Two hundred years after people first heard it, Beethoven’s Ode To Joy wins 2024 Classic 100: Music that makes you feel good

Australia has once again voted Beethoven’s Ode To Joy as the number one piece of music that makes them feel good.

Every year for over two decades, ABC Classic has asked music lovers to nominate their favourite pieces in a particular category, then spend a whole weekend counting down the results.

This is the fourth time Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor, famous for its finale Ode To Joy, has topped the Classic 100 countdown.

It’s an extraordinary feat for a symphony that premiered in Vienna 200 years ago.

ABC Classic presenter Vanessa Hughes says whether you’re a lifelong lover of classical music or a new fan, “Ode To Joy is the one piece of classical music everyone knows and loves”.

With its memorable tune and brilliant interplay between instruments, Ode To Joy has something to please all music lovers.

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The lyrics, penned by poet Friedrich Schiller, have also become the anthem that symbolises protests and celebrates peace.

In the poem, Schiller conveys how the sparking of joy among friends can unite what customs have divided, urging us to “seek God above the starry canopy”.

How Beethoven’s Ode To Joy has endured for 200 years

Beethoven composed his last symphony late in life, when he was almost completely deaf.

It is said that at the 1824 premiere in Vienna, Beethoven kept conducting after the orchestra had finished playing. One of the soloists had to turn the composer around to see the enthusiastic applause of the audience.

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