Beethoven, Symphony 9, 1st movement (complete), Allegro ma non troppo, Philharmonia Baroque

Philharmonia Baroque playing the first movement (Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso) of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, accompanied by a scrolling bar-graph score.
FAQ

Q: I appreciate the animated graphical scores you make; how can I support your work?
A: Thank you! The easiest way to support my work is by contributing via Patreon:
If you'd like to help in more specific way, consider this:

Q: What do the colors in the bar-graph score mean?
A: The colors show which instruments are playing. Here's a chart:

Q: Why are the notes different sizes?
A: Each group of instruments (strings, woodwind, brass, percussion) is shown in a separate layer, and has a different size; this helps you see when instruments in more than one group are playing the same pitch at the same time. The timpani is blurred because that's how it sounds to me.

Q: Please tell me more about the composer.
A: You can read about Beethoven here

Q: Could you please do a MAM video of _________?
A: See:

[Sebastian-ufvr]

On May 7, 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven premiered his 9th and last symphony called Chorale, in Vienna. Here we are, today May 7, 2024, some 200 years later, God Bless Ludwig, and what would be the most powerful, spiritual and brutal musical work taught to the world. But if that were not enough, every time in my life that I lose my reason, my conscience, the motivation to even live, I can never help but hear the Ode to Joy echoing. And although I don't express it, I always break into tears of happiness remembering every word and every letter that the choir makes great.

[pianoguy]

13:40 to the end is possibly my favourite bit of music ever

[mikeylottanoise]

8:08 is Beethoven's "I don't care if you break your instrument, play LOUDER" section. Perfection.

[jmccuen]

One of the most powerful pieces ever composed.

[HikariKrome]

The introduction is God tuning the universe.

[assamaavideo]

These videos are the best way of understanding the complexity of music without having the ability to read sheet music. I tip my top hat for you!

[juliencaron]

Thank you for your smart method. It allows for a non initiate, to follow the "line" of each instrument, emphasizing this extraordinary music. You give us the way to a better understanding of each musical plan. It means a small progress for us and I am grateful for this.

[johnnydavidcreative]

This piece is so very moving. completely beautiful. I also find that watching the bars light up in line with the music helps me to appreciate every tiny detail that might be lost to my untrained ear. Thanks for this video. very emotional in a very good way!

[loganfruchtman]

Beethoven’s 9th is the 8th wonder of the world

[generalcancel]

Ingenious! Seeing the dialogue between instruments, the imitation of themes, and the sweeps of contrary motion – as well as hearing it all – is very satisfying.

[mrains]

At first Beethoven whispers in your ears..."listen, I have something wonderful for you to hear." And Ludwig takes off on a wonderful ride...just listen and praise God!

[cloudwolf]

when i first heard this in class i was amazed of this music.

[ciscomail]

Amazing...is an original way to "show" the compositions...

[israelasiku]

The symphony that established Ludwig van Beethoven as the greatest composer of all

[cj]

smalin, you are a genius in your own right

[andrewlenberg]

This is my battle symphony...especially this first movement, and ESPECIALLY the recapitulation starting at about 8:00. It is perhaps the most awesome moment in music (although the coda is incredibly badass too)...bringing about "a vision of the avenging angel; one's eyes would be dazzled by his radiance though one's heart would quake with terror”. The intro is rushed in this, but I like the brisk tempo overall. Best performances I've heard are under Eugene Ormandy or Leonard Bernstein

[franantoniezautzikrojas]

Smalin, this is beautiful, im sure if any of the composes were alive to see the beauty their scores visually create they would be proud of theirselves and you. Keep the vids coming. :P

[karthrags]

It's wonderful to SEE the individual melodies being set up and then being intertwined, to watch the way the piece is progressively developed. The video helped draw my attention to subtle things I missed in the music. I keep discovering new things each time I see and listen to this.

Thanks for helping me to appreciate the music more, smalin!

[ClonicTonic]

After using a program like Logic, I realize now how seriously incredibly great this is. Even though I'm not a huge fan of the music, it's the composition that astounds me. The attention to detail of every little piece and working everything in where it belongs, seeing it represented visually is amazing, and a totally different experience. It's crazier to think that the dude did all of this while deaf, with no editing or digital software to play it back, hear it, save it, etc. Truly amazing.

[TroySirkel]

I just wanted to say thank you very much for posting these videos.  I use them with my elementary music students to show them this terrific music in a way that is very engaging for them to watch.  Because of these videos, my students know some of the composers that you feature with this presentation software, and they love their music.  They are beautiful.  Thanks again! :)