Ode to Joy (Himno a la alegría)

Music piece by:
original by Friedrich von Schiller (lyrics) and Ludwig van Beethoven (music). Free version in Spanish by Amado Regueiro Rodríguez, aka Orbe (lyrics) y Waldo de los Ríos (music), popularised in Chile by Miguel Ríos.
Testimony by:
Irma Alvarado
Experience in:
Cárcel de Río Negro, December 1974

Together with two comrades, I arrived at Río Negro Prison from Chin Chin Prison in Puerto Montt. As punishment, we were sent to a storehouse where the grass was kept for the animals. We shared a small space with mice and giant spiders crawling over our beds. The dungeon had only one small window.

On New Year’s Eve 1974, we heard the voices of comrades through the walls. They told us that they were prisoners of the dictatorship, that they were kept there in isolation, out of public view. We never saw them or knew their names, but I later learned they were high-level political leaders.

From a distance and shouting, we greeted each other, wished each other better days and spontaneously began to sing the Ode to Joy. It was magical. Tears flowed.

Through that song, our lives and stories united forever. This experience has been a moving memory throughout my life.

The idea of communicating with us likely came from a gendarme. In that prison, some gendarmes protected us and helped make our lives less miserable.


Tags:

Published on: 22 April 2025

Listen, brother
to the song of joy
the joyful song that awaits
a new day.

Come, sing, dream, singing
live singing the new sun
under which men
will once again be brothers.

If in your path only sadness exists
and the bitter cry
of total solitude
come, sing, dream, singing
live dreaming the new sun
under which men
will once again be brothers.

If you don’t find joy
in this land
search for it, brother
beyond the stars.

Come, sing, dream, singing
live dreaming the new sun
under which men
Once again will be brothers.




Related testimonies:

  • Ode to Joy (Himno a la alegría)  Luis Madariaga, Cárcel de Valparaíso, 1974 - 1976

    In prison, we would sing the 'Ode to Joy' when a comrade was released or sent to exile.

  • Ode to Joy (Himno a la alegría)  Amelia Negrón, Campamento de Prisioneros, Tres Álamos, 31 December 1975

    Preparations for that Wednesday night became more intense. It would be a different night. We women prisoners had secretly organised ourselves, but more importantly, we had also coordinated with the male prisoners.

  • Ode to Joy (Himno a la alegría)  Renato Alvarado Vidal, Campamento de Prisioneros Cuatro Álamos, 1975

    Once upon a time, there was a good little wolf. … No. That’s another story.

  • Fifth Symphony  anónimo, Cárcel de Valdivia / Cárcel de Isla Teja, September 1973

    I like all classical music, particularly Beethoven and Mozart. I listen to it all day on Radio Esperanza, on the bus I drive. The passengers like it.

Testimonies from the Cantos Cautivos platform can be cited and shared as long as they are attributed (including the author, our project’s name and URL), for non-commercial purposes and without modifications, as per the Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons licence (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). Authorisation is required for 1) any reuse different from citations and sharing via the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license of the platform data and its associated metadata, and 2) any use in events, concerts, plays, films, etc., of musical works written or recorded by project participants. To that end, we request that you send a proposal at least one month in advance to contact@cantoscautivos.org. For uses of musical works written or recorded by people outside the project, please contact copyright holders.