Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony

I find Beethoven in general to be tiresome to listen to. Indeed, I lay the blame for the largely unlistenable music of the nineteenth century at his compositional feet. Apparently, however, the embattled Bishop Richard Williamson loves Beethoven, and his latest post on his blog is a description of one of his favorite pieces, the first romanticist shot across the bow of musical history, the Third Symphony, or the “Eroica”. Here is an excerpt:

The first movement of the “Eroica” was unprecedentedly long in Beethoven’s own day – over 600 bars, lasting in performance anywhere around a quarter of an hour. Yet from first bar to last, the varied wealth and dynamic force of the musical ideas owe their tight unity and overarching control to the classical sonata form which Beethoven had inherited from the 18th century: Exposition, Development and Recapitulation (ABA), with a Coda mighty enough (innovation of Beethoven) to balance the Development (ABAC).

Leaping into action with two E flat major chords, the hero strides forth with his main theme, the first subject, built solidly out of that chord. The theme goes to war. A valiant re-statement precedes several new ideas of varying rhythms, keys and moods until moments of calm come with the classically more quiet second subject. But war soon returns, with off-beat rhythms and violent struggle, culminating in six hammering chords in two-time cutting right across the movement’s three-time. A few vigorous bars close the Exposition.

Yuck! I feel so dirty. Where is some Rameau when you need him…

That’s better.