Countdown to Christmas
25 - Love and Friendship
- Love and friendship are a high expression of humanity, human feelings and mutual recognition.
- With love and friendship, people can overcome many boundaries, they can support and enrich each other.
- Since ancient times, love and friendship have been regarded both as an expression of and a prerequisite for good coexistence in a human community.
The 9th is one of the most frequently played pieces of classical music. Love and friendship are glorified not only in the final chorus, which is based on a text by Friedrich Schiller, but especially there. Beethoven, who was seriously ill himself and could practically no longer hear, and was suspecting that this would be his last symphony, was able to express his tremendous confidence in the power of these feelings in a wonderful way. As a recommendation, I would like to end by quoting a short passage from Schiller's "Ode to Joy":
"Whoever has been lucky enough
to become a friend to a friend,
Whoever has found a beloved wife,
let him join our songs of praise!
Yes, and anyone who can call one soul
his own on this earth"
