Kvod HaRav, there's a certain piece of classical music that contains lyrics in the last movement (the piece is Beethoven's 9th Symphony) and after thinking about the lyrics there's still doubt as to whether it's allowed to listen to this or not. The translation (original are German) of some of the lyrics are as follows: "Joy, beautiful sparkle of G-d, Daughter of Elysium (from what I understand, this is some kind of Greek afterlife) We enter, fire-drunk, Heavenly, your holy sanctuary. Your magics bind again What custom strictly departed." The translation of the entire lyrics are in this page if you want to check them out (en.wikisource.org/wiki/Translation:Ode_to_Joy) but it just basically continues to praise joy, the name of the lyrical part is Ode to Joy after all. Is it allowed to listen to this? And if it's not, is it allowed to listen to the other like 30 something minutes of the rest of the symphony that doesn't include this lyrical part? Thanks in advance and congratulations on finding a place for your amazing shiurim.

Asked on December 8, 2020