Symphony No. 9 in D minor, Op. 125

Hello. I am a sound you can feel all around you. I am not something you can see or touch, but I can make you feel happy. I start as a quiet, soft sound, like a little whisper. Then I grow bigger and bigger. Boom. Boom. Boom. I grow into a big sound that makes you want to dance and clap your hands. I am a story told by violins that sing high and drums that march low. My name is Symphony No. 9. I am a special song made for the whole world to hear.

A kind man made me. His name was Ludwig van Beethoven, and he lived a long, long time ago. He thought of all my beautiful sounds between the years of 1822 and 1824. When he was making me, his ears could not hear sounds from the outside world very well. But that was okay. He heard all of my music perfectly inside his heart. He knew every note. He also added a happy surprise. He invited singers to join the music. Lots of happy voices sing together with me. It sounds like a big, joyful hug made of music.

I was played for the very first time on May 7th, 1824. It was in a big, beautiful room in a city called Vienna, in Austria. When people heard me, their faces lit up with big smiles. They clapped and cheered because I made them feel so happy. The part with the singing voices is called the 'Ode to Joy.' It is a song about everyone in the world holding hands and being friends. Even today, I travel all over the world. I am a sound of happiness, reminding everyone that joy is for us all to share.