# Looking for special Ninth



## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

This web page (http://www.lvbeethoven.com/Cedes/TheCds_SymphonyNinth.html) says that Beethoven used a four voice choir in the finale of his 9th symphony. I have many performances of the 9th, but they all sound like the choir is much larger than four voices. Here are the ones I have now. Can anyone tell me if there is one that uses only a 4 voice choir, or something close to that? Thanks.

1. Stokowski 1934 
2. Weingartner 1935
3. Klemperer 1956
4. Munch 1958 
5. Walter 1959
6. Monteau 1962
7. Masur 1974
8. Karajan 1977
9. Maazel 1978
10. Blomstedt 1980
11. Soltii 1984
12. Blomstedt 1985
13. Duvier 1990
14. Harnoncourt 1991
15. Gardiner 1992
16. Zinman 1994 (with two endings, one with pause bar later revised out by Beethoven)
17. Leppard 1994 (4th Movement Only)
18. Abbado 1996 (4th Movement Only)
19. Drahos 1996
20. Torre 2006

Also Karajan but only vinyl so can't play it.


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

I'm not entirely sure, but I think "four voice choir" means a choir made up of any amount of Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass (or four other registers), meaning that there's no limit to the actual number of people, the "four" just references the voice types.

Maybe that's what you meant though - do you mean it sounds to you like they've thrown in more than four voice types?


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## Polednice (Sep 13, 2009)

P.S. As evidence in that article you linked to, they said this:

* a quartet of solo voices (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) in the finale;
* a four voice choir in the finale.

So you have your four soloists, plus any amount of people in the choir who are within the four voice-ranges, probably Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Ah, I see. No, I was not sure what they meant. Still, I think the smaller the choir the better it could be, and surely some of mine are with smaller choirs, it's just that typically they don't list the choir. Thanks.


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## Klavierspieler (Jul 16, 2011)

Polednice said:


> So you have your four soloists, plus any amount of people in the choir who are within the four voice-ranges, probably Soprano, Alto, Tenor and Bass.


This is true.


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