Symphony No. 3 (Beethoven)

Symphony No. 3
Sinfonia Eroica
by Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethoven's title page which shows his erasure of dedication of the work to Napoleon
Opus55
Composed1802 (1802)–1804
DedicationNapoleon Bonaparte, later retracted upon Napoleon's crowning himself Emperor
Performed7 April 1805 (1805-04-07): Vienna
MovementsFour

The Symphony No. 3 in E major, Op. 55, (also Italian Sinfonia Eroica, Heroic Symphony; German: Eroica, pronounced [eˈʁoːikaː] ) is a symphony in four movements by Ludwig van Beethoven.

One of Beethoven's most celebrated works, the Eroica symphony is a large-scale composition that marked the beginning of the composer's innovative "middle period".[1][2]

Composed mainly in 1803–1804, the work broke boundaries in symphonic form, length, harmony, emotional and cultural content. It is widely considered a landmark in the transition between the Classical and the Romantic era. It is also often considered to be the first Romantic symphony.[3][4] Beethoven first conducted a private performance on 9 June 1804, and later the first public performance on 7 April 1805.

  1. ^ The Symphony, ed. Ralph Hill, Pelican Books (1949), p. 99.
  2. ^ Symphony No. 6 in F Major, Op. 68 Pastorale (Schott), ed. Max Unger, p. vi.
  3. ^ Robin Attfield: Environmental Thought – A Short History Wiley, 2021, ISBN 978-1-509-53667-2
  4. ^ James Hamilton-Paterson: Beethoven's Eroica: The First Great Romantic Symphony. Basic Books; Illustrated Edition, 5 December 2017, ISBN 978-1541697362