This anthem is taken from the last movement of Beethoven's Symphony No 9, Op 125, often known as the Choral Symphony. The melody is a setting of Schiller's poem Ode to Joy. Beethoven began work on the symphony in 1818 and completed it in 1824. It was first performed to a packed house in Vienna in May of that year, conducted by the composer himself. Today, the symphony is considered as one of the great icons of Western music and was the first symphony by a major composer to give the human voice the same importance as the instruments of the orchestra. The theme was adopted as the European Anthem by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in January 1972. Many elaborate arrangements have been made of this melody, including one by the conductor Herbert von Karajan.
