Beethoven started to compose the symphony shortly after he wrote the Heiligenstadt Testament, a document in which he reveals deep dismay at his increasing deafness and contemplation of suicide. Part of its significance is that the Eroica was the first piece of the traditional middle or “heroic” period in Beethoven’s biography. While interesting, the story of the symphony’s dedicatee has little to do with its lasting importance to music history. With no definitive answer, perhaps the most compelling argument is that “Beethoven intended its title and subtitle to refer more broadly not to any single individual but to an ideal, mythic figure, whose heroism is represented by the power and weight of this symphony and whose death is commemorated by its Funeral March as second movement.” (Lockwood, Beethoven’s Symphonies, 55.) The subtitle of the published score simply said, “composed to celebrate the remembrance of a great man.” Many have speculated about who this “great man” may have been. The composer tore up the title page in a fit of rage and branded the piece Sinfonia eroica (Heroic symphony) instead. Beethoven initially intended to dedicate the symphony to Napoleon Bonaparte, but famously became disenchanted when Napoleon abandoned the ideals of the French Revolution and became Emperor in 1804, just one year before the symphony’s premiere. While contemporary reception of the piece was mixed, critics and theorists in the years since have considered the Eroica one of the most important pieces in the history of Western music. Perhaps no piece in the symphonic repertoire has received more attention in writing than Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony No. Theme & Variation hybrid (Double-theme, elements of Sonata-Allegro). 1806, Contor delle arti et d’Industrie, Vienna.įirst published score: 1820, Simrock (1822 Simrock edition available at Eastman’s Sibley library rare collection). Orchestra size for first or early performance: 3+3.2.2.2/single winds (private, based on Beethoven letter) 6+6.3(?).2.4/single winds (public, estimate).įirst published parts: Oct. Instrumentation: Strings, 2 Fl, 2 Ob, 2 Cl, 2 Bsn, 3 Hn, 2 Tr, Timp.įirst performances: 9 June 1804, Lobkowitz Palace, Vienna (private) 7 April 1805, Theater-an-der-Wien (public). 55 “Eroica” (1804)ĭedication: Prince Joseph Franz Maximilian Lobkowitz.
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