On May 7, 1824, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony premiered in Vienna, Austria. On its 200th anniversary, much was made ...

IDEAS Beethoven’s Ninth as its composer intended The symphony was never meant to be a slow-paced dirge. Benjamin Zander, of the Boston Philharmonic, has spent half his life trying to prove it.

A new Brigham Young University study shows that 5-month-old babies can distinguish an upbeat tune, such as “Ode to Joy” from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, from a lineup of gloomier compositions. By age ...