Music library › Classical themes
Ode to Joy (theme)
Ludwig van Beethoven, 1824. Excerpt, written out for reading practice.
- Music
- Ludwig van Beethoven
- Date
- 1824
- Key
- C major
- Time
- 4/4
- Clef
- Treble
- Level
- Beginner
- Length
- Excerpt
About the music
The theme from the finale of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, first performed in Vienna in May 1824. Beethoven was by then almost completely deaf. The melody is introduced quietly by the cellos and basses before the whole orchestra and then the choir take it up.
Here it is in C major, using only five notes, C to G, for the first eight bars. It is the classic first piece for reading because it moves almost entirely by step. For the hymn version with words, see Joyful, Joyful, We Adore Thee.
Reading tips
- Only five notes: C, D, E, F and G. Keep your hand (or voice) in one place.
- Lines one and two are nearly identical; only the last two notes change.
- Watch the dotted quarter and eighth near the end of each line.
How to practice it
Read the piece through once without playing, naming the starting note and looking for patterns and repeats. Then press Play and follow the notes as they light up. When you are ready, choose Practice this piece: it opens in the practice tool, where you can slow it down, play along on the on-screen piano, a MIDI keyboard or your voice, and have every note checked.