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By: Natali Jimenez
MILLBROOK, Ala- In 1827, world renowned composer Ludwig van Beethoven passed away after completing his ninth symphony. Some may think this is normal, however, he wasn’t the first to die before completing a tenth; many other famous composers have fallen victim to dying before even attempting a tenth symphony. Why is that? This phenomenon is famously known by many modern musicians as the malicious “curse of the ninth”.
First page detail of a choral score, edited by Arthur Mees, the Orchestra’s first assistant conductor
Frederick Stock Collection, Rosenthal Archives of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association
Why Not 10?
In music, a symphony is a large piece of classical music usually written for a large-scale orchestra that is separated into sections called movements. To a non-musician, a symphony already sounds like a headache, so one can imagine that writing a symphony would be a feat to behold,much less nine. One could argue that this strange series of occurrences is not a curse at all, but it is quite interesting to count how many famous composers, like Beethoven, have fallen into a similar fate.
"It seems as if something might be imparted to us in the tenth which we ought not yet to know”, composer Arnold Schoenburg states, “The ninth is the limit”.
The List of Victims
The roster of famous classical composers befalling this superstition is astounding! The most commonly-known one is Beethoven, but others include: Franz Schubert, Antonín Dvořák, Louis Spohr, Malcolm Arnold and Ralph Vaughan Williams. There were even a few composers who passed away in the midst of writing their ninth symphony. The “curse of the ninth” has been widespread for so long that even some composers grew a fear of attempting to write a ninth symphony.
No Escape
One of the most notable instances of a composer attempting to combat the so-called curse was the case of the nineteenth century composer Gustav Mahler. Many could argue that Mahler was fearful of the curse, even plagued with an obsession. In the 1900s, Mahler was so afraid of composing a ninth symphony that he did just that; he composed a ninth symphony. However, he devised a clever plan. Instead of his work being titled his ninth symphony, he named it “Das Lied von der Erde '' or “The Song of the Earth”. To Mahler’s astonishment, he lived. Then he decided to create a tenth symphony in which he titled his ninth, and he lived through that as well. The odds seemed to work in Mahler’s favor. That was until he started to work on his eleventh symphony, in which he titled it his tenth, and the 50-year-old Mahler unfortunately passed away becoming another of the “curse of the ninth” victims.
The Survivors
On the contrary, very few composers have evaded the clutches of the “curse of the ninth”. One of these was the infamous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who wrote over 50 symphonies before he died in 1791. Another was the notorious Baroque composer Joseph Haydin; he wrote 108. For composers still living, the 79-year-old Leif Segerstram has left the curse in the dust with a whopping 352 symphonies under his belt. The men who have escaped the phenomenon are very few, but it is a feat nonetheless.
The Bottom Line
The “curse of the ninth” is a widespread superstition, and whether one believes it or not, they can't ignore the long list of victims that have all passed away in the same circumstance. However, instead of growing in fear of such a haunting occurrence, we must appreciate these musicians and artists for what they accomplished in their lifetime. Here at the bottom of the article are a few videos of some of the victims' last symphonies before they were taken by the malevolent “curse of the ninth”.
The Videos
Here are some curse victims' ninth symphonic works in case you are intrigued or want to learn more from the article:
Beethoven’s Symphony No.9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3217H8JppI
Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVCuUNhV8k4
Dvorak’s New World Symphony (Ninth Symphony)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_tPb4JFgmw
References:
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