Eroica Symphony

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Eroica Symphony (Sinfonia Eroica). Sym. No.3 in E♭ major, Op.55, by Beethoven, comp. 1803–4, f.p. 1804, f.pub.p. 1805. Orig. called Bonaparte, this title being erased by Beethoven on hearing that Napoleon had proclaimed himself emperor. On publication it bore the title Sinfonia Eroica, composta per festeggiare il Sovvenire di un grand Uomo (Heroic Symphony, composed to celebrate the memory of a great man). Finale is set of variations on theme taken from Beethoven's ballet Die Geschöpfe des Prometheus (1801).