This Ode to Joy is the choral finale of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, composed in 1823, using a poem written in 1785 by Friedrich von Schiller. During the Olympic Games of 1956, 1960 and 1964, Ode to Joy was played as the national anthem for the German Unity Team, and in 1972 it was chosen as the anthem for the Council of Europe. In 1985, it was chosen by the Heads of State, and the Government of the European Union as the official anthem of the European Union.