The Ninth Symphony

Beethoven's masterpiece and the world at the time of its creation.

The Ninth Symphony , a symbol of freedom and joy, arrived at a time of popular repression. The Bourbon, Habsburg, and Romanov dynasties were using every means to crush the populist unrest that followed the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars. The unveiling of Beethoven's work took place on May 7, 1824, and was the most important artistic event of that year.

In The Ninth Symphony , author Harvey Sachs uses Beethoven's masterpiece to explore the politics, aesthetics, and climate of the period. The symphony—which served and continues to serve as a model for generations of artists—is brilliantly explored in this book, showing how the Ninth foregrounded the power of the individual while also celebrating the collective spirit of humanity.