Which composer wrote the Ninth Symphony, known for its “Ode to Joy” finale?

Ludwig van Beethoven wrote the Ninth Symphony, whose finale includes the “Ode to Joy.”

Completed in 1824, the Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125, was Beethoven’s final completed symphony. Its last movement uses voices and a chorus singing words adapted from Friedrich Schiller’s poem “Ode to Joy.”

The work was groundbreaking because a major symphony incorporated vocal soloists and chorus into its final movement. Beethoven was almost completely deaf by the time of its premiere, yet he continued composing and was present at the first performance in Vienna.

The melody associated with “Ode to Joy” later became the anthem of the European Communities and, from 1993, the European Union. The symphony is often called the “Choral Symphony,” but that nickname does not replace its formal title.