The world's an oppressive place to live through -yet with a little pride it's worth it
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When Napoleon proclaimed himself Emperor of the French on 16 May, 1804, Beethoven became disgusted and went to the table where the completed Symphony No.3 score lay. He took hold of the title-page and scratched the name Bonaparte out so violently (Beethoven had originally conceived of dedicating the symphony to Napoleon) with a knife that he created a hole in the paper. He later changed the title to "Sinfonia eroica, composta per festeggiare il sovvenire d'un grand'uomo" ("heroic symphony, composed to celebrate the memory of a great man"). His assistant Ferdinand Ries tells the story in his biography of Beethoven:
"In writing this symphony Beethoven had been thinking of Buonaparte, but Buonaparte while he was First Consul. At that time Beethoven had the highest esteem for him and compared him to the greatest consuls of ancient Rome. Not only I, but many of Beethoven's closer friends, saw this symphony on his table, beautifully copied in m****cript, with the word "Buonaparte" inscribed at the very top of the title-page and "Ludwig van Beethoven" at the very bottom. …I was the first to tell him the news that Buonaparte had declared himself Emperor, whereupon he broke into a rage and exclaimed, "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!" Beethoven went to the table, seized the top of the title-page, tore it in half and threw it on the floor. The page had to be re-copied and it was only now that the symphony received the title "Sinfonia eroica."
Ludwig van Beethoven in 1804
Nr 3: Liszt's Paganini Etude S.161 No.3 La Campanella. The original theme was written by Nicolo Paganini for violin; Liszt rewrote the theme for piano because he was known as the "Paganini of piano" (performed by Yundi Li) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpfbDLFSZb4
Nr 2: Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata: Adagio Sostenuto. The adagio sostenuto part of the sonata posseses qualities of lamentation rarely found elsewhere in music, with its repetitive triplet rythms set against a soothing pianissimo (performed by Alfred Brendel) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyXKMtShl9k
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