53 years of the European Anthem

In January 12, 1972 The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted “Ode to Joy” by Beethoven, fourth movement of the German composer’s 9^th The symphony, as a European anthem. Fourteen years later, in 1986, the European Community (now European Union) adopted the same music for its own European Anthem, and the two organizations have shared it ever since.

In recent decades, the Council of Europe has expanded its range of musical versions from the original orchestral version to Rome, big band, rock, jazz, techno, trance and even hip-hop. Check out the full range of musical versions of the European Anthem here.