Did Beethoven's Revolutionary Eroica Symphony change the world? (Part 1)

Published: Sept. 30, 2010, midnight

b'Beethoven\\u2019s Third Symphony in Eb Major, the \\u201cEroica\\u201d is one of the most influential works of the 19th century. It marked the beginning of the symphony as a new monumental art form, capable of a seriousness and depth of expression that was previously associated only with epic poetry. As far as Beethoven\\u2019s personal style is concerned, it also ushered in his \\u201cheroic\\u201d period of composition, the features of which have come to be accepted as the essence of the composer\\u2019s unique musical personality. Moreover, these features, which created the music\\u2019s great power, were in turn taken up as the guiding principles of symphonic writing by many later composers, continuing well into the twentieth century. The Symphony\\u2019s dynamism owes much to French revolutionary music and above all reflects the inspiration Beethoven drew from the figure of Napoleon Bonaparte, to whom the Symphony was to be dedicated. However, when Napoleon crowned himself Emperor, Beethoven tore out the dedication page in disgust and instead dedicated the Symphony to \\u201cthe memory of a great man.\\u201d \\nThis talk will look at the circumstances surrounding the composition of the Symphony and will show how its new musical style expresses many of the ideas and intellectual currents of the revolutionary era in European history. It will then explore the continuing relevance of Beethoven\\u2019s great achievement in today\\u2019s world. \\n \\nSpeaker: Brian Black Ph.D.\\n\\nBrian Black is currently Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Lethbridge. He studied piano first at McGill University under Charles Reiner, earning a Bachelor of Music in performance. He then studied in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama under Brigitte Wild, one of Claudio Arrau\\u2019s first student and his assistant at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin. Brian earned a Licentiate from the Guildhall School and an Associate Diploma from the Royal College of Music in London, before returning to Montreal, where he completed his Ph.D. in Musicology at McGill University. \\n\\nBrian has performed in London and Montreal and has been heard on Radio Canada, the French arm of the CBC. His main research interest is the instrumental music of Schubert, on which he has given papers at meetings of the American Musicological Society and the Society for Music Theory. Brian has published articles in Durch die Brille, a publication of the Internationales Franz Schubert Institut in Vienna and Intersections, the Journal of the Canadian University Music Society. \\n\\nModerator:\\tTad Mitsui\\n\\nDate:\\t\\tThursday September 30, 2010\\nTime: \\t\\t7:00 \\u2013 9:00 PM\\nLocation: \\tLethbridge Public Library, Theatre Gallery, 810 \\u2013 5 Ave S\\nCost:\\t\\tFree, donations gratefully accepted'