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    Beethoven

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    Beethoven’s temper and Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’

    This image appears in the gallery:
    Beethoven: Compositions, biography, siblings and more facts

    Eroica dedication to Napoleon

    15. Beethoven’s temper and Symphony No. 3 ‘Eroica’

    Beethoven admired the ideals of the French Revolution, so he dedicated his third symphony to Napoleon Bonaparte… until Napoleon declared himself emperor. Beethoven then sprung into a rage, ripped the front page from his manuscript and scrubbed out Napoleon’s name. Some modern reproductions of the original title page have scrubbed out Napoleon’s name to create a hole for authenticity’s sake!

    1. Image 1: Beethoven Haus Bonn
    2. Image 2: Ludwig's father Johann van Beethoven
    3. Image 3: Beethoven's brother
    4. Image 4: music manuscript violin
    5. Image 5: classical piano
    6. Image 6: Count Waldstein
    7. Image 7: Vienna
    8. Image 8: Bach's well tempered clavier
    9. Image 9: young Beethoven
    10. Image 10: Hofftheatre Vienna 21 images

    See the full gallery: Beethoven: Compositions, biography, siblings and more facts

    Beethoven latest

    See more Beethoven latest

    Classical music cues cleaning in Taiwan

    Beethoven’s ‘Für Elise’ alerts Taiwanese residents to take out their trash

    Can you believe these EIGHT classical masterpieces nearly didn’t exist?

    Can you believe these eight classical masterpieces nearly didn’t exist?

    Discover Music

    Largest string orchestra world record,  Recklinghausen, Germany

    1,350 musicians break world record for largest string orchestra with immense ‘Ode to Joy’

    Scientific reconstruction reveals Beethoven’s ‘true’ face 200 years after his death

    Scientific reconstruction reveals Beethoven’s ‘true’ face 200 years after his death

    18-year-old pianist Zak plays Beethoven and Chopin medley at Sheffield train station

    18-year-old pianist stuns with original Beethoven and Chopin medley at Sheffield train station

    Discover Music

    Great classical music. Pictured: Gustavo Dudamel, Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall, and cellist Margarita Balanas

    10 pieces of classical music everyone should know

    Discover Music

    Yuja Wang plays a piano with three pedals – but what are they for?

    Why do pianos have three pedals, and what do they do?

    Discover Music

    Stephen Schwartz, composer of Wicked.

    ‘I just stole it from Beethoven’: Wicked composer Stephen Schwartz on how he wrote ‘Defying Gravity’

    Young boy conducts in the Carlo Felice Theatre

    Conductor dad sits his son on the podium, who reveals his incredible baton skills

    Videos

    Peter Schickele Beethoven 5 parody

    PDQ Bach delivered the ultimate classical music and sport parody in this Beethoven performance

    Best classical music

    See more Best classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    The 15 most famous tunes in classical music

    Discover Music

    Best symphonies: Ludwig van Beethoven, Antonin Dvorak and Florence Price

    The 15 greatest symphonies of all time

    Discover Music

    4 eras of classical music

    The 4 eras of classical music: a quick guide

    Discover Music

    A young Marin Alsop, Sir Simon Rattle, and Seiji Ozawa conduct their respective orchestras.

    The 25 greatest conductors of all time

    Discover Music

    Hildegard von Bingen, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Edward Elgar among the greatest composers in classical music history.

    The 30 greatest classical music composers of all time

    Latest on Classic FM

    Classic FM Live with Viking returns to the Royal Albert Hall in April 2026!

    Classic FM Live with Viking returns to the Royal Albert Hall in April 2026!

    Events

    Conch shells

    Archaeologists discover 6,000-year-old musical shells which are as loud as a lawnmower

    Michael Bublé gets Pope to sing along at Vatican concert

    Pope Leo asks Michael Bublé to sing spontaneous Schubert ‘Ave Maria’ at the Vatican

    Royal Shakespeare Company’s Romeo and Juliet

    RSC plans to scrap its in-house musicians amid workforce changes

    Classic FM’s Rising Stars with Julian Lloyd Webber

    Watch Classic FM’s Rising Stars with Julian Lloyd Webber exclusively on Sky Arts

    Events

    The most sinister lyrics you never noticed in Christmas carols

    The most sinister lyrics you never noticed in Christmas carols

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    See a screening of ‘Home Alone’ with the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall

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    Christmas

    Soloist forced to travel with ‘naked’ 1782 violin as airline refuses her boarding with case

    Soloist forced to travel with ‘naked’ 1782 violin as airline refuses her boarding with case

    Study finds monkeys can tap to beat of human music after metronome training

    Monkeys can tap to beat of human music after metronome training, study finds

    Greggs customers spend more when classical music is playing

    Greggs customers spend more when classical music is playing

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