Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven)

Beethoven in 1804

The Symphony No. 3 in E flat major ("Eroica"), Op. 55 is a work for orchestra. It was written in 1803 by Ludwig van Beethoven. It was completed in 1804, and premiered on 7 April 1805 at the Theater an der Wien. Beethoven did not want the symphony to be about Napoleon, but he did want to dedicate it to him. When Beethoven learned Napoleon had declared himself Emperor, he tore the dedication page in pieces. The symphony was published in 1806 with the subtitle "Eroica" (Heroic). The symphony has four movements (parts).

This symphony marked the start of the Romantic era.

I. Allegro con brio

The first movement has a tempo of Allegro, which is moderately fast. It is in Unable to parse music symbol time time, and it uses sonata form. It starts with two loud E-flat major chords. Then, the first main melody of the movement is played by the cellos. After a few minutes, the second main melody is played in B-flat major. The development section is significantly longer than expected in a symphony in the Classical era. There is even a new theme introduced. In the recapitulation, the first theme returns. The second melody is played again except in E-flat major.

II. Marcia funebre. Allegro assai

The second movement is a funeral march in the relative key of C minor. It has a middle section in C major before returning to C minor for the recapitulation of the A section.

III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace - Trio

The third movement is a scherzo, with the key returning to E-flat major. The trio section features three horns. The scherzo section returns in truncated form to finish the movement.

IV. Finale. Allegro molto - Poco Andante - Presto

The last movement is in a theme and variations form. There is a reprise of the theme in andante. The tempo suddenly goes to presto for the coda; and the piece ends on three loud E-flat major chords.

Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven) Media

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  Beethoven most likely composed the Eroica in reverse order.

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  Beethoven originally dedicated the symphony to Napoleon Bonaparte (pictured: Bonaparte, First Consul, by Ingres), only to renege after the latter declared himself Emperor of the French.

References

• Woodstra, Chris, et. al. 2005. All Music Guide to Classical Music. All Media Guide, LLC. p. 102. ISBN 0-87930-865-6.