a symphony is a piece of music for orchestra. beethoven wrote nine symphonies. this one, the last one he wrote, is very unusual because the last movement also has singing in it: there are four soloists (soprano, alto, tenor and bass) and a choir. this is why it is known as the “choral” symphony (“choral” means: “for choir”). it is a very long work, lasting more than an hour. this, too, was unusual.