The Curse of the Ninth: Classical Music’s Horror Story
“The curse of the ninth” is an eerie superstition that has haunted composers for over a century. It warns that the grim reaper might just come knocking once a composer pens their ninth symphony. So, in the spirit of Halloween, let’s dive into the mystery behind this sinister tale.
What Is the Curse?
The Curse of the Ninth is a superstition that originated in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It suggests that composers would die after completing their ninth symphony. The belief gained traction courtesy of our superstitious friend Gustav Mahler (we’ll come back to that) after some high-profile deaths lined up suspiciously with the completion of their ninth symphonies.
But don’t start worrying about your ninth magnum opus just yet. Like many superstitions, this one is more drama than reality. Still, it’s a fun piece of musical lore that makes classical music feel more like an Edgar Allan Poe story.
The “Victims"
Ludwig van Beethoven: The man who started the whole legend. Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9, Choral, was a revolutionary piece, breaking new ground with its choral finale. After its premiere, he began working on his Tenth Symphony but passed away in 1827 before finishing it. His death came just a few years after the Ninth. Coincidence? The Curse says no.
Franz Schubert: Schubert’s life was tragically cut short at 31 when he was hard at work on his grand Ninth Symphony, creating something larger and more ambitious than anything he’d done before. Sadly, Schubert didn’t live long enough to see its full success, passing from what was likely typhoid fever just a year after finishing it, and his untimely death only added fuel to the superstition’s fire.
Anton Bruckner: Poor Bruckner. Bruckner was famously obsessed with revising his works, especially his symphonies, and was deeply immersed in his Ninth Symphony when he passed away in 1896. His intense perfectionism may have contributed to the delay, as he often returned to earlier works for revisions. Despite his obsession, he couldn’t finish the symphony’s final movement before his death. The Curse strikes again.
Ralph Vaughan Williams: In 1958, Vaughan Williams debuted his Ninth Symphony at 86. However, he died very suddenly three weeks following the premiere. According to a family friend, Vaughan Williams seemed completely normal the day before, and the next morning took ill and died shortly after. Spooky, right?
Gustav Mahler: Mahler was so freaked out by the Curse that he tried to outsmart it. After finishing his Eighth Symphony, he composed Das Lied von der Erde, a piece that’s symphony-adjacent but avoided the ominous number nine. He then went on to write his Ninth Symphony, but as he began to work on his Tenth, true to the Curse, pneumonia claimed him in 1911. Not even his clever loophole could save him.
Trying to Beat the Curse
While Mahler’s attempt to sidestep the Curse by renaming his works didn’t pan out, his fear of the ninth symphony became famous. Arnold Schoenberg, a contemporary of Mahler, even wrote “the Ninth is the limit,” suggesting it represented the threshold between life and death. But was this true? Or were these composers just living out their natural lifespans?
The Myth Busted
In reality, many composers easily shrugged off this supposed curse, given that you could really only apply this curse to a particular group of composers in the 19th and 20th centuries. Joseph Haydn wrote a whopping 104 symphonies (what an overachiever) and didn’t seem particularly cursed by any of them. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart stopped at 41 (still more than nine!). Dmitri Shostakovich breezed through 15 symphonies without issue…well, maybe not quite issue-free if you know about Shostakovich’s life, but that’s a story for another time.
Let’s circle back to our friend Mahler. He was only aware of Beethoven and Bruckner biting the dust post-ninth symphony during his lifetime. Schubert’s Ninth Symphony? Back then, it was known as his Seventh. It wasn’t until Schubert’s death that the ninth curse finally caught up to him, when extra symphonies were discovered, pushing his Seventh into the infamous ninth spot. Dvořák went through a similar name game—his New World Symphony, now revered as his Ninth, was actually labeled his Fifth while still alive! The Curse of the Ninth might make for a fun campfire tale, but it’s hardly a hard-and-fast rule.
Ready to break the curse? Join us on November 14 at 7:30 for Beethoven’s iconic Symphony No. 9!
