Fantasia for Piano, Choir and Orchestra, Op. 80

In a mixture of cantata and concert piece, Beethoven set a hymn to art in his Choral Fantasia. The work, about 20 minutes in length, is often seen as a precursor to the Ode to Joy in the Ninth Symphony. After a piano introduction, a dialog between piano and orchestra develops before the soloists and chorus enter. In the main section, titled Finale, the theme from Beethoven's early song Gegenliebe (WoO 118, also used in the Ode to Joy) is presented, varied, and finally used in the March in F major. The main source of the Choral Fantasia for this edition is the first edition of the parts, published in 1811 and corrected by Beethoven; alongside this, an English edition of the parts published by Clementi (1810) has been consulted for comparison. The edition contains an English singing version in a translation by Natalia Macfarren from the 19th century.