European anthem

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In 1971 the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe decided to propose adopting the prelude to the Ode To Joy from Beethoven's 9th Symphony as the European anthem. The Council of European Ministers officially announced the European Anthem on January 19th 1972 at Strasbourg: the prelude to "The Ode to Joy", 4th movement of Ludwig van Beethoven's 9th symphony.
The well-known conductor Herbert Von Karajan was asked to write three instrumental arrangements - for solo piano, for wind instruments and for symphony orchestra and he conducted the performance used to make the official recording. He wrote his decisions on the score, notably those concerning the tempo. Karajan decided on crotchet = 120 whereas Beethoven had written minim = 80.
The anthem was launched via a major information campaign on Europe Day in 1972.
In 1985, it was adopted by EU heads of State and government as the official anthem of the then European Community - since 1993 the European Union. It is not intended to replace the national anthems of the Member States but rather to celebrate the values they all share and their unity in diversity, it expresses the ideals of a united Europe: freedom, peace, and solidarity. [1].

The European anthem is based on the final movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony composed in 1823, which contains a modified version of the lyrics of Friedrich Schiller's ode, An die Freude (German for Ode To Joy) written in 1785. This poem expresses Schiller's idealistic vision of the human race becoming brothers - a vision Beethoven shared.

It is played on official occasions by both the Council of Europe and the European Union.

Due to the large number of languages used in the European Union, the anthem is purely instrumental and the German lyrics have no official status. For the German lyrics refer to the article about the 9th Symphony. A suggestion for Latin lyrics to the anthem has been written by the Austrian composer Peter Roland, but the lyrics has not been accorded official status, and is not used by the EU [2].

13/04/2004 Council of Europe: Hip hop version of European Anthem goes on sale to public
A Council of Europe CD featuring the world’s first hip hop version of the European Anthem went on sale today to the public. The CD, entitled “Variations”, contains several other musical styles of Beethoven’s famous Ode to Joy, including symphony orchestra, church organ, piano (classical and jazz), rock guitar, jazz violin, techno and trance versions. The CD also contains a booklet explaining the origins of the European Anthem and the European flag. [3] [4]

20/06/2005 European Anthem: Council of Europe CD features new classical recording
A Council of Europe CD features a new classical recording of the European anthem, based on Beethoven’s “the Ode to Joy”. The CD is being released in Strasbourg today, at the start of the June session of the organisation’s Parliamentary Assembly. The new recording was made by the symphony orchestra of SWR, the German regional broadcaster based in the Black Forest town of Baden-Baden. The orchestra, which was conducted by Roland Kluttig, performed a rhapsody arrangement by the French composer, Christophe Guyard. The CD, entitled “Variations”, also includes hip hop, techno and jazz versions, as well as classical interpretations for piano and church organ. It was originally released in January 2004. The official version of the anthem, which is shared by the Council of Europe and the European Union, remains the 1971 arrangement by the conductor Herbert von Karajan. [5]

CD: The European Anthem / l'Hymne Européen "Variations" http://europeananthem.waterpiperecords.de/

To some people, the use of music arranged by Herbert von Karajan, is contentious as he willingly joined the Nazi party in 1935.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] See also

• European symbols
• National symbols

[edit] External links

• The European Anthem and downloads - Council of Europe website
• The European Anthem - European Commission website
• European anthem European NAvigator
• Beethoven's Ninth: A Political History, Esteban Buch, Translated by Richard Miller, ISBN 0-226-07824-8 (University Of Chicago Press) [6]