Beethoven's Eroica: The First Great Romantic Symphony

By James Hamilton-Paterson

Book Overview

An ode to Beethoven's revolutionary masterpiece, his Third Symphony

In 1805, the world of music was startled by an avant-garde and explosive new work. Intellectually and emotionally, Beethoven's Third Symphony, the "Eroica," rudely broke the mold of the Viennese Classical symphony and revealed a powerful new expressiveness, both personal and societal. Even the whiff of actual political revolution was woven into the work-it was originally inscribed to Napoleon Bonaparte, a dangerous hero for a composer dependent on conservative royal patronage. With the first two stunning chords of the "Eroica," classical music was transformed.

In Beethoven's Eroica, James Hamilton-Paterson reconstructs this great moment in Western culture, the shock of the music and the symphony's long afterlife.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1541697367
• ISBN13: 9781541697362
• Release Date: December 2017
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 7.6"