The phrase " Himmelhoch jauchzend , zu ( m ) Tode betrübt " ( heavenly joy , deadly sorrow ) from Klärchen 's song in the third act has become a proverb often quoted by European intellectuals as characteristic of the Romantic soul : Freudvoll und leidvoll , gedankenvoll sein ; Langen und bangen in schwebender Pein ; Himmelhoch jauchzend , zum Tode betrübt ; Glücklich allein ist die Seele , die liebt . In joy and in sorrow , be thoughtful ; Long and fearful in suspended pain ; Rejoicing to heaven , grieving to death ; Blessed alone is the soul that loves . When in 1809 the Burgtheater asked Ludwig van Beethoven , a great admirer of Goethe , to compose incidental music for a revival of the play , he accepted with enthusiasm . It recalled themes close to his own political preoccupations , already expressed in his opera '' Leonore '' ( renamed '' Fidelio '' in the definitive 1814 version ) and in his '' Coriolan Overture '' ( in 1807 ) . Besides the Overture , he wrote nine pieces of incidental music , of great quality but a little disconnected , culminating with the beautiful Klärchen 's Death . Though the other pieces in the incidental music are seldom played , Beethoven 's overture to '' Egmont '' is a staple of the concert repertoire . It has been used in various modern-day cultural output , a famous United Nations film being one of them . The overture was played at the memorial service commemorating the kidnapping and murders of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics
kidnapping and murders of 11 Israeli athletes
Munich massacre
Egmont (play)