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Ode to Joy (theme)

Ode to Joy is the theme from the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Octotune's version, its first two lines, stays in the right hand's C position and moves almost entirely by step, with one dotted rhythm at the end of each line.

Play it in Octotune

The opening, as the app engraves it: E4, E4, F4, G4

The melody in letters

Bar by bar, as the app’s melody version has it; the small numbers are the fingers.

  1. Bar 1E3E3F4G5
  2. Bar 2G5F4E3D2
  3. Bar 3C1C1D2E3
  4. Bar 4E3D2D2
  5. Bar 5E3E3F4G5
  6. Bar 6G5F4E3D2
  7. Bar 7C1C1D2E3
  8. Bar 8D2C1C1

At a glance

ComposerLudwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
DifficultyFirst pieces: grades 1–3 of 8
KeyC major (no sharps or flats)
Time4/4
Tempo100 quarter-note beats a minute, as the app starts it (it can go slower)
Length8 bars, about 19 seconds
Handsone hand or both, by version
Right handC4 to G4
Left handB2 to G3
On the pathUnit 2, Up to G, Unit 5, Two hands, Unit 11, Chords

It reaches past the staff: see ledger lines explained.

Versions in the app

VersionGradeLevels
Ode to Joy (theme) — melody1 of 8Full
Ode to Joy (theme) — with bass2 of 8Melody, Full
Ode to Joy (theme) — with chords3 of 8Melody, Melody and bass, Full

Practice notes

Ode to Joy is the great theme of the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Its first two lines fit the right hand's C position exactly, thumb on middle C, and move almost entirely by step. That makes it one of the best early pieces for reading.

The two lines differ only at the end: the first comes to rest on D, the second on C.

The tricky part is the dotted rhythm at the end of each line: "E. D D". The E is a dotted quarter (one and a half beats), the D a quick eighth, then D held as a half note. Count "1 2-and 3 4": E on 1, D on "and", the last D on 3.

Reading tip. The whole theme is a line that rises and falls. Read the shape (up two steps, down three, up two) rather than each letter.

Practice plan. Wait for me first. Clap the last bar of each line. Then Play along. When it's easy, try the version with bass: the left hand holds C and G under the tune.

Octotune's version keeps to the first two lines. The middle line needs the G below middle C, and comes later in the path.

In the path: Unit 2 for grown-ups (the tune), Unit 5 (with bass), Unit 8 (a lesson with held bass notes down to G2) and Unit 11 (with left-hand chords).

Questions

What are the piano notes for Ode to Joy?

E E F G, G F E D, C C D E, E D D; then E E F G, G F E D, C C D E, D C C. Right thumb on middle C.

Where does Ode to Joy come from?

It is the main theme of the last movement of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (1824).

Credits and licence

The Octotune team · Updated