AUTHOR: LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN

LANGUAGE: GERMAN, ITALIAN

DATE: 1822 AD

PAGE #: 438

REPRODUCTION DIMENSIONS: 8.75 X 11.75 IN

HISTORY/DESCRIPTION: NO OTHER SYMPHONIC COMPOSITION HAS MET WITH SUCH A BROAD AND COMPLEX RECEPTION AS LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN’S SYMPHONY NUMBER 9 IN D MINOR, OPUS 125, POPULARLY KNOWN AS THE CHORAL SYMPHONY. THE WORK MARKED AN IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENT IN 19TH CENTURY MUSIC. IN THE FINALE, BEETHOVEN SET THE MUSIC TO THE GERMAN POET FRIEDRICH VON SCHILLER’S AN DIE FREUDE (ODE TO JOY), THE FIRST TIME THE HUMAN VOICE WAS INCLUDED IN A SYMPHONIC WORK. THE SYMPHONY WAS FIRST PERFORMED IN VIENNA ON MAY 7, 1824. ITS INFLUENCE HAS SINCE EXTENDED FAR BEYOND THE FIELD OF MUSIC. THE WORK HAS INSPIRED POETS, WRITERS, AND VISUAL ARTISTS; IT HAS PROVOKED AESTHETIC AND PHILOSOPHICAL ARGUMENT AND DISCUSSION. ABOVE ALL, SYMPHONY HAS AT ALL TIMES PROCLAIMED TO PEOPLE OF GOODWILL, ITS MESSAGE OF JOY AND THE GLOBAL BROTHERHOOD OF HUMANITY. COMPOSERS INFLUENCED BY THE WORK HAVE INCLUDED SCHUBERT, BERLIOZ, BRAHMS, WAGNER, BRUCKNER, MAHLER, AND MANY OTHERS. THE AUTOGRAPH SCORE OF BEETHOVEN’S NINTH IS HELD, ALMOST IN ITS ENTIRETY, IN THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT OF THE BERLIN STATE LIBRARY’ PRUSSIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE FOUNDATION. SOME SHEETS FROM THE SCORE THAT WERE REMOVED IN THE 19TH CENTURY ARE HELD AT THE BEETHOVEN-HAUS IN BONN AND IN THE NATIONAL LIBRARY OF FRANCE IN PARIS. THE ORIGINAL SCORE OF THE SYMPHONY WAS ADDED TO THE UNESCO MEMORY OF THE WORLD REGISTER IN 2001, WHERE IT JOINS OTHER OUTSTANDING MONUMENTS TO THE SPIRITUAL HERITAGE OF MANKIND.

REPRODUCTION DETAILS: OUR HARDCOVER BOOKS ARE MADE WITH REAL WOOD FOR THE INTERIOR OF THE FRONT AND BACK COVERS AS WELL AS THE SPINE. THE LEATHER IS A 4 OZ COWHIDE, FROM A SMALL SUPPLIER IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE LEATHER IS ADHERED TO THE COVERS WITH GLUE AND MOLDED INTO THE SHAPE AT THE HAND OF OUR LOCAL ARTISANS. THE SIGNATURES/PAGES ARE HANDSEWN USING A LIBRARY BINDING METHOD. THE SEWN BOOK IS BOUND WITH A STRONG ADHESIVE GLUE THAT MAKES THE BINDINGS LAST, ESPECIALLY FOR THE LARGER BOOKS. WE ALSO ADD A THICK MULL CLOTH TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE BINDING, DRYING IN BETWEEN EACH LAYER, A TRADITIONAL WAY TO MAKE THE BINDING STIFF, STRONG, AND RESILIENT FOR GENERATIONS TO COME.

NOTE: ALL OF OUR FACSIMILES ARE MADE TO ORDER. PLEASE ALLOW 4-6 WEEKS FOR NOTIFICATION OF SHIPMENT.