The ode is a type of work that falls within the lyrical genre.
Ode is a Latin word with Greek origin that refers to a poetic composition of the lyrical genre . The ode can be developed in various tones and forms, and deal with issues of any kind. Generally, it is usually divided into stanzas or equal parts.
The original odes were sung to the accompaniment of a musical instrument such as the lyre . Odes could be monodies (sung by a single voice) or choral (performed by a group of people).
Traditional odes
We have to emphasize the fact that traditional odes are some of the ones that have had the most weight throughout the history of Literature and have their origin in the figure of the poet Pindar, belonging to Ancient Greece and who is considered the creator of that aforementioned ode.
We can establish that they were defined by the fact that they were made up of three clearly differentiated parts: the stanza, the antestrophe and finally the epode. All these sections being composed of the verses and their corresponding rhymes.
If we refer to traditional odes (regular rhyme, referring to feelings and expressed from the point of view of the narrator) we find that they can be divided into three clearly differentiated groups: Pindaric, English and Horatian.
Different types
It is interesting to add, for example, that the so-called Pindaric writings, which were those of Ancient Greece, were written fundamentally with the clear objective of being able to praise certain events and places as well as people. In this way, they were frequently carried out to praise the triumphs of athletes who successfully participated in the various competitions that were held.
In the case of the English odes, we can establish that they, which have a more irregular rhyme scheme, were created by an author with the clear objective of referring to someone who inspired a specific feeling in him. And finally there are the aforementioned Horatians that were written to honor or praise a friend.
Despite its thematic variety, the ode usually expresses admiration for something or someone . An ode, therefore, is a poem created with an intention of homage or exaltation . Several Greek poets dedicated odes to the gods , athletes, warriors and heroes; others, however, preferred to exalt the figure of love and pleasures.
Ludwig van Beethoven was inspired by Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy" for the composition of his Ninth Symphony.
Some famous odes
The Chilean poet Pablo Neruda is one of the best exponents of the Latin American ode. Neruda wrote odes on spiritual themes (such as joy), but also to pay tribute to different colleagues ( Federico García Lorca , Walt Whitman ) and objects, apparently of little relevance (odes to onions and socks, for example).
The German Friedrich Schiller was the author of “Ode to Joy” ( “An die Freude” in its original language). This poem was Ludwig van Beethoven 's inspiration when composing his Ninth Symphony , also known as Ode to Joy .
The Ninth Symphony and Schiller 's poem gave birth to the European Anthem , proposed by the European Union in 1985 . This work, which includes modifications to the original poem, was performed for the first time on May 29, '85 .