Poetry , the human vioce and music.

[Megan]

Peter, I think you may have touched on this before some time ago, but I can't recall the outcome.
Was Beethoven the first to include the human voice in the purely musical setting of a symphony. Or did composers before Beethoven do this?
Thanks.

[Peter]

Beethoven's is the first such attempt in a symphony proper, however Peter von Winter's Schlacht-Sinfonie also uses a concluding chorus. Written in 1814, it predates Beethoven's Ninth by a decade but as an occasional work written in one movement, the Schlacht-Sinfonie is not a true symphony in the classical tradition.

[Megan]

Beethoven's is the first such attempt in a symphony proper, however Peter von Winter's Schlacht-Sinfonie also uses a concluding chorus. Written in 1814, it predates Beethoven's Ninth by a decade but as an occasional work written in one movement, the Schlacht-Sinfonie is not a true symphony in the classical tradition.

Thanks indeed Peter, that's very interesting. I'll see if I can find this Battle Sinfonie on youtube.

[Megan]

This is the only video I can find at present of Peter von Winter.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwnaGvSfeq8&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL[/YOUTUBE]