Quick facts about Beethoven's Symphony no. 9. Too lazy to compile one of my own, so I just grabbed it from Aula Simfonia's facebook page. Credits to them.
(p.s. bolded parts are the points I'd like to emphasize.)
(p.s.s. for those going to pass this post as 'this unknown uninteresting classical music again!', go google the 4th movement of Symphony no. 9. It's used as European Anthem. You're surely familiar with it.)

1. By the time Beethoven completed Symphony No. 9 in 1824, he had written and performed his masterpiece compositions: 5 Piano Concertos, 1 Violin Concerto, an opera, Overtures, Cello and Piano Sonatas, some 30+ Piano Sonatas, Trios for various instruments, numerous String Quartets and of course 8 symphonies. He died in 1827, Symphony No. 9 was his last symphony.

2. In 1785 a German Poet, Friedrich Schiller wrote a poem An die Freude ~ Ode To Joy which texts Beethoven used for the choral part in Symphony 9th final movement. Schiller wrote the poem as celebration of brotherhood and mankind. Other composers whose works based on Schiller's poems were Brahms, Schubert, Giuseppe Verdi, Rossini and Tchaikovsky.

3. Though the 9th was commissioned by Philarmonic Society of London in 1817 but several concepts and sketches, some dated much earlier had formed the writing of the Ninth. One was as early as 1793 when Beethoven set his mind to compose a music based on Schiller’s An die Freude, and some pieces were from his sketches written in 1811.

4. Beethoven started to lose his hearing in 1795 at age 25. In his 1802 letter to his brothers now known as Heilingenstadt Testament. In that letter he wrote about his thoughts of suicide yet then decide to live through his life so he could continue to contribute his great talent to the music world. In that same year he began to compose Symphony No. 2.

5. In Symphony No. 9 it was the first time a choir sang together with the instruments in a Symphony. The incorporation of vocal voices and instruments in the 4th movement didn’t come easily even for Beethoven. He had finished the first 3 movements before several attempts for the 4th movement which took him almost a year. The choral was sung by 4 vocal soloists and a choir.

6. Symphony No. 9 complete composition was autographed in February 1824 and premiered May 1824 in Vienna. It has been 10 years since the premiere of Symphony No. 8 and Beethoven’s fans have much anticipated it. It was no doubt one of Beethoven’s greatest work among his hundreds and until now is one of the greatest music ever written.

7. One of the most touching story about this great symphony happened at its premiere in Vienna in 1824 along with the three parts of Beethoven Missa Solemnis. The public had much anticipated the Ninth. At the end of the Symphony, Beethoven was still conducting while the orchestra had stopped. His audiences broke out in thunderous applause, Beethoven being completely deaf for many years couldn’t hear a thing. Young soprano soloist Caroline Unger took his hand and turned him around to face his audiences, which acclaimed him with five standing ovations. There were handkerchiefs thrown in the air, hats, raised hands so that Beethoven could see the ovation gestures. Police agents at the concert had to calm the audiences and Beethoven left the concert deeply moved.

8. Influence in technology: at about 70mins the 9th is also the longest of all 9 Beethoven symphonies. When Sony and Philips set the standard for compact disc technology in 1979-1980, one of the considerations to the 74-min CD was that the whole Symphony No. 9 can fit into one CD.

Having been drooling over Aula Simfonia's website for quite some time, finally last Sunday I had the privilege to hear this masterpiece live. At my first experience watching professional orchestra performance ever. No regrets, it was worth my every penny.
Just like the conductor said, the music I heard was a composition which the composer himself had never heard.
And it was a very, very beautiful music indeed. Which many say is the best of his works, probably the best composition ever written. That, composed by a deaf man, surpassed works of the hearings.

People really are amazing, aren't they?