On this planet of classical music, few legends are as enduring—or as eerie—because the so-called “Curse of the Ninth Symphony”. The concept that composers are by some means doomed after finishing their ninth symphony has haunted musicians and fascinated listeners for generations. However the place does this superstition come from? And why did so lots of the nice composers appear to cease at 9?
The Origins of the Curse
The notion of the curse traces again primarily to the towering determine of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven, whose affect on Western music is immeasurable, accomplished 9 symphonies earlier than his demise in 1827. His Ninth Symphony—usually hailed as one of many biggest items of music ever written, with its rapturous choral finale setting Friedrich Schiller’s “Ode to Pleasure”—was a monumental achievement. But, Beethoven by no means lived to try a tenth.
Beethoven’s demise after his ninth symphony planted a seed of superstition that grew stronger over the next many years. When subsequent composers additionally appeared unable to surpass the quantity 9, a sample was perceived, whether or not by coincidence or one thing extra mysterious.
Mahler and the Formalisation of the Curse
Essentially the most well-known proponent—or maybe, sufferer—of the curse was Gustav Mahler. Deeply conscious of Beethoven’s legacy, Mahler was intensely superstitious. He believed that making an attempt to put in writing a “tenth” symphony may tempt destiny. To outwit the supposed curse, Mahler composed a piece titled Das Lied von der Erde (The Track of the Earth), a symphonic tune cycle that, whereas successfully a symphony in all however title, allowed him to keep away from numbering it as his ninth.
Following this, he proceeded to compose his precise Ninth Symphony. Tragically, Mahler died whereas engaged on his Tenth. Although he left sketches and drafts, the symphony remained unfinished at his demise in 1911. To many, this appeared like a grim affirmation of the curse’s actuality.
Mahler’s demise on the threshold of his tenth symphony gave weight to the superstition, and later generations of composers would stay uneasily conscious of it.
Different Composers and the Quantity 9
A number of different important composers additionally appeared unable to go the nine-symphony mark:
- Franz Schubert: Died younger, at solely 31, after finishing what’s now referred to as his “Nice” Ninth Symphony. He had begun work on extra symphonies, however they have been left incomplete at his demise.
- Anton Bruckner: A fervent admirer of Beethoven, Bruckner struggled together with his Ninth Symphony till his demise in 1896. The work was unfinished, although his three accomplished actions are sometimes carried out at the moment.
- Antonín Dvořák: Composed 9 symphonies, together with his final—famously subtitled From the New World—turning into one of the vital beloved symphonic works. He lived for a number of extra years after its completion however by no means produced a tenth.
- Ralph Vaughan Williams: Although he accomplished his Ninth Symphony shortly earlier than his demise in 1958, he had not begun a tenth, once more seeming to affirm the sample.
In every case, the composers both died shortly after finishing their ninth symphony or failed to finish a tenth, reinforcing the mystique across the quantity 9.
The Energy of Fable
In fact, not all composers succumbed to the “curse”. Dmitri Shostakovich wrote 15 symphonies, as did his Soviet up to date Nikolai Myaskovsky. Malcolm Arnold composed 9 and lived for a few years thereafter, although he didn’t enterprise right into a tenth. Equally, different composers like Joseph Haydn and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, whereas prolific, weren’t confined by symphonic numbering in fairly the identical means, given the evolving type of the symphony throughout their lifetimes.
But the persistence of the curse in musical folklore is telling. Classical music, with its reverence for custom and mythology, naturally lends itself to such tales. The quantity 9, seen in different cultural contexts as symbolic of completion or finality, takes on an virtually mystical weight when paired with music’s most formidable kind—the symphony.
Symphonies and Mortality
There’s additionally a extra pragmatic rationalization for the phenomenon. Writing a symphony—notably after Beethoven—turned an virtually impossibly daunting job. After Beethoven revolutionised the shape, a composer who dared to put in writing a symphony entered right into a dialogue with all that had come earlier than. Every symphony was anticipated to be an announcement, a monumental work of creative function.
For composers like Mahler or Bruckner, every symphony was not merely a musical endeavour however a profound philosophical and religious enterprise. As such, by the point a composer had accomplished 9 symphonies, they have been usually superior in age, their well being weakened by the emotional and mental toll of their life’s work. Loss of life following the ninth may thus be seen as inevitable, somewhat than mystical.
Furthermore, the hassle to outdo the earlier works—to make every symphony extra expansive, extra emotionally encompassing—meant that symphonies grew longer and extra advanced over time. The calls for of the shape grew heavier, making it more durable for composers to supply a number of late works.
The Fashionable Perspective
As we speak, the “Curse of the Ninth” is extra of an amusing piece of musical folklore than a real concern for composers. Within the twentieth and twenty first centuries, many composers have both shrugged off the superstition or moved past the normal symphonic format altogether.
Philip Glass, for example, has written twelve symphonies (as of 2024) with out incident. Equally, the American composer David Maslanka accomplished ten symphonies earlier than his demise, seemingly unaffected by the curse.
Nonetheless, the legend continues to fascinate as a result of it touches on bigger themes: the connection between artwork and mortality, the concept of inventive exhaustion, and the notion of finality in a composer’s output. There’s something poetic—one thing tragically becoming—about the concept the symphony, that grandest of musical statements, would possibly function an artist’s last phrase.
Conclusion
In fact, the Curse of the Ninth is much less an actual phenomenon than a romantic phantasm. It displays the pure course of human life and creative endeavour somewhat than any supernatural destiny. But the story endures as a result of it speaks to our love of myth-making, our tendency to hunt patterns in chaos, and our awe earlier than the nice figures of music historical past. After we hear Beethoven’s Ninth, or Mahler’s, or Bruckner’s unfinished work, we’re listening not solely to masterpieces but in addition to human beings grappling with their very own mortality.
