“I am not satisfied with the work I have done so far. From now on I intend to take a new way,” Beethoven wrote to a friend in 1802. And that’s exactly what he did with Symphony No. 3, composed between 1803 and 1804.
In the summer of 1801, following his doctor’s advice, Beethoven moved to the quiet town of Heiligenstadt to escape the hustle and bustle of Vienna. Dr. Schmidt prescribed a regimen of silence and solitude, hoping it would remedy Beethoven’s hearing problems. Instead, Heiligenstadt became the backdrop for a profound existential crisis that ultimately inspired Symphony No. 3.
Beethoven’s third symphony not only marked a turning point in his work, but in music history. While his first and second symphonies continued the styles established by Haydn and Mozart, “Eroica” broke the mould of the Classical symphony with its grand structure, extended length and dramatic flair.
Like many of his idealistic contemporaries, Beethoven considered Napoleon Bonaparte to be a contemporary hero, embodying the republican values of the French Revolution. Beyond his political and military success, Napoleon symbolized the triumph of the individual—an ordinary person who achieved greatness through intelligence and determination. Beethoven couldn’t help but identify with Napoleon, so he decided to title the work “Bonaparte” in 1803.
When he learned that Napoleon crowned himself Emperor in 1804, the composer broke into a legendary fit of rage: “So he is no more than a common mortal! Now, too, he will tread under foot all the rights of Man, indulge only his ambition; now he will think himself superior to all men, become a tyrant!” In a frenzy, Beethoven scribbled out the dedication with such intensity that he tore through the title page. The symphony went on to bear the title, “Heroic Symphony, composed to celebrate the memory of a great man.”
