Building a Collection #16: Beethoven's Symphony no. 3 "Eroica"

With 13 recommended recordings

Building a Collection #16

Symphony no. 3 in E flat major “Eroica”

By Ludwig van Beethoven

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A quick note at the outset to apologize again for the long time since the last post.  I have been traveling for the Thanksgiving Holiday, and the recordings took me a long time to evaluate.  

Welcome back!  I am excited we are at #16 on our Building a Collection list, especially because we have arrived at Beethoven’s Symphony no. 3, also known as the Eroica (Heroic) symphony.  A 2016 article by The Guardian, which surveyed the world’s leading conductors on the top 50 symphonies, ranked Beethoven’s Eroica as the greatest symphony of all-time.  You may notice I have Beethoven’s 9th, the Choral symphony, ranked higher.  Both symphonies are essential, so this is where rankings become rather irrelevant.  

Beethoven has been discussed before here, so in order to reduce length this post will not discuss biographical details of his life and career, except for the circumstances surrounding his Eroica symphony.  If you are interested, there are some marvelous books on Beethoven you may want to explore, including:

Beethoven: Anguish and Triumph by Jan Swafford (2014)

Beethoven by Maynard Solomon (1979)

Beethoven:  The Man Revealed by John Suchet (2013)

Beethoven:  A Life by Jan Caeyers (2020)

Of course there are mountains of resources online about Beethoven and his music, as well as entire institutions and organizations around the world devoted to the study of Beethoven’s life, his letters, and his music.

Symphony no. 3 “Eroica”

If I were to ask you which Beethoven symphony is the most revolutionary in terms of its impact on the progression and development of western music, which symphony would you say?  Perhaps Beethoven’s 9th, his great choral symphony with the famous “Ode to Joy”?  Or maybe Beethoven’s 5th, with its famous “Fate knocking at the door” theme.  Both good answers, but neither are correct.  Indeed, the symphony that heralded a revolution in music and broke through traditional boundaries was Beethoven’s 3rd, his epic Eroica symphony.

Composed in 1803 and 1804, this large-scale symphony broke with tradition of the time in terms of its length, form, harmony, and content.  Many consider the Eroica symphony to be the most important landmark in the transition from the classical period to the romantic period in western music.  Some even claim it is the first romantic symphony to be written, though this depends on perspective.  The symphony had its public premiere on April 7, 1805 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna with Beethoven conducting.

Unlike composers such as Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi, Beethoven hardly ever used the same theme for multiple works.  However, in the case of the Eroica symphony, the theme used for the fourth movement actually originated from his 12 Contredanses.  It was also used in the finale of The Creature of Prometheus, as well as the Variations and Fugue for Piano in E♭ Major, also known as the Eroica Variations.  Indeed, further research into Beethoven’s sketchbooks provides convincing evidence that his ideas for each movement of a complete symphony came from his own Eroica Variations.

You may already know the story about the dedication of the Eroica symphony, but it is worth repeating here.  Beethoven originally dedicated the symphony to Napoleon Bonaparte because he was convinced Napoleon was committed to democratic ideals, something that was important to Beethoven.  After all, in his early years Napoleon was a passionate champion of freedom, and fashioned himself the savior of his country and the restorer of order and prosperity.  He was not yet the tyrant he would later become.  So when Napoleon crowned himself Emperor in May 1804, Beethoven became so enraged he scratched out the words, ‘intitolata Bonaparte’ from the title page.  In fact, he scratched it out with a knife edge so violently it left a hole in the paper.  Beethoven reportedly exclaimed bitterly, “After all, then, he is nothing but an ordinary mortal!”  Later Beethoven changed his mind a bit, but when the work was published in 1806, the score read only ‘sinfonia eroica…composed to celebrate the memory of a great man’.  Some scholars have argued that the actual content or program of the symphony was inspired by Napoleon, but there is scant evidence to support this theory.  It may be assumed more reasonably that the symphony is Beethoven’s own vision of what a hero represents in musical terms.  

Initial reception of the Eroica was decidedly mixed.  On the one hand many listeners recognized the genius present in the work, and the bold innovations it set forth.  On the other hand, many complained about the length, the changes in modulation, and the violent transitions from one section to the next.  The consensus was the symphony contained undeniable beauty, but was somewhat disjointed and long.  Beethoven himself warned concert directors to put the symphony at the beginning of the evening when the audience was more alert due to the potential for fatigue.  After the premiere in Vienna, Beethoven was upset at the lack of audience appreciation, and he would later tell friends and colleagues that the Eroica was his favorite composition.   

The symphony is laid out in four movements, one of the only traditional aspects Beethoven followed with the work, as follows:

1. Allegro con brio (12–19 min.) (E♭ major)

2. Marcia funebre: Adagio assai (12–18 min.) (C minor)

3. Scherzo: Allegro vivace (5–6 min.) (E♭ major)

4. Finale: Allegro molto (9–13 min.) (E♭ major)

The entire running time for the symphony is between 41 and 56 minutes, largely depending on whether the conductor takes the repeat in the first movement.  This was an extraordinarily long symphony at the time, as most Mozart and Haydn symphonies were around 30 minutes or less.    

While the symphony is marked as being in E flat major, Beethoven uses the key of C minor for the second movement funeral march.  Moreover, one of the most groundbreaking aspects to the Eroica is how Beethoven shifts into other keys in places we may not expect, only to eventually be resolved into the original key.  By doing this, Beethoven builds harmonic tension and dissonance, which would become the hallmark of most romantic period music.  This was something new at the time, and even though Mozart had used harmonic tension in some of his works, the musical world had never heard anything like what Beethoven was doing.  

I. Allegro con brio

As early as the fifth bar of the main melody in the first movement, we hear the cellos moving to a note (C sharp) significantly removed from where we started at E flat major.  This transition is marvelously explained by Leonard Bernstein in his essay How a Great Symphony Was Written, which is included as a companion track to his excellent 1964 recording of the Eroica with the New York Philharmonic on Sony Classical.  Bernstein says:

“The first surprise in the Eroica comes immediately after the theme has been stated.  The note that follows the theme is certainly the last note one could have expected here, but it is the note that throws the first fresh ray of light on the basic material of the preceding two bars.  It is a wrench - an arbitrary, unprepared departure out of the home ground of the theme.  Now what has been accomplished?  We’ve been given the premise of the whole work:  struggle.  Before eight seconds of music have passed, we have already been involved in a conflict.”   

Consider for a moment the opening two chords in E flat, those earth-shattering whiplash notes played forte by the entire orchestra, portending the chaos and struggle to come.  We may take it for granted now, but for audiences of the early 19th century, this beginning would have been quite a shock.  We are led through a series of thematic development sections, recapitulations, more development, and then more recapitulation.  The tension, the emotion, the complexity of it all was unprecedented at the time.  The coda of the first movement is extended, leading to a glorious conclusion.  

There is even the famous story of the lone horn that appears to enter early in measure 394, something many conductors in the 19th century believed to be a mistake in the score.  But no, the horn entrance was correct in the original score and this was all in Beethoven’s plan.  Beethoven’s friend and secretary Ferdinand Ries offered an anecdote:

“The first rehearsal of the symphony was terrible, but the hornist did, in fact, come in on cue. I was standing next to Beethoven and, believing that he had made a wrong entrance, I said, "That damned hornist! Can't he count? It sounds frightfully wrong." I believe I was in danger of getting my ears boxed. Beethoven did not forgive me for a long time.”      

II. Marcia funebre: Adagio assai

The second movement funeral march was a unique idea, and for me it really is the heart and soul of the Eroica symphony.  The emotional solemnity of the march sounds just as you might imagine a funeral march to be.  There is anguish, pain, and disintegration, with a middle section in a major key, only to return to the original downcast theme which unwinds itself into a very soft conclusion which speaks of deep sorrow and hopelessness.  

It is a long movement which somewhat taxes the listener, but also shows ample thematic development and emotion which would have been quite new to audiences at the time.  The primary reason I am not fond of historically-informed performances of the Eroica has to do with the pacing of the funeral march.  HIP recordings tend to take this movement faster than it warrants in my opinion, robbing the music of some of its emotional impact.  Just my opinion.

III. Scherzo:  Allegro vivace

After the dark mood of the funeral march, this scherzo which immediately follows comes as a bit of a shock to the system.  It is bright and sunny, a lively dancing sort of romp.  Beethoven’s use of three horns, especially in the middle section when they play together without the rest of the orchestra, was unusual and innovative.  It builds to a fortissimo climax toward the end, and puts us in a much better mood in preparation for the finale.  

IV. Finale:  Allegro molto 

Modeled after Beethoven’s earlier Eroica Variations, the finale is really a set of variations laid out with a first theme, then the variations, then a return to the main theme, followed by the final thrilling coda.  The final variation is when the "full image" of The Eroica is heard. Triumphant and heroic plunges are constantly heard with full orchestra, with the accompaniment from the previous variation still present, as the melody from an earlier variation, now victorious and energized, is heard on the brass.  

The symphony ends with a coda, which reprises all previous sections and variations of the movement. At the end of the coda, there is a "surprise", which is when the dynamic changes from very soft playing on the flute, bassoon, and strings only to a huge crash played fortissimo on the whole orchestra, as the tempo abruptly changes to Presto. A flurry of very loud crashes appear, and the finale ends triumphantly with three large E-flat major chords with the full orchestra.

Recommended Recordings

There are literally hundreds of recordings of Beethoven’s Eroica, and it is a monumental task to sample them all to find a manageable list of the most recommended versions.  

The wide range of interpretations of the symphony, along with changes in interpretive style over the last 150 years, means performances have evolved (or devolved depending on your point of view).  The latter half of the 19th century saw Beethoven being performed with an increase in romanticism and subjectivity.  This was the way conductors believed the music should be interpreted, with a fair amount of individual subjectivity.  As we made our way into the 20th century, this tradition continued for quite some time, especially in Germany.  However, this tradition began to change in the latter half of the 20th century.  We began to hear recordings from the HIP (historically-informed practice) movement, with the use of period instruments in some cases.  Generally speaking, we now hear a range of interpretations: from very quick HIP performances on period instruments, to hybrid approaches using a HIP approach but with modern instruments, to moderately slower performances with modern instruments which pay homage to the more romantic/subjective tradition of years past.

Having said all of that, perhaps the best measure of a recording is whether it moves the listener or not, and this remains subjective.  For me, I prefer performances on the quicker side, but not too quick.  I prefer crisp articulation, good transparency in order to hear all the instruments, and dynamics and tempos which follow the score but allow for some individuality.  The fact is the Eroica can be long and drawn out, and in some cases flat out boring if it is not injected with vibrancy and life.

The list of recommended recordings that follow are listed in chronological order.  Each recording includes some commentary on why I included it.  For the Eroica symphony I have not chosen one recording that rises above the rest, so you will see I do not have a top recommendation.  There are so many recordings I enjoy for various reasons, any top choice would be rather arbitrary.  It also speaks to the complexity of the symphony, the very different but equally valid approaches to interpretation, and the wealth of excellent recordings over many decades.  In the interest of space, I have kept my recommended recordings to only 13 for the Eroica, with the understanding there are many more recordings that deserve to be included.

Arturo Toscanini recorded the Eroica several times, but for me it is the 1939 recording with the NBC Symphony Orchestra recorded in NBC Studio 8-H that shows the maestro and the symphony at their best (available on streaming services, I believe the latest CD incarnation was on the Music & Arts label). The sound is boxy and somewhat boomy as was typical from NBC studios at the time, but is still amazingly good for its age.  Toscanini was not from the Germanic tradition that slowed down and over-romanticized Beethoven, and thus it was important to him to be true to Beethoven’s intentions as indicated on the score.  What we hear is a fiery performance, with Toscanini’s typical emphasis on crisp ensemble, tempos that are quicker than the norm (not nearly as fast as Beethoven’s unbelievably fast metronome indications, but certainly quicker than other vintage recordings), a clear sense of line and detail, a good dose of lyricism but also a lot of bite in the tutti passages.  The power and precision in louder passages are stunning.  Toscanini never lets up here in a performance that is driven and passionate.  His 1953 Carnegie Hall recording with the NBC Symphony Orchestra, part of his RCA complete set, is also good but lacks the same level of impetus and impact.  I highly recommend this recording.

One of the most lauded recordings of the Eroica, perhaps not surprisingly, comes from the great Wilhelm Furtwangler conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in a recording made in the Musikverein in Vienna in December 1944.  This performance is from Furtwangler’s wartime Beethoven recordings.  As usual, Furtwangler is not captured in good sound (the sound is inferior to the earlier 1939 Toscanini listed above), and the version I have been listening to was issued on the Orfeo label.  It is listenable, but there are other various remasters of the same performance you may find preferable.  Furtwangler got inside Beethoven’s music like no other conductor, and even though he was a proponent of the Wagnerian approach to Beethoven, inserting his own subjectivity, dynamics, speeds, and emotion into the interpretation, the way he did it just instinctively feels right.  In some ways this is the opposite of Toscanini because Furtwangler was definitely an interventionist when it came to Beethoven.  Such is the greatness of the Eroica that both approaches work well.  Furtwangler brings eloquence and grace to the performance, but also a gravity that somewhat defies description.  What Furtwangler understood so well was the ebb and flow of the drama as it unfolds, and he was able to exercise the utmost control over the orchestra.  There is intensity to be sure, but also quite a bit of subtlety and tenderness.  The funeral march alone is an utterance of such nobility as to leave one speechless.

Someone once said to conductor Otto Klemperer that fellow conductor George Szell was “a machine”, to which Klemperer replied “yes but a very good machine!”.  Szell’s 1957 recording of the Eroica with The Cleveland Orchestra for CBS/Columbia is part of his legendary complete set of the Beethoven symphonies, and remains one of the best accounts ever recorded.  Szell’s emphasis on precision pays dividends here, and his spectacular Clevelanders deliver clarity, drive, and vitality in yet another performance that never lets up.  The sound is full and robust, and speeds are on the quicker side (in this sense Szell is associated with Toscanini in my mind).  However, it is the coda in the finale which blows me away every time.  Szell pushes it forward at an incredible pace, and it is astonishing how quickly and accurately the orchestra blazes their way to the finishing notes.  You simply must hear it.                

Regular readers will know Herbert von Karajan is not one of my favorite conductors, but his 1962-63 complete set of the Beethoven symphonies is rightly considered one of the finest sets ever made.  The Eroica from that set, recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra in the Jesus-Christus-Kirche in Berlin in 1962 by the Deutsche Grammophon label, is my favorite of Karajan’s several commercial Eroica recordings.  In my opinion, Karajan was at his best in the 1960s, and while his Beethoven set as a whole brings many fresh insights, this Eroica is actually quite traditional in its vision.  But that is certainly not a bad thing, especially when you have such beautiful playing from the BPO.  At times Karajan’s penchant for creating a beautiful wall of sound compromises on passion and energy.  But where Karajan scores big is with a majestic funeral march that is one of the best I’ve heard, and again in the finale where Karajan brings grandeur and stature.  Furtwangler may plumb the depths more profoundly, but Karajan’s is still a reading of true gravitas with much better sound.

If I had to choose just one Eroica to live with, it would probably be Leonard Bernstein’s account with the New York Philharmonic, recorded in 1964 for CBS/Columbia (now Sony) near the beginning of Bernstein’s permanent tenure with the NYPO.  This is certainly one of my favorite Eroica recordings.  What Bernstein does is take an otherwise fairly traditional reading in terms of tempos, and adds visceral excitement with his control of dynamics and rubato.  The playing has an edge of the seat thrill to it, and Bernstein picks and chooses his spots in which to push forward.  In those spots, this gives a propulsive quality to it, which I tend to prefer over the many rather turgid recordings of the first half of the twentieth-century.  The orchestra has an expansive and full tone, and this is a joy to listen to after hearing several thin sounding historically-informed recordings.  The companion to the symphony is Bernstein’s own lesson titled How a Great Symphony Was Written, which I referenced earlier in this post.  Bernstein was an effective educator as well, and the lesson he gives here on the Eroica is interesting and valuable.  Bernstein’s later account with the Vienna Philharmonic is slower and more indulgent, though it has its merits as well.  But the earlier reading is far preferable with more adrenaline and brio.

We leap ahead in time to 1990 and the Eroica by Nikolaus Harnoncourt and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, recorded by Teldec (now Universal).  Taken from Harnoncourt’s excellent complete Beethoven symphony set, this has long been one of my go-to versions.  Harnoncourt was a pioneer in HIP performance, and here he takes a modern instrument chamber orchestra and has them use some elements of period practice such as little vibrato and quicker tempos. The result is exciting, with braying horns and trumpets, strings and woodwinds that dig into the notes, with the somewhat smaller orchestra sounding lean but certainly powerful when needed.  Harnoncourt not only understands the superstructure of the work, its arc and progression, but he is able to change the sound elicited from the COE from rough and tumble to smooth as silk in a heartbeat.  There is a freshness to his approach even today, and there is no doubt that many other Eroica conductors have taken their inspiration from this version.  There will be those that quibble about the lack of vibrato, especially in the funeral march, and still others find Harnoncourt too interventionist in terms of his tight control and fleet tempos.  I am not among those critics, as I find Harnoncourt’s vision captivating and impressively delivered throughout the symphony.  The sound is very good.

The late German conductor Gunter Wand spent his entire career in German, primarily in Cologne and Hamburg.  The complete Beethoven symphony set he recorded with the North German Radio Symphony of Hamburg for RCA in the late 1980s and early 1990s was critically acclaimed for its straightforward clarity.  However, in terms of the Eroica, I prefer his live 1994 recording with the Deutsches-Symphonie-Orchester Berlin on the Profil label.  Wand was a traditionalist of the German school, and his interpretations of Beethoven changed little over the years.  But this recording has more electricity to it, and even though there is some reverberation in the sound, the performance is crisp and clear.  There is nothing groundbreaking here, just good solid music making that is satisfying and consistent.  There is the story of a reporter asking Wand how he would interpret Beethoven's ninth symphony, whether he would be more like Toscanini or more like Furtwangler.  Wand answered, “Like Beethoven.”

Claudio Abbado was the director of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra from 1989 to 2002, and during that time he recorded a complete Beethoven symphony cycle in 2000 for Deutsche Grammophon.  However, Abbado apparently soon had misgivings or second thoughts about that first set, as he and Deutsche Grammophon decided to record symphonies 1-8 again in February 2001 at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Rome (symphony no. 9 was a “re-edited” version of the same recording from the 2000 set).  It is the Eroica from this later set recorded in Rome that is most recommendable.  By this time in his career, Abbado was incorporating quicker tempos and less vibrato into his Beethoven, and he was certainly being influenced by historically informed performance practices.  The Abbado Eroica from Rome is infused with a lightness of touch and pinpoint articulation, while still retaining the full Berlin Philharmonic sound.  Abbado avoids extremes and the textures and dynamics tread a middle ground between period instrument performances and the old guard such as Karajan and Wand.  There is crispness and precise ensemble from the orchestra which generates a lot of rhythmic buoyancy and excitement.  The acoustic of the Santa Cecilia is warm but not overly resonant, which works quite well here.  The funeral march is sensitively played and maintains a nice flow, and the finale builds to a heroic conclusion.  Abbado and the BPO are never stodgy and boring, and while this Eroica is more “classical” in its proportions, what raises it above the fray is the unbelievable virtuosity of the Berliners.  Impressive.

Estonian-American conductor Paavo Jarvi became the artistic director of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen 2004, and he has made it one of the finest chamber orchestras in the world.  Jarvi recorded the Eroica with the Bremen players in 2005 for RCA (now Sony) as part of an acclaimed complete set of the Beethoven symphonies.  Similar to Harnoncourt and Abbado, Jarvi employs modern instruments with a healthy dose of historically informed performance practices leading to lean textures, sharp accents, and relatively swift tempos.  However, Jarvi proves there is still much more to say about this symphony, especially with regard to the outstanding balance and phrasing Jarvi chooses.  While the virtuosity is impressive, here it is married to a feeling of urgency and passion.  Jarvi marvelously controls the tension, building to powerful but never over-the-top climaxes, while also bringing coaxing extraordinarily sensitive playing from the musicians.  I find this performance even more exciting and viscerally moving than Abbado, and in Jarvi’s hands the symphony sounds genuinely revolutionary.  Recommended.

If I am being honest I find many of the late Mariss Jansons’ recordings rather ordinary.  However, in the case of the Eroica from his fine Beethoven symphony set with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra from Munich, recorded live by BR Klassik in 2012 in the Herkulessaal, Jansons leads a performance of joy and inspiration.  It doesn’t hurt that the recorded sound is outstandingly warm and detailed.  Tempos are somewhat more relaxed and traditional than some other contemporary recordings, but the sound is full and muscular, with crisp attacks and plenty of power in climaxes.  The funeral march moves forward with a consistent pulse, and conveys a sense of grandeur.  Jansons vision is fresh and invigorating, bringing a more fiery approach than usual from this conductor.  There is a feeling of unwavering resolve about the reading, a boldness that is entirely appropriate to the work.  The brass is full and sonorous, and the strings are glorious throughout.  Jansons pays his respect to both the historically informed approach, but also to the Germanic tradition of the past.  Jansons has commented that the Eroica is his favorite symphony, including calling it “transcendental” and “larger than the planet”.  I couldn't agree more.

Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck has been director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra since 2007, and has really taken the orchestra to new heights artistically.  Among the finest recordings he has made with the Pittsburgh band is Beethoven’s Eroica, recorded in 2017 for Reference Recordings.  Like most Reference recordings, the sound is state-of-the-art.  You may see a pattern in the recordings I have chosen, as this one also brings a swift, powerful, and dynamic performance in a style similar to other recent recordings.  Honeck is never less than interesting, and his performances are typically well considered and intelligent.  This is important because Honeck does infuse the performance with his own personality and views.  The result is rather unsentimental in feeling but also unrelenting in power.  That is not to say Honeck is not expressive, but only selectively.  There is some lack of emotional warmth with this approach, but I appreciate the strength and vitality.  The first, third, and fourth movements are driven to be sure, but this serves to emphasize the unique rhythms and harmonies.  

The only real period instrument recording on my list is the one from Francois-Xavier Roth and his adaptable and talented band Les Siecles.  They recorded the Eroica for Harmonia Mundi in 2020.  Roth always has something new to say about the music he conducts, and this is no exception.  First, the sound is balanced and detailed throughout.  The famous opening two chords are played arpeggiated (meaning played in a succession of descending notes), lessening the impact of the two hammer blows, but heralding what is surely to be a different sort of interpretation.  The reading is fresh and spontaneous, and Roth is alert to dynamic contrasts and opportunities to emphasize rhythms and inner detail.  The musicians of Les Siecles are superb.  In the funeral march, Roth accents highs and lows more pointedly than others and again gives keen attention to dynamics.  The result sounds new and different, and while Roth maintains the solemnity of the music, the forward flow is maintained.  The scherzo is lithe and played with thrilling precision, while the finale is attacked with gusto.  Roth’s approach to the variations in the finale brings more insights, as he creates quite a contrast between each.  The final coda leading to the conclusion is exhilarating.  Nothing is taken for granted in this account, and Roth is to be congratulated for bringing his deep scholarship of the score to life.

Last but not least is an Eroica by the British composer and conductor Thomas Ades in a 2020 recording with the Britten Sinfonia on the Signum label.  Part of another complete Beethoven set, not every symphony in the set is equally effective, but the Eroica from the set is my favorite.  Ades leads a grand and noble reading, once again leaning into historically informed practices while using modern instruments.  I must note how well Ades brings out the textural details while alternating between various moods and dynamics.  While the funeral march is perhaps not as emotionally wrenching as some and a bit thin-sounding in places (although the solo oboe is exquisite), the Scherzo and Finale are brought home with tremendous excitement, with Ades hewing quite close to the score in terms of tempo.  Trumpets, horns, and timpani are allowed to blaze wonderfully without blasting us out of our chairs.  The sound is first-rate.  A very enjoyable recording.  

We have reached the end.  I genuinely hope you will find the Eroica symphony as life affirming as I have, and that you find at least one recording among the several listed that you enjoy.

I wish you and your family a very happy Thanksgiving Holiday (in the USA) and wherever you may be that your week will be filled with peace and joy.  Join us next time for #17 on the list, Rachmaninoff’s romantic Piano Concerto no. 2. ____________________________________________________________________

Notes:                                                

Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung, vol. 7, "Vienna, 9 April" (1 May 1805): 501–502, reprinted in translation in Senner et al. vol. 2, p. 17. 

Bernstein, Leonard. How a Great Symphony Was Written. Beethoven: Symphony no. 3 “Eroica”. Bernstein Century. Sony Classical Liner Notes. 1965.

https://www.colinscolumn.com/george-szell-conducts-the-chicago-symphony-orchestra-fritz-reiner-music-director-in-beethovens-fifth-1961/

Dahlhaus, Carl. Ludwig van Beethoven: Approaches to His Music. Clarendon Press, 1991, pp. 23–25.

Della Seta, Fabrizio (2004). Beethoven, sinfonia eroica: une guida. Roma: Carocci editore. ISBN 88-430-3039-6.

Der Freymüthige [de] vol. 3, "Vienna, 17 April 1805" (17 April 1805): 332. Reprinted in translation in Senner, Wayne M.; Wallace, Robin, and Meredith, William, The Critical Reception of Beethoven's Compositions by His German Contemporaries, volume 2 (2001), p. 15.

Grove, George (1896). Beethoven and his Nine Symphonies. Novello and Co. – via IMSLP.

Journal des Lulus und der Modern, vol. 23, "On Permanent Concerts in Leipzig during the Previous Semiannual Winter Season" (1807), reprinted in translation in Senner et al. vol. 2, pp. 35–36.

Lockwood, Lewis, Beethoven's Symphonies – An Artistic Vision (W. W. Norton & Company, New York 2015).

Quinn, John. https://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2014/Aug14/Beethoven_sys_4793442.htm

Prüssen, Eduard (Linolschnitte), Werner Schäfke und Günter Henne (Texte): Kölner Köpfe. 1. Auflage. Univ.- und Stadtbibliothek, Köln 2010, ISBN 978-3-931596-53-8, S. 86.

Ramey, Phillip. Beethoven Symphonies nos. 3 & 8. Sony Classical Liner Notes. The Cleveland Orchestra, George Szell. Pp. 4-5. 1990.

Ries, Ferdinand; Franz Wegeler (1987). Beethoven Remembered: The Biographical Notes of Franz Wegeler and Ferdinand Ries. Translated by Frederick Noonan. Arlington, Virginia: Great Ocean Publishers. p. 69. ISBN 978-0-915556-15-1.

Rolland, Romain (1930). Beethoven. Translated by Hull, B. Constance (7th ed.). London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co. p. 112.

Steinberg, Michael.  Ludwig van Beethoven:  Symphony no. 3 in E-flat major, op. 55, ‘Eroica’. Decca Liner Notes. San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Herbert Blomstedt. Pg. 3. 1990.

Tanner, Michael. https://www.classical-music.com/reviews/orchestral/beethoven-symphonies-nos-1-9

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/aug/04/beethoven-eroica-greatest-symphony-vote-bbc-mozart-mahler

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symphony_No._3_(Beethoven)