The 5th of Beethoven was an all time favorite and my first exposure to it was from the Saturday Night Fever album. The appeal, the aura, the agitation, the audacity, the unabashed release of creativity, the freewheeling restraint, had me spellbound.
While it is very remiss of me to have heard Beethoven’s ‘ Ode to Joy ” only very recently, what will cause it to remain etched in memory forever is the fact that Beethoven composed this one of the greatest all-time classics while battling total deafness. Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” is not just a musical masterpiece – it’s humanity’s heartbeat set to melody, a testament to the indomitable spirit that resides within us all. An incredible against all odds chapter worth cherishing and being inspired by.
The magic lies in how it builds. Starting with a whisper, a gentle hint of what’s to come, it grows like a thought becoming a conviction. When the full orchestra joins in, accompanied by the choir declaring “Alle Menschen werden Brüder” (All people become brothers), it’s not just music anymore – it’s a manifesto of human unity.
The Ninth Symphony is based on Friedrich Schiller’s poem An die Freude (To Joy) did not just set the cat amongst the pigeons, it shattered stereotypes, time and space. Beethoven could have been a willing sucker to wallowing in self-pity( can I have some cheese to go with my whine?) , given his condition and a life drenched in turmoil but he ended up creating an anthem of euphoria. Rebellious, raucous, reverberating, a rallying cry for joy to be centre stage. Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” is not just a musical masterpiece – By 1824, when the Ninth Symphony premiered, Beethoven was completely deaf. He couldn’t hear the thunderous applause that followed. Yet, he gave the world its most eloquent expression of joy.
Most of us treat joy like an occasional indulgence; we suffer from imposter syndrome as we do that. By default, the culture has set it that joy has to be hard won, after a long and tiring day at work, a noble deed, or a milestone ticked off. Beethoven, in his raw, unabashed, surreal genius screamed exactly the opposite. He said ” Joy is not a privilege. It’s a right, a birthright “. Not the sugar-coated, joy filtered and primed multiple times by social media but the primal, deep, soul stirring, goose bumps generating joy.
Somehow as a tribe, we are so apologetic about seeking joy. We walk around as if joy is contraband and we are into trafficking. We dumb down on our happiness, hinge it to achievements and artificial benchmarks. We tell ourselves- I will wait for tomorrow- and that remains in a state of perpetual postponement. But our inventory of tomorrows are finite and we will soon run out of them.
Let me promise you that joy is not a future situation. It is a present decision. And the present is a present. So, wake up!
Today, as I write this from my corner of the world, watching the setting sun paint the sky in hues of orange(awerange should be more like it?) and grey, leaving you gasping soaking in this unmatched visual spectacle choreographed by nature, I’m struck by how relevant Beethoven’s message remains. In an era of digital walls and viral divisions, “Ode to Joy” reminds us of our shared humanity. Joy, after all, doesn’t recognize borders(geography is history in any case), doesn’t need translation, doesn’t check your social media status.
As we ride the pandemonium filled journey called life, a gentle reminder- joy is not a luxury, it is not to be conserved for the future but it is be seized in the present. And, just in case you feel pangs of guilt thinking about, may I suggest you close your eyes and let Beethoven’s masterpiece wash over you and come out salved on the other side realising what it means to be gloriously, unabashedly human.
So, here’s your challenge: Beethoven your life. Live like a Symphony. Make it loud, make it large, make it count. Make it unforgettable. Make it an ” Ode to Joy “.