# Ludwig van Beethoven — Symphony No. 9 in D minor

Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor (1824) is No. 1 in our Romantic ranking. The full verdict, and where to hear it.

- **Released:** 1824
- **On one list:** Romantic
- **Updated:** 2026-08-30
- **Artist:** [Ludwig van Beethoven](https://waxonia.com/artist/ludwig-van-beethoven/)
- **Canonical page:** https://waxonia.com/track/ludwig-van-beethoven--symphony-no-9-in-d-minor/

## What we say

### No. 1 in [Romantic](https://waxonia.com/genre/romantic/)

A choir in a symphony, which was not done, singing Schiller in praise of universal brotherhood. Beethoven was too deaf to hear the applause and had to be turned around to see it.

## Analysis

10 sections, the first drop of 5 at 2:45, 44% of the way in.

- **Tempo:** 143.6 BPM — holds throughout
- **Dynamic range:** 18.8 dB — wide open — the quiet parts are genuinely quiet
- **Length:** 6:14

- `0:00` A · **intro** (bar -52), instrumental — opens the record below its own average energy — playing: other
- `2:31` A · **breakdown** (bar 38), instrumental — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning — playing: other
- `2:43` B · **peak** (bar 45), instrumental — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: drums, other
- `2:54` C · **breakdown** (bar 52), instrumental — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning
- `3:27` C · **steady** (bar 71), sung — holding a level — the groove, neither rising nor falling — playing: vocals, other
- `3:46` A · **peak** (bar 83), sung — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: vocals, other
- `4:33` C · **breakdown** (bar 111), instrumental — energy falling away mid-record, percussion thinning
- `4:43` C · **peak** (bar 117), sung — sits at the top of this record's range — playing: vocals, other
- `5:38` C · **lift** (bar 150), sung — a short rise that does not resolve — a fill or a transition, not a build — playing: vocals, other
- `5:56` D · **outro** (bar 161), instrumental — the closing fall — playing: drums, other

**Drops** at 2:45 (bar 46), 3:26 (bar 71), 4:42 (bar 116), 5:16 (bar 137), 5:55 (bar 160). A drop is a moment, not a stretch.

**What is playing.** Separated into parts by a source-separation model, so each lane is the instrument it names.

- **drums:** the drum kit, separated from the mix
- **bass:** the bass part, separated from the mix
- **vocals:** the voice, separated from the mix
- **other:** everything else — synths, guitars, keys, strings

Measured from the YouTube master on 2026-08-29. Section labels describe how the energy
moves, not musical form. Anything we were not confident enough to state is omitted
rather than hedged.

## Listen

[Search Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/search/Ludwig%20van%20Beethoven%20Symphony%20No.%209%20in%20D%20minor) · [YouTube Music](https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=iOAzVcFJVTE)

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