Choral symphony Choral symphony A choral symphony is a musical composition for orchestra, choir, and sometimes solo vocalists that, in its internal workings and overall musical architecture, adheres broadly to symphonic musical form. The term "choral symphony" in this context was coined by Hector Berlioz when he described his "Roméo et Juliette" as such in his five-paragraph introduction to that work. The direct antecedent for the choral symphony is Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. Beethoven's Ninth incorporates part of the "Ode an die Freude" ("Ode to Joy"), a poem by Friedrich Schiller, with text sung by soloists and chorus in the last
Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven) ends with a coda, which takes image on all previous sections and variations of the movement. At the end of the coda, there is a surprise, which is when the dynamic changes from "pp" to "ff" all of a sudden as the tempo abruptly changes to presto. A flurry of sforzandos appear, and the finale ends with three large E-flat major chords on the tutti, marked "fff". Beethoven began composing the third symphony soon after Symphony No. 2 in D major, Opus 36 and completed the composition in early 1804. The first public performance of Symphony No. 3 was on