Wes Crone: >... Many people have commented that Brahms' 1st symphony sounds like it >should be Beethoven's 10th and have also claimed that the anthem from the >finale in the Brahms sounds strikingly similar to the famous "Ode to Joy" >from The Beethoven 9th. to me I say hogwash. Sure they have similarities. It is that third bar of the main subject (ta ta-ta ta ta) in the finale which he borrowed from Beethoven. Brahms uses that bar to get things going. >... Brahms said it best when, upon hearing comment of the similarity >between his 1st symphony finale and the Beethoven's 9th finale, Brahms >quipped "Well, any donkey can see that!" A classic line from a classic >character. He's saying listen to the work. Don't sit there with your >mind on extra-musical matters! It is not extra-musical matters! It's a musical quote. Extra-musical matters are beyond the music. This is purely about music. I like this finale but if Beethoven's 9th never would have been written, I would have enjoyed it more.... Mikael [log in to unmask]