Tuesday, March 13, 2012

How Beethoven Won World War II

Well, slight exaggeration.   But, as is well known, the first four notes of the Fifth Symphony were a key part of the "V for Victory" campaign (led by Churchill) in occupied Europe, and in England, as a sign of resistance.  British radio broadcasts often opened with the first notes of the Fifth Symphony because their rhythm in Morse code is the letter "V" for victory.  Also the RAF used the signal of the first four notes--three short, one long--to communicate in a special Morse code. It is said that many in Europe relished idea of the great German composer being used against the Nazis  And V, of course, is Roman numeral for...five.  All in all, a very special kind of V for vendetta.

No comments:

Post a Comment