'All Men Will Become Brothers' ('Alle Menschen werden Bruder'): Ludwig van Beethoven's Ninth Symphony and Olympic Games ideology

First performed in an Olympic context as part of the opening ceremonies of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, the Finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has become a popular mainstay of modern Olympic protocol. Part of a ritualized entertainment spectacle that enhances the appeal and popularity of the Games, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony elevates the prestige of the Games and helps to sustain the Olympic Movement's political and commercial dominance within the panoply of institutionalized sport. The purpose of this paper is to argue that the normalization of the Finale of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games not only transmits and reinforces the traditional Olympic ideology, but also reaffirms the ascendant hegemony of the Olympic Movement within the world of elite international sport. This study is a critical reading of the Olympic musical ceremonial as a site of ideological production, especially as it pertains to Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.