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Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, Op. 55
Historical Notes on Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No.
3, Op. 55 The Eroica Symphony was first performed privately
in early August, 1804. Two possible performances followed,
including one at the Lobkowitz Palace on January 23, 1805
(Maynard Solomon). We know from discovered writings of
Lobkowitz, one of Beethoven’s patrons, that the
first public performance was on April 7, 1805 at the Theater-an-der-Wien
in Vienna, Austria. It is clear that the performance was
not as well accepted or understood as the composer would
have liked. “Even Beethoven’s pupil Ferdinand
Ries was misled by the ‘false’ horn entry
halfway through the first movement and was reprimanded
for saying that the player had come in wrongly.”
(Denis Matthew). Harold Schonberg tells us that, “Musical
Vienna was divided on the merits of the Eroica.
Some called it Beethoven’s masterpiece. Others said
that the work merely illustrated a striving for originality
that did not come off.” Nevertheless, it was clear
that Ludwig had consciously planned to compose a work
of unequaled breadth and scope. Three years before he
wrote the Eroica, Beethoven had declared he was discontent
with the quality of his compositions thus far and “Henceforth
[he] shall take a new path.”
Key and Structure of the Eroica Symphony The work was
composed in E flat major and the orchestration called
for two flutes, two oboes, two clarinets, two bassoons,
three horns, two trumpets, timpani, and strings. Hector
Berlioz discussed Beethoven’s use of the horn (measures
166-260 during the third movement) and the oboe (measures
348-372 during the fourth movement) in his Treatise on
Orchestration. The symphony itself is Beethoven’s
third (op. 55) and consists of four movements:
- Allegro con brio
- Marcia funebre. Adagio assai
- Scherzo-Allegro vivace
- Finale-Allegro molto
The Eroica Symphony and Napoleon Bonaparte
Originally the work was to be titled the “Bonaparte Symphony” (New Groves), as a tribute to Napoleon Bonaparte, the French Consul who had begun to radically reform Europe after conducting sweeping military campaigns across the continent. In 1804, Napoleon crowned himself emperor, a move which angered Beethoven. As legend has it, the composer ripped through the title page and later renamed the symphony the Eroica because he refused to dedicate one of his pieces to the man he now considered a “tyrant”. Nevertheless, he still allowed the published manuscript to carry the inscription, “composed to celebrate the memory of a great man,” despite dedicating the work to Lobkowitz. This has led historians and biographers to speculate on Beethoven’s feelings towards Napoleon ever since.
The Eroica Symphony and Pop Culture
The Eroica-Napoleon link is recognized even today. Peter Conrad discussed Alfred Hitchcock’s subconscious use of the symphony in his movie Psycho:
“In Hitchcock's films, the most innocuous object can rear up threateningly. What could possibly be sinister about the record of Beethoven's Eroica, which Vera Miles finds on a gramophone turntable during her investigation of the Bates house? At the age of 13, I had no idea - though I felt an unmistakable chill when the camera peered into the gaping box to read the label of the silent disc. Now I think I know the answer. The symphony summarizes [sic] one abiding undercurrent of Hitchcock's work. It is about Napoleon, a man who - like many of Hitchcock's psychopaths - set himself up as a god, and it includes a funeral march for the toppled idol. It first rejoices in the hero's freedom from moral inhibitions, then recoils in dismay. Truffaut, detecting unease beneath the joviality of The Trouble with Harry, suggested that Hitchcock's films were afflicted by the mood Blaise Pascal analyzed [sic] - "the sadness of a world deprived of God".
The Birth of the Heroic Style
The influence of Bonaparte, the French Revolution, and the German enlightenment on Beethoven were considerable factors in explaining the development of the so-called “Heroic” style that came to dominate his middle period. Traits of the Heroic include driving rhythms (often, the works of the period could be identified as much by rhythm as melody / harmony), drastic dynamic changes, and in some cases, the use of martial instruments. The Heroic contains drama, death, rebirth, strife, and resistance. It can be summed up as “overcoming”. The Eroica is one of the major milestones in the development of this trademark Beethoven style. It is here that we first see the breadth, depth, orchestration, and spirit that mark a breaking away from the pretty, melodically pleasing melodies of earlier periods.
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