The Sound Board

I really can't count the number of times I've performed Ode To Joy, as a singer or player. And I've listened to it many more times than that.

Somewhere along the line I lost the history. And history does matter. Ludwig van Beethoven was completely deaf before he completed the composition. At least that's how the legend goes. Think about that for a second. It absolutely boggles the mind - or at least it boggles mine.

The piece still strikes a chord deep within me. And now, again, it has a deeper meaning.

Bill, if you don't mind, I can provide some additional information. It's unclear whether Beethoven ever went completely deaf. But that's an academic distinction. From 1817 onwards, he was so hard of hearing that he could no longer participate in normal discussions. Anyone who wanted to talk to Beethoven had to write down what they wanted to say in a Konversationsheft, or conversation notebook. This gives us a unique insight into what was discussed during the final decade of his life! Unfortunately, Beethoven's contributions to these conversations have not been handed down because he responded orally.

This did not only affect the social side of Beethoven's life, of course. He was also no longer able to hear music. Interestingly, Beethoven reported several times that losing access to parts of social life affected him much more than not being able to hear music. This is because his inner hearing was so well developed and trained that he could perfectly imagine how the music sounded from the notation alone. His works from 1817 onwards are testament to this.

There is one very interesting discussion in the Konversationshefte that is relevant to this. Beethoven spoke with Karl Holz, the second violinist of the Schuppanzigh Quartet. The Schuppanzigh Quartet was one of the leading string quartets in Vienna at the time and performed Beethoven's final string quartets for the first time. In his String Quartet Op. 131, Beethoven wanted to use a novel technique he had not used before: sul ponticello. He knew how the technique worked and how a sul ponticello sound was produced. However, having never heard it before, he could not perfectly imagine what it would sound like. So he talked to Karl Holz about it, asking what the sound quality was like and what could be played sul ponticello. Ultimately, Holz's responses convinced Beethoven that sul ponticello was exactly what was needed at that point in the composition. Despite being almost deaf, Beethoven continued to explore new techniques and experiment with sounds that he never got to hear for himself. If you'd like to listen to this passage, it's at the end of the fifth movement (Scherzo) of his String Quartet Op. 131.

(As an aside, the Konversationshefte are an invaluable source of information on the life and music of Beethoven. However, because nothing is ever easy, there is one particular complication with them. Anton Schindler, Beethoven's secretary, edited the Konversationshefte after Beethoven's death. Some are completely lost because Schindler burned them. He did this deliberately when he thought they contained information that should not be made public. Furthermore, he forged some passages to make himself look better. Fortunately, the Konversationshefte have been so thoroughly researched that it is now known which passages are forgeries and which are genuine. Nevertheless, the loss of content due to his redacting is significant. And while musicology has exposed certain topics as Schindler's fabrications, this knowledge hasn't reached outside the circle of musicology. So there are many myths around Beethoven that have been debunked, but that many audiences, still believe to be true.
There are so many interesting things to say, but I digress.)

Coming back to the Ode of Joy. The fact that Beethoven had finished a new symphony in 1824 — his ninth, with the 'Ode to Joy' finale — was huge news in Vienna and all over Europe. The orchestra for the world premiere comprised Vienna's finest musicians. Ignaz Schuppanzigh was the concertmaster and the other members of his quartet were also in the orchestra. Whether Franz Schubert was present as a violinist in the orchestra or as a member of the audience is unclear. What is know is that he was present during the world premiere.

Beethoven was unable to conduct this concert himself due to his deafness. A compromise was arranged whereby Beethoven would be on stage as a kind of artistic director, beating the tempo and providing expressive cues. Michael Umlauf, Kapellmeister at the Kärtnertortheater, conducted the orchestra. Prior to the performance, Umlauf instructed the orchestra to ignore Beethoven's tempo if it differed from his own. As Beethoven could not hear what the orchestra was playing, he was not always in sync, which led to mayhem during rehearsals.

A well-documented example captures the essence of the effects of Beethoven's deafness. At the end of the concert, when the last notes of 'Ode to Joy' had faded away, the audience broke into thunderous applause. Unable to hear it, Beethoven remained standing with his back to the audience, looking at the orchestra. The singer Caroline Unger gently turned him around so that he could see the frenetic reception of his work.

Sorry for the long post. I find this topic fascinating. As you say, knowing more about the context can help you to appreciate a work even more.

No need to apologize for such delicate info, thank you!

Linos wrote: Jul 20, 2026 4:02 amI find this topic fascinating. As you say, knowing more about the context can help you to appreciate a work even more.

Just in case, and perhaps you all know this already, but the format war over the size of the compact disc was settled by Sony and Phillips to 74 minutes.

Why 74 minutes you may ponder?

So that the complete 9th Symphony would fit, hence CDs are 120mm in diameter because of the greatest piece of music ever written.

Thanks Linos. Yes, the stories behind the composition and composer are essential to a deeper understanding.

P.S. To those of you not so much into the classics, here is a 15 minutes fun to watch, sorta deep dive into the 9th context.

Linos wrote: Jul 20, 2026 4:02 am Sorry for the long post.

I don't think you're going to get too many complaints.

That was a great post, and speaking for myself (a guy who wishes he'd paid more attention in History class), there were a lot of things there I didn't know. You're right that it really is fascinating.