Beethoven #3 Symphony

3 Pages 656 Words

Ludwig Van Beethoven Symphony #3 in E flat Major Eroica# 55



“It is fitting that this piece had such a powerful impact on the public, for it was inspired by one of the most powerful of men of the day. Beethoven had been a great admirer of Napoleon Bonaparte, whose vanquishing of royalty the composer viewed as heroic. Furthermore, with a concert tour to Paris in the works, the composer may have been considering how to smooth his reception with notoriously capricious Parisian audiences. Whatever the initial inspiration, in 1803 Beethoven complied with a suggestion from the French ambassador to Vienna that he begin a symphony honoring the "First Consul.” He described the piece as his "Bonaparte Symphony," and might have published it under that title, had not events taken a different turn. “ 1


“In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself Emperor of France, and Beethoven, in a tremendous fury, ripped the title page from the score. According to his friend and student Ferdinand Ries, he stormed that now even his hero had become a tyrant, and that he would not dedicate a symphony to such a person. The symphony's new sub-title, "Eroica," implied more of a general heroism than specific deeds, and its inscription, "composed to celebrate the memory of a great man," seems to refer to the earlier Napoleon, the idealistic young hero who now lived only in memory. When the work was published in 1806, it was dedicated not to Bonaparte, but to Prince Franz Joseph von Lobkowitz, one of Beethoven's most loyal patrons” 1

This turn of events relating to the commission of this symphony just shows how dedicated Beethoven was to his music. He did not want any part in his association with Bonaparte after hearing his election to Emperor of France.


“This must be my favorite symphony. I have over a dozen recordings, more than any other piece of music I own. The first two movements are the most intense, inspirational gauntlets I know. The only ...