A Guide to Beethoven's 'Eroica' Symphony 

There's no doubt this is the greatest Symphony of all time

no youre very wrong

No this is a good symphony! One of my favs everyone has opinions!

​@@andreavoigtlander1087He is not wrong, he is stating facts.

⁠​⁠@@Ludwig55555 No such thing exists, just like there’s no greatest book, painting, invention, nor any other thing in the sphere of human achievement. The ‘Eroica’ is *one of* the greatest symphonies ever written.

I am a Bruckner listener and some parts remind me strongly to this autor. For instance, the end of the second movement is quite similar in concept to the end of the first movement in Bruckner's 8th Symphony.

@@Boltogenta Beethoven comes first.

There's no doubt this is the greatest Symphony of all time

his 9th is amazing but overall the eroica is better.

Yes. A marvelous movie. I thought it excellent too!

ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UtA7m3viB70.html

Hyperbole is not helpful.

I share the same excitement!

I can't wait for the 6th symphony... in my opinion the most "filmic" one. Just close your eyes and ride through the hills of italy

@@Panteni87 He already covered it

I had to watch this and listen to the first movement plenty of times, just to get the subjects of the exposition

Oooh, I like that part? Are you serious? If this whole symphony doesn't blow your mind and fill you with awe, then you are tone deaf, my friend. If it doesn't move you to near tears then I suggest you stick to the mediocre classics like Johann Strauss and his Blue Danube. You mustn't overtax yourself too much.

@@pianoboylaker6560 oh give it a break. It’s hardly Bruckner 8.

@@pianoboylaker6560 tone deaf? Sticking to mediocres like Blue Danube? Can you be any more snobbish? You're an obvious gatekeeper and I hope you do realise that novices like me do exist. These videos teach about classical music and its ingenuities to people new to it, whereas you're the opposite.

There's no doubt this is the greatest Symphony of all time

My favourite is Herbert Von Karajan's 60's recording for the 3rd. He gives the music area to breathe, while caressing subtlety and invigorating power are all used in the right places. There are many incredible recordings, mind you. Explore them all and find the one that makes the music feel as if it's coming from within you. That you are the source and it responds to your emotions, while also feeling utterly helpless to the journey it is taking you on. That probably sounds strange, but it's my test.

Bernstein and Furtwängler did it best

h i like Toscanini too

@@thijsmonden71 John Eliot Gardiner

Which one did he use though?!

Maybe he was the true legendary super saiyan lol

Just like every other great composer, artist, writer, et al.

Masterpiece of musical enginering

@@vacciniumaugustifolium1420 Thank you.

@@amerrylittlemonarch 😁

@@vacciniumaugustifolium1420 Indeed, my friend.

@@amerrylittlemonarch its been a long time since your last single ... Is There a problem M. Beethoven ? 😟

I could see that. But that argument could be made of the Fifth as well, no?

@@davidbudo5551 And the ninth

@@thespanishinquisiton8306, quite right.

I would love this!! Great recommendation.

Some of my favorite music out there

I love the opening movement of the Fourth. Those brooding notes of the first few minutes are magical.

Still good symphonies though. Beethoven's first and second are great examples of fine late classical symphonies, with touches of what was to come.

That goes for a lot fof his underappreciated works but I've realized thatswhen you really get to hear how much a genius he really truly was.

I'm in the same boat as yourself (trombone), but I love listening to educated people discuss the music. Even if I only understand 10% of the terminology being used, I feel more connected with my minute increase in understanding it.

The fact that it is still discussed now, makes it one of the greatest out there. About the Scherzo, you know, there is a reason Beethoven added a Scherzo to his major works. Think of what it represents. Yes you have your battles, and grief, and at the end you may even Heroically win. But what about taking a moment to just having fun? Yes, even directly after realizing that your own death is getting closer every day. Imagine the incredibly soft end of the 2nd movement going directly to the powerful call in the begining of the finale. This isn't life, there is something missing, who's victory is this? I find the scherzo unbelievably well placed, starting with fast E flat chords which kind of continues exactly from the brief transition to C minor (the 2nd movement) creating a balanced polar opposite. Think of Piano sonata 32. 2 movments, no pause, perfect opposites. We have only achieved the Finale after going through all forms that Beethoven was capable of reinventing.

@@itamarabramson5603, thank you for such a thoughtful response. I completely see what you're saying and that's why it never bothers me to the point of turning it off. It is an excellent piece of composition. The thing I really enjoy doing is ripping my CD's and rearranging the symphonies to see how they play together. I think of the Third Symphony with a different story of a single long battle. The first movement is the chaos of the battle itself. The second is the mourning of the ones we lost, with both happy reminiscing and tumultuous, profound grief. Then I add the third and fourth movements of the Fifth Symphony. The third movement begins with the final clash of the few remaining survivors, followed by the hesitancy of celebrating too early. It concludes with the jubilant eruption of freedom to those tasked with carrying the torch forward. It is a great deal of fun to play with the music and seeing what combinations reveal in storytelling.

@@davidbudo5551 It does sound fun. I understand why you enjoy mixing movements from symphonies and it takes creativity to listen to them in such an unconventional way. The only problem that arises is that of tonality. Is the victory in C major really celebrating the same E flat major battle? Perhaps. Proggresive tonality only became a thing with Liszt's Dante symphony, then Mahler made extensive use of it. Anyway it helped to keep tonal language "fresh" for another 50 years or so, and maybe this exactly the freshness we need nowdays, on B's 250 birthday.

@@itamarabramson5603, cheers to your encouraging sentiments. I have some lofty ideas for a future project involving his symphonies and visuals. I really want to bring his music to the new generation of our introspective-starved youth, in its naturally classical form.

‘The most groundbreaking piece of music ever composed’. Obviously an opinion, not a fact; other candidates might include: Corelli - Violin Sonatas Opus 5 (at a stroke - 1 January 1700 - all previous music was rendered dated). Haydn - String Quartets Opus 20 (defined the string quartet from it first publication in 1772 until the present day). Wagner - Tristan (fill in your own reasons). Stravinsky - Rite of Spring (Ditto). Et cetera. Beethoven certainly qualifies too, but as ‘one of’, not ‘the’.

So are the first three!

I always have teary eyes.

There is actually historical proof of him scratching Bonaparte off the first manuscript

@@elizabethdevoto7566 Actually there is no historical proof. At least reliable.

Which piece?

Caleb Liew I hear a lot of his flute ornamentation from all three of his big ballets. Mainly the Nutcracker. In particular, the runs from the “Dance of the Reed Flutes,” and “Drosselmeyer’s Arrival.”

You are right ,i found the same similitude

7:22 also sounds like Tchaikovsky

Lion King Agreed! It reminds me of his first symphony, and it really reminds me of his Overture to The Maid of Orleans.

Wrong, Mozart did the same in Serenade no 13 mvt. 4. Also Handel in the Contredanse of the Water Music Suite

The clefs are súper necesaary!

I agree , Grant O’Brien

+1

also show them in concert pitch for transposing instruments

I feel the 3rd movement, while beautiful in its own right, feels a bit out of place from the rest of the symphony. I do this thing sometimes where I like to listen to the first two movements of the Eroica and then the final two movements of the Fifth. Flows beautifully together and really drives home the triumphant heroes journey.

@@davidbudo5551 The 3rd movement is just as groundbreaking as the others and in my opinion fits perfectly. It's a welcome brief respite after the heavy 2nd and the sheer relentlessness of variations in the finale.

@@davidbudo5551 I know I'm late here. In some ways the 3rd movement seems a bit out of place given the drama and intensity of the 1st movement and the somberness of the funeral march. I know that some of the early reviews viewed the 3rd and 4th movements as not fitting well with the first two movements. That said, I once watched an analysis by Robert Greenberg; he described the movements as representing struggle, death, rebirth, and apotheosis. If one thinks of the 3rd movement as representing a different part of an ongoing story, it make more sense. A wonderful work, regardless.

Excellent question. I think it was a book by Antony Hopkins on Beethoven Symphonies - his essay on the 3rd argues very thoroughly for this huge sense of organicism throughout. Well worth a read, it's a brilliant book! I should buy it - I only read chapters in a library. You don't have to agree with him of course. But it is an argument :)

@@InsidetheScore Not the first time I've been recommended Antony Hopkins. Sounds like I have some reading to do. Thanks!

@@InsidetheScore, I guess this will be my second Beethoven book. 'Anguish and Triumph' by Jan Swafford blew me away, and despite showing all of the negative aspects to Ludwig, made me love the man even more. Great question from the OP and thank you for the recommendation I.T.S..

I enjoy Barenboim. It never feels like he's rushing through the music, but let's it breathe when it needs to. Thanks for the conductor recommendations. I will give them both a listen. I know there are many who don't like him, but Karajan is still my overall favourite. Especially the Beethoven cycle from the 60's.

That note, no matter what it is, has to pave the way to the 5th bar, as you said. But the power is that it was the least expected note to do so. It’s completely out of the scale. The opening theme sounded so simple and elegant, comprised of only the tonal triad, but then what comes after is the minor 7th note, which is not in the major scale at all, creating a huge instability. It is probably nothing now, but at that time, it was simply unheard of. Hope this help! Cheers!

I'm not sure about the Steibelt piece you're referring to, but the music that provides the foundation for the variations in the final movement first appears as the Variations for Piano, op. 35. It also shows up as No. 7 of the 12 Contredanses (WoO 14).

There's even a better one made by BBC: search the Genius of Beethoven - fire and fury. It has 3 parts (each of about an hour) and is on RU-vid. It's the best documentary I've seen on Beethoven. There's also one for Mozart. That one is really good as well.

It's such an incredible soundtrack!

@@hello-bt6hs exactly! Its incredible!

I don't think subsequent composers would have anywhere near impact had it not been for Beethoven.

@@mr-wx3lv Same is true of Beethoven himself in relation to Mozart and Haydn.

Karajan's recordings of course.

Karajan's too slick. Klemperer 1959.

Woah, I thought I was the only person who felt the connection between symphonic music and prog rock, especially Pink Floyd. I'm with you, I would love to see a thoughtful examination of this as well, not just because they're my favourite band. I also agree that post 70's music took on a generic attitude of complacency that completely took over all music after the year 2000. The mindset of individual artistic expression devolved into corporate mimicry of another's brief but novel financial success.

I know right.

@Don Fatale, interesting thoughts. I think it would stand up fairly well, but that's just my uneducated opinion. Hopefully, it happens soon.