Daniel Griffin
Analysis
HND Classical
Eroica Symphony no.3 or 'Eroica' in E-flat major by Beethoven was a revolutionary symphony which was considered to be the bridge between the classical era and the romantic era. The symphony has lengthened sections and no less than 5 different themes in the first movement alone. Originally, Beethoven had intended for this work to be entitled 'Buonaparte' after Napoleon Buonaparte. Beethoven had an admiration for Buonaparte in a way that he viewed himself similar to him. They were both 'self-made' men who from a commoner had risen through his talent and ability to prominence and both had to establish theirself in the same way. Beethoven believed that achievement came from merit and not by birth. I believe he felt that the standard classical symphony form and musical methods were too simple to express his opinion of Napoleon. Just as Napoleon was changing the world in leading armies around europe to fight for the French Revolution Beethoven had to do the same with his symphony hence the complete shift in style through using new techniques and harmonies; not to mention the epic length of the symphony. Sadly, in 1804, Napoleon had declared himself Emperor of France. On hearing this news Beethoven was furious and claimed that; "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!" (Hamburg,1960) , then grabbed a pen and frantically scored out 'Buonaparte' and needed to rewrite the title page. On the title page he wrote 'Heroic symphony, composed to celebrate the memory of a great man'(Dahlhaus,1991) , referencing to what Napoleon had been. The main theme of this symphony is heroism hence the name and throughout it there are examples of this in each section, each theme and even the key signature itself. In this essay I intend to analyse the first movement and present the reader with examples of the heroism and why these examples sound heroic. E-flat major as a key signature is a symbol of heroism on its own and i do not believe it was coincidence Beethoven used it. In battles and in noble events various horns were a common instrument. Horns are naturally a B-flat which makes Eflat a sensible key to use as it is a highly accessable key for horn players. For example 3 out of the 4 horn concerti Mozart wrote were in E-flat also Haydn and Hummels trumpet concerti.Furthermore, E-flat was a gave a much richer tone to the notes compared to other keys such as C or D ( Galeazzi,1796) . It made sense why Beethoven use of this key for his symphony. Beethoven helped familiarise other romantic composers with viewing it as a 'heroic' key as it led to many other grande works such as his own 'Emperor' Piano concerto no.5 or Mussorgsky's 'The Great Gate of Kiev' which was a work that would have celebrated the construction of a massive gate In Kiev for the relief that Tsar Alexander II narrowly escaped an assassination. The first movement begins with 2 forte tonic chords which dramatically grabs the listeners attention and leads into the first and most recognisable theme of the piece played by the cello section.
The theme is written in a trumpet fanfare like manner, focusing on the tonic triad. Already this theme hints to the presence of heroism. A cello is used as there is a deep, bold masculine tone quality to the instrument. At bar 23 it is suggested in the music that there is a struggle if we look at the syncopated dissonant chords. These metric emphasises create a conflict in the 3/ 4 metre are uneasy on our musical ears as everything does not fall on the beat. Moments later there is a great crescendo towards the orchestral tutti that plays the first theme fortissimo. The majestic sound created provides the listener with a great sense of valour and it really does sound heroic and grand. The second theme is introduced at bar 45 in a 'riple effect by the whole orchestra.
Daniel Griffin
Analysis
HND Classical
Its as if the theme is 'thrown' around like an idea and each section are contributing to the direction it should follow until finally at bar 55 the whole orchestra comes into agreement and all play the theme forissimo simultaneously. The music suddenly falls to piano but then crescendos for the next 8 bars leading to the exciting third theme.
Actually, the third theme is a like a variation of the second theme in the way that they both have descending passages which sharply rise then decend immediately after. The rhythm indicates a sort of gallop to the music as if riding on a horse which ofcourse has connotations of war linking to heroism but aswell as a gallop. It has a snare drum like quality to it . Millitant pieces such as Rachmaninov's Prelude in G minor or Chopins Polonaise Millitaire use similar rhythm to immitate the snare drum : Prelude in G minor – Rachmaninov
Polonaise Millitaire in A major - Chopin This music of the eroica has a constant drive to it. In the way this third theme moves it keeps the pace of the music going . Beethoven was intentional with this in a way to show he cant express himself about how he feels for Buonaparte with 2 themes alone. This third theme is quite significant as the normally symphony would only have had 2 themes at the most normally therefore this third one stands out greatly. After this theme the music enters into another new theme; a softer chorale like passage that is played between the woodwind then the strings (bar 84). It feels like a sort of interlude in a way as after a dramatic galloping third theme there is a delicate choir singing. Not long after the orchestra becomes excited again with sharp staccato chords first played quiet then a great crescendo to a variation of the first theme. This
Daniel Griffin
Analysis
HND Classical
time instead of being heroic and brave it mocks itself. The violins prance around the notes creating a sound which could be thought of as someone laughing hysterically. There is another build up following, which leads to tutti staccato chords which then leads to 6 off-beat C7 chords which seem to upset the metre away from 3/ 4 briefly. The exposition ends with a brief reminder of the theme from the strings then the development starts from after the repeat. The development begins with the second theme echoing in the woodwind followed by the cellos and double basses playing the theme in an ascending chromatic sequence. For these 8 bars the rest of the strings play semi-quavers to accompany the cello and double bass line but this changes in the following bars as the first and seconds play in an antiphonal like manner the third 'galloping' theme while the double bass, celli and viola continue to play the first theme. Bar (
It is a very bold sound that is created which is very satisfying to listen to. In the bars following there is a break in the music at bar 219 when the second re-enters in a less serious manner accompanied by the violins and other woodwind playing staccato which creates a dance like passage. There are more hints of struggle in the music at bar 254 with the strings playing accented offbeats. By 248 the struggle climaxes with grotesque harmonic tension and stabbing nd syncopated chords in the full orchestra. 274 onward has very uncommon harmonies. It progresses from C 2 inversion st from which you expect a G chord to follow but instead plays a F 1 inversion with a suspended E played by flutes with make a very piercing sound, then a B7th chord with a C suspended from which the orchestra diminishes to strings only for four bars that play play on beat staccato chords the B7th with C suspended then land on B major leading to the key of E minor for the next section. To the audience of Beethoven's time they would be completely lost in the music at this point . It shows Beethoven's genius as a pioneer of the symphony. Immediately in the E minor section there what could be a new theme in the cellos but infact is a variation on the first theme but with added passing notes and in the minor key. First theme
New E minor theme (bar If we listen ahead from bar 338 there is always a tension that indicates a definite cadence to the recapiculation but the music never resolves. If we compare this symphony to his first 2 symphonies we can notice at how much more perfect cadences occur in them as to that in Symphony no. 3. He was alot more adventurous with this symphony in terms of length and harmony. This unresolved cadences also imply turmoil in the music, similar to that of a battle when you get a sudden boost of morale that makes you think the end is near but it is torn down by the death of another soldier. On
Daniel Griffin
Analysis
HND Classical
approaching the end of the recapiculation at bar 362 the music is not suited . The violins play semiquaver chords that gradually get quiet from pp down to ppp which preserves the tension. They finally arrive on the chord of Bflat7 but over this a lone horn enters in the with the first theme in Eflat 2 bars before the recap is meant to come.
For many years this was thought to be a mistake in the score as the audience at the time would have heard this as a wrong entry. Even Beethoven's pupil, Ferdinand Ries, was misled by this section of the piece and claimed that the horn player had come in wrongly. After a great crescendo from this horn entry the recapiculation begins. The recapiculation has a lot less tension present compared to the exposition and development. Normally recapiculations would not have alot of key changes in it as the movement would be coming to the end, but already 19 bars into it, at bar 416, there is a shift down a tone to Db. Although not common at the time it does make the harmony feel a lot more optimistic and the key changes are alot less harsh than before. The recap travels through familiar themes but in different keys until bar 551. This would be the point where the coda should appear but Beethoven creates one more surprise before. 551 has the first the seconds violins on a descending passage similar to the main theme which eventually land on the tonic along with the other strings. Then suddenly, completely unpredictable, Beethoven shifts first to Db for 4 bars, then down to C major. The second violins play the main theme in a similar way of that to bar 178 when the cellos were accompanying the first violins. The first violins enter with a completely new theme at bar 567. Not long after the oboe and clarinet play the minor theme at bar 284 briefly. Following from more bars of the theme at 567 is a sort of inverted version of the galloping theme.
This theme has a turn throughout the strings and leads to a definite end to the movement. The ascending and descending passages overlap and create tense anticipation leading up to the final sycopated chords starting from 681. This heroic movement is concluded with 3 tonic chords. From only analysing this one movement of the symphony we can already see how revolutionary this symphony was and the portayal of Napoleon and heroism is clear throughout. The rest of the symphony extends onto the heroism theme even more. The second movement, for instance, is a funeral march which would represent the death of a hero. Beethoven continued to break the rules in classical music writing with his symphonies and other works. It is no denying that music would not have been the same without this composition. References: Francesco Galeazzi, Elementi teorico-practici di musica (1796) as translated to English in Rita Steblin, A History of Key Characteristics in the Eighteenth and Early Nineteenth Centuries. University of Rochester Press (1996): 111 Ferdinand Ries, quoted in Michael Hamburger, ed., Beethoven: Letters, Journals and Conversations (New York: Anchor Books, 1960), 29-30.
W.A DeWitt, www. Beethovenseroica.com (2004) Michael Tilson Thomas(Sanfrancisco Symphony Orchjestra), www. Keepingscore.org (2006)
Daniel Griffin
Analysis
HND Classical
Dahlhaus, Carl.Ludwig van Beethoven, Approaches to his Music. Clarendon Press, 1991, pp. 23-25 “
