The ``Eroica'' symphony
(Symphony No. 3 in E flat, Op. 55)
This symphony is one of Beethoven's most famous works, originally intended by him to be dedicated to Napoleon Bonaparte. Beethoven had admired the ideals of the French Revolution embodied in Napoleon, but when he crowned himself Emperor of France in 1804, Beethoven was apparently so disgusted that he erased Napoleon's name from the title page with such force that he broke his pen.
The music itself is very affecting. In particular, the second movement is very powerful. The funeral march conjures up images for me of a grey, stormy sky, with black, silhouetted figures carrying a coffin across the line of the horizon.
The symphony has four movements:
Allegro con brio
Marcia funebre. Adagio assai
Scherzo-Allegro vivace
Finale-Allegro molto
It was first performed on 7 April, 1805 in Vienna.
