Symphony No. 1

Unlike Mozart and Schubert, who composed their first symphonies at the ages of 9 and 16 respectively, Beethoven waited until his thirties to tackle the genre. But he was far from a novice composer when he wrote his first symphony in 1799. His repertoire already included a number of works, mainly for piano and chamber music.  

For his initiation to symphonic music, Beethoven was careful and positioned himself as the heir to Haydn and Mozart. It’s important to remember that the two composers elevated the Viennese Classical symphony to an extraordinary level with a staggering number of works: 104 symphonies by Haydn, 41 by Mozart.  

While he used the structure of the Classical symphony, Beethoven left his mark on the piece. Music critics were shocked by the premiere in 1802, calling the work a “disordered explosion.” Beethoven was criticized for using too many wind instruments, an orchestration that was closer to military music than symphonic music at the time. 

With his first attempt at the symphony, Beethoven was wisely laying the groundwork for the next eight symphonies to come.