Thus Fate Knocks at the Door!
July 22nd, 2008 by Jon Miles
During World War II, the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) used the opening notes to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony as its call sign in occupied Europe. The rhythm is Morse Code for the letter V (three dots & a dash), which represented Victory during the war.
The choice of music by the BBC was ironic given that Beethoven was German and many believed he wrote these notes to represent the phrase “Thus Fate knocks at the door.” The Germans tried to adopt the V for Victory campaign for themselves with V representing “the old German war cry, Viktoria.”
Hear Beethoven’s 5th Symphony in person this week at the Deer Valley® Music Festival.
Posted in Deer Valley Music Festival, Program Notes, Utah Symphony
