions by his Contemporaries", a compendium of realtime reviews.
The book is in two parts: a first half that describes the music and puts it in historical context and a second half that argues that the work has become larger than life and divorced from its original meaning. Despite its status as a non-musical book I rather enjoyed learning about the musicality of Ode to Joy itself in the first half. I walked away thinking that Beethoven has as much in common with Kanye as Mozart.
In all, this book is for a very specific kind of person: you like art and believe that there is sometimes more to a work than its aesthetic qualities as long as you look hard enough. If you are that sort of person, you'll find this book enjoyable but not mindblowing. A good pairing is "Beethoven: Impressions by his Contemporaries", a compendium of realtime reviews.
February 12, 2019
I am a music historian and a professor. I used this as a text with undergrads when it first came out years ago. I am now teaching a Grad Seminar on Music and Politics and find the book even more important in today's climate. Artists are struggling with how to speak out effectively. Buch reminds us that Beethoven crafted and liberated his musical ideas over a lifetime in order to fully realize the Schiller poem.
I LOVE the work Buch put into clarifying the contextual details in Europe that contributed to the rise of the "cult of religiosity" that surrounded Viennese composers.
A brilliant monograph.
I LOVE the work Buch put into clarifying the contextual details in Europe that contributed to the rise of the "cult of religiosity" that surrounded Viennese composers.
A brilliant monograph.
March 10, 2025
En el vasto universo de la música clásica, pocas obras han alcanzado la trascendencia y el simbolismo de la Novena Sinfonía de Ludwig van Beethoven. Esteban Buch, en su obra La Novena de Beethoven, nos invita a un viaje profundo y esclarecedor a través de la historia política y cultural de esta monumental composición.
Buch, con una erudición impecable y una narrativa envolvente, desentraña las múltiples facetas que han convertido a la Novena en un emblema universal. Desde su estreno en 1824, esta sinfonía ha sido apropiada por diversas corrientes ideológicas, desde los republicanos franceses hasta los nacionalsocialistas alemanes, cada uno encontrando en sus acordes una resonancia con sus propias aspiraciones y discursos.
El autor explora cómo el "Himno a la Alegría" ha sido elevado a la categoría de himno oficial de Europa, simbolizando una utopía de fraternidad y unidad que trasciende fronteras y épocas. Buch analiza, desde una perspectiva interdisciplinaria y rigurosa, las causas de este éxito fulgurante e inaudito, desvelando el núcleo paradójico en el que se sustenta
La Novena de Beethoven es, sin duda, una lectura imprescindible para quienes buscan comprender el poder transformador del arte en la sociedad.
Buch, con una erudición impecable y una narrativa envolvente, desentraña las múltiples facetas que han convertido a la Novena en un emblema universal. Desde su estreno en 1824, esta sinfonía ha sido apropiada por diversas corrientes ideológicas, desde los republicanos franceses hasta los nacionalsocialistas alemanes, cada uno encontrando en sus acordes una resonancia con sus propias aspiraciones y discursos.
El autor explora cómo el "Himno a la Alegría" ha sido elevado a la categoría de himno oficial de Europa, simbolizando una utopía de fraternidad y unidad que trasciende fronteras y épocas. Buch analiza, desde una perspectiva interdisciplinaria y rigurosa, las causas de este éxito fulgurante e inaudito, desvelando el núcleo paradójico en el que se sustenta
La Novena de Beethoven es, sin duda, una lectura imprescindible para quienes buscan comprender el poder transformador del arte en la sociedad.
October 31, 2020
I think this is a good book for a more interested student. I find it boring.
June 20, 2023
I hit this at a moment when I was really interested in political nuance attached to music, instead I received an extremely detailed, well-researched, but dry history of romantic music movements.
July 18, 2017
Interesting look at the political connections and connotations of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony both during his lifetime and behind. The book is definitely not a light easy read (it's very academic), but certainly is an detailed account of the topic at hand.
Currently reading
January 10, 2010So far this book is very detailed. It takes a look at politics and musicians dating back as far as Handel before it touches on Beethoven. It's a must read for musicologists!
July 30, 2011
WAYYY too much detail (unless you were a history major)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews