Beethoven's Eroica Symphony

8/13/2019 Beethoven's Eroica Symphony

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Daniel Griffin Analysis HND Classical

Eroica

Symphony no.3 or 'Eroica' in E-flat major by Beethoen !as a reol"tionary symphony !hich !as consi#ere# to be the

bri#$e bet!een the classical era an# the romantic era. %he symphony has len$thene# sections an# no less than &

#ifferent themes in the first moement alone. ri$inally( Beethoen ha# inten#e# for this !or) to be entitle# 'B"onaparte'

after Napoleon B"onaparte. Beethoen ha# an a#miration for B"onaparte in a !ay that he ie!e# himself similar to him.

%hey !ere both 'self-ma#e' men !ho from a commoner ha# risen thro"$h his talent an# ability to prominence an# both

ha# to establish theirself in the same !ay. Beethoen beliee# that achieement came from merit an# not by birth. *

beliee he felt that the stan#ar# classical symphony form an# m"sical metho#s !ere too simple to e+press his opinion of

Napoleon. ,"st as Napoleon !as chan$in$ the !orl# in lea#in$ armies aro"n# e"rope to fi$ht for the rench eol"tion

Beethoen ha# to #o the same !ith his symphony hence the complete shift in style thro"$h "sin$ ne! techni/"es an#

harmonies0 not to mention the epic len$th of the symphony. Sa#ly( in 124( Napoleon ha# #eclare# himself Emperor of

rance. n hearin$ this ne!s Beethoen !as f"rio"s an# claime# that0

"So he is no more than a common mortal! Now, too, he will tread under foot all the rights of man, indulge only hisambition; now he will think himself superior to all men, become a tyrant!" (Hamburg,1#

( then $rabbe# a pen an# frantically score# o"t 'B"onaparte' an# nee#e# to re!rite the title pa$e. n the title pa$e he

!rote

$Heroic symphony, composed to celebrate the memory of a great man$(Dahlhaus,1991)

( referencin$ to !hat Napoleon ha# been. %he main theme of this symphony is heroism hence the name an# thro"$ho"t

it there are e+amples of this in each section( each theme an# een the )ey si$nat"re itself. *n this essay * inten# to

analyse the first moement an# present the rea#er !ith e+amples of the heroism an# !hy these e+amples so"n# heroic.

E-flat major as a )ey si$nat"re is a symbol of heroism on its o!n an# i #o not beliee it !as coinci#ence Beethoen "se#it. *n battles an# in noble eents ario"s horns !ere a common instr"ment. Horns are nat"rally a B-flat !hich ma)es E-

flat a sensible )ey to "se as it is a hi$hly accessable )ey for horn players. or e+ample 3 o"t of the 4 horn concerti

5o6art !rote !ere in E-flat also Hay#n an# H"mmels tr"mpet concerti."rthermore( E-flat !as a $ae a m"ch richer

tone to the notes compare# to other )eys s"ch as C or D 7 Galea66i(189:;. *t ma#e sense !hy Beethoen "se of this )ey

for his symphony. Beethoen helpe# familiarise other romantic composers !ith ie!in$ it as a 'heroic' )ey as it le# to

many other $ran#e !or)s s"ch as his o!n 'Emperor'


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*ts as if the theme is 'thro!n' aro"n# li)e an i#ea an# each section are contrib"tin$ to the #irection it sho"l# follo! "ntilfinally at bar && the !hole orchestra comes into a$reement an# all play the theme forissimo sim"ltaneo"sly. %he m"sics"##enly falls to piano b"t then crescen#os for the ne+t 2 bars lea#in$ to the e+citin$ thir# theme.

Act"ally( the thir# theme is a li)e a ariation of the secon# theme in the !ay that they both hae #escen#in$ passa$es

!hich sharply rise then #ecen# imme#iately after. %he rhythm in#icates a sort of $allop to the m"sic as if ri#in$ on a

horse !hich ofco"rse has connotations of !ar lin)in$ to heroism b"t as!ell as a $allop. *t has a snare #r"m li)e /"ality to

it . 5illitant pieces s"ch as achmanino's


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time instea# of bein$ heroic an# brae it moc)s itself. %he iolins prance aro"n# the notes creatin$ a so"n# !hich co"l#

be tho"$ht of as someone la"$hin$ hysterically. %here is another b"il# "p follo!in$( !hich lea#s to t"tti staccato chor#s

!hich then lea#s to : off-beat C8 chor#s !hich seem to "pset the metre a!ay from 3? 4 briefly. %he e+position en#s !ith

a brief remin#er of the theme from the strin$s then the #eelopment starts from after the repeat.

%he #eelopment be$ins !ith the secon# theme echoin$ in the !oo#!in# follo!e# by the cellos an# #o"ble bassesplayin$ the theme in an ascen#in$ chromatic se/"ence. or these 2 bars the rest of the strin$s play semi-/"aers toaccompany the cello an# #o"ble bass line b"t this chan$es in the follo!in$ bars as the first an# secon#s play in anantiphonal li)e manner the thir# '$allopin$' theme !hile the #o"ble bass( celli an# iola contin"e to play the first theme.

Bar (

*t is a ery bol# so"n# that is create# !hich is ery satisfyin$ to listen to. *n the bars follo!in$ there is a brea) in them"sic at bar >19 !hen the secon# re-enters in a less serio"s manner accompanie# by the iolins an# other !oo#!in#playin$ staccato !hich creates a #ance li)e passa$e. %here are more hints of str"$$le in the m"sic at bar >&4 !ith the

strin$s playin$ accente# offbeats. By >42 the str"$$le clima+es !ith $rotes/"e harmonic tension an# stabbin$

syncopate# chor#s in the f"ll orchestra. >84 on!ar# has ery "ncommon harmonies. *t pro$resses from C >n#

inersion

from !hich yo" e+pect a G chor# to follo! b"t instea# plays a 1st

inersion !ith a s"spen#e# E playe# by fl"tes !ithma)e a ery piercin$ so"n#( then a B8th chor# !ith a C s"spen#e# from !hich the orchestra #iminishes to strin$s onlyfor fo"r bars that play play on beat staccato chor#s the B8th !ith C s"spen#e# then lan# on B major lea#in$ to the )ey ofE minor for the ne+t section. %o the a"#ience of Beethoen's time they !o"l# be completely lost in the m"sic at this point. *t sho!s Beethoen's $eni"s as a pioneer of the symphony. *mme#iately in the E minor section there !hat co"l# be ane! theme in the cellos b"t infact is a ariation on the first theme b"t !ith a##e# passin$ notes an# in the minor )ey.

First theme

New minor theme (!ar

*f !e listen ahea# from bar 332 there is al!ays a tension that in#icates a #efinite ca#ence to the recapic"lation b"t the

m"sic neer resoles. *f !e compare this symphony to his first > symphonies !e can notice at ho! m"ch more perfect

ca#ences occ"r in them as to that in Symphony no. 3. He !as alot more a#ent"ro"s !ith this symphony in terms oflen$th an# harmony. %his "nresole# ca#ences also imply t"rmoil in the m"sic( similar to that of a battle !hen yo" $et a

s"##en boost of morale that ma)es yo" thin) the en# is near b"t it is torn #o!n by the #eath of another sol#ier. n


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approachin$ the en# of the recapic"lation at bar 3:> the m"sic is not s"ite# . %he iolins play semi/"aer chor#s that

$ra#"ally $et /"iet frompp#o!n toppp!hich preseres the tension. %hey finally arrie on the chor# of Bflat8 b"t oer

this a lone horn enters in the !ith the first theme in Eflat > bars before the recap is meant to come.

or many years this !as tho"$ht to be a mista)e in the score as the a"#ience at the time !o"l#

hae hear# this as a !ron$ entry. Een Beethoen's p"pil( er#inan# ies( !as misle# by this section of the piece an#

claime# that the horn player ha# come in !ron$ly. After a $reat crescen#o from this horn entry the recapic"lation be$ins.

%he recapic"lation has a lot less tension present compare# to the e+position an# #eelopment. Normally recapic"lations!o"l# not hae alot of )ey chan$es in it as the moement !o"l# be comin$ to the en#( b"t alrea#y 19 bars into it( at bar41:( there is a shift #o!n a tone to Db. Altho"$h not common at the time it #oes ma)e the harmony feel a lot moreoptimistic an# the )ey chan$es are alot less harsh than before. %he recap traels thro"$h familiar themes b"t in #ifferent)eys "ntil bar &&1. %his !o"l# be the point !here the co#a sho"l# appear b"t Beethoen creates one more s"rprisebefore. &&1 has the first the secon#s iolins on a #escen#in$ passa$e similar to the main theme !hich eent"ally lan#on the tonic alon$ !ith the other strin$s. %hen s"##enly( completely "npre#ictable( Beethoen shifts first to Db for 4 bars(

then #o!n to C major.%he secon# iolins play the main theme in a similar !ay of that to bar 182 !hen the cellos !ere accompanyin$ the firstiolins. %he first iolins enter !ith a completely ne! theme at bar &:8. Not lon$ after the oboe an# clarinet play the minortheme at bar >24 briefly. ollo!in$ from more bars of the theme at &:8 is a sort of inerte# ersion of the $allopin$theme.

%his theme has a t"rn thro"$ho"t the strin$s an# lea#s to a #efinite en# to the moement. %he ascen#in$ an##escen#in$ passa$es oerlap an# create tense anticipation lea#in$ "p to the final sycopate# chor#s startin$ from :21.

%his heroic moement is concl"#e# !ith 3 tonic chor#s.rom only analysin$ this one moement of the symphony !e can alrea#y see ho! reol"tionary this symphony !as an#the portayal of Napoleon an# heroism is clear thro"$ho"t. %he rest of the symphony e+ten#s onto the heroism themeeen more. %he secon# moement( for instance( is a f"neral march !hich !o"l# represent the #eath of a hero.Beethoen contin"e# to brea) the r"les in classical m"sic !ritin$ !ith his symphonies an# other !or)s. *t is no #enyin$that m"sic !o"l# not hae been the same !itho"t this composition.

eferences@rancesco Galea66i( %lementi teorico&practici di musica 7189:; as translate# to En$lish in ita Steblin( ' History of ey )haracteristics in the

%ighteenth and %arly Nineteenth )enturies. niersity of ochester 9-3."#A $e"itt% www# Beethovenseroica#com (&'')

Michael *ilson *homas(+an,rancisco +mphon .rchjestra)% www# /eepin0score#or0 (&''1)


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$ahlhaus% Carl#Ludwig van Beethoven, Approaches to his Music# Clarendon Press% 2332% pp# &4-&5

Documents

Beethoven's Eroica Symphony