Beethoven, Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica”)

Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (“Eroica“) can be viewed as marking the beginning of the Romantic era in music. Beethoven’s early works tend to conform to the Classical style that you would find in the works of Haydn and Mozart. But with the Third Symphony, Beethoven charted new territory. This symphony is, I think, one of the best places to begin getting to know Beethoven’s music. In fact, we chose to feature this work in the first unit of our course 7 Days to Beethoven. (Anyone can take that course for free on this website or receive it via daily email.)

Beethoven originally intended to dedicate the work to Napoleon Bonaparte. But Beethoven’s admiration of Napoleon ended after Napoleon crowned himself emperor in 1804. Beethoven scratched out Napoleon’s name on the score and wrote “To the Memory of a Great Man.” We study Beethoven and Napoleon together because there are many parallels to be drawn. Both men are indicative of the age of individualism that marks the beginning of the 19th century. After the French Revolution in 1789, the world changed drastically. The old order had been swept away. Napoleon would fill the political vacuum. Much of the institutional patronage of the monarchy and church was also gone, and composers like Beethoven would have to find other patrons and respond to the demands of new audiences.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that this series tends to feature short works. The Eroica is 52 minutes in this recording, obviously quite a bit longer than any of the earlier picks. If you don’t know the work, try to devote enough time to hear it twice. Those who do know the work can always enjoy returning to it. It doesn’t get old.