Melody and Meaning:
Intent in Words and Music
3rd – 6th
Grades
Lesson 4 – Beethoven and Ode to Joy
Objective
Students will become familiar with the life of the composer Ludwig van Beethoven.
Students will learn to sing Ode to Joy from Beethoven’s 9th Symphony.
Suggested Materials
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Fast Facts about Beethoven handout (provided)
Ode to Joy lyrics and music (provided with permission from Carnegie Hall)
Recording of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony, 1st movement -audio links can be found at bpo.org/education
Recording of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, 4th movement -audio links can be found at bpo.org/education
New York State Arts Standards
1 – Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts
3 - Responding to and Analyzing Works of Art
4 – Understanding the Cultural Contributions of the Arts
Common Core Learning Standards for ELA & Literacy
Reading, CCR 1, 2 and 4
Speaking & Listening, CCR 1, 2 and 4
Language, CCR 3 and 4
Procedure
1) P lay the opening of Beethoven’s 5th Symphony for students. Ask them if they have ever heard this music
before. Do they know who wrote this music? Tell them that the composer Ludwig van Beethoven wrote
this – it is his 5th Symphony.
2) Hand out a copy of Fast Facts about Beethoven and have students take turns reading some of the facts aloud.
This activity can be done in small groups. Are any of these facts surprising to them? Ask each group to share
a surprising fact with the class.
3) Introduce Beethoven’s 9th Symphony to students and let them know that when Beethoven wrote this piece,
it was the first time singing voices were used in a symphony by a major composer. The voices sing “Ode to Joy”
which was originally a poem that celebrated freedom and community. Beethoven set this poem to music. This
was the last symphony that he wrote.
4) Play the vocal section of the 4th movement of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony for the students (found in the
4th movement around the 13-14 minute mark, depending on you recording) Let them know that the words are
being sung in the language that Beethoven spoke – German.
5) Let students know that they will be singing Ode to Joy with the BPO when they come to the concert,
but they will be singing an English version. Using the lyrics and music provided teach the students
the vocal part so that they can participate at the concert.
Lesson 4 – Beethoven and Ode to Joy
(continued)
6) P ossible discussion points: What story might Beethoven be communicating with the music? How do the
music and the words work together? Are there places where the music and lyrics contrast each other?
The version of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy that we are using was developed by the educators at Carnegie Hall’s Weill
Music Institute. We thank them for their generosity in sharing this resource with us!
W O R K S H E E T
Fast Facts about Beethoven
Beethoven grew up
in Bonn, Germany in
a very unhappy home.
He was forced to practice
the piano by his father,
who would punish him
mercilessly when he
made mistakes.
Beethoven
was famous as
a great piano player
before he became
a composer.
Beethoven never
got married but he did
propose to many women
who turned him down
because he was
often unwashed, bad
tempered and rude.
One of the reasons
Beethoven’s 5th
Symphony is so
famous is because
it is a whole piece
written about four notes
that keep repeating!
Can you sing the first
four notes of the
symphony?
Beethoven
changed classical
music by writing
in a very original
way. Many other
composers admired
him and followed his
example, creating a
new kind of classical
music called
“romantic music.”
Beethoven
was known for his bad
temper. He once threw
a plate of food at a
waiter’s head because
he wasn’t happy with
the service.
Although Beethoven
gradually lost his hearing,
he continued composing.
He composed many of the
most famous musical works
of all time, such as his 9th
Symphony, after he had
become totally deaf.
He couldn’t hear it when
it was performed!
One
of Beethoven’s
favorite foods was
macaroni and cheese
and he loved to
drink coffee.
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