Beethoven and War: Soundtrack to the Napoleonic Conflict

While we do not exactly know Beethoven’s views on war, we know he had a somewhat ambivalent attitude toward Napoleon Bonaparte and his wars across Europe. Initially, he dedicated his Eroica Symphony, Op. 55, to Napoleon. But after learning that Napoleon crowned himself emperor in 1804, he violently erased the dedication from his manuscript. In 1813, the English defeated Bonaparte at the Battle of Vittoria during the Peninsular War. Beethoven composed Wellington’s Victory, Op. 91 to celebrate the English victory. It is an almost cannon shot by cannon shot depiction of a war in short form.

Although Beethoven never normally composed music with war in mind or even made music to commemorate an entire war, there is one oddity (and a symphony) that deserves special attention.

1. Wellington’s Victory, Op. 91

Although some of Beethoven’s works may emulate a war thematically, Wellington’s Victory is the most literal music depiction by Beethoven. Beethoven composed the work in 1813 after a decisive victory at the Battle of Vittoria, in which the English and Portuguese forces won against the French, led by Joseph Bonaparte.

Origin of the Work

It is not clear whether Beethoven ever intended to write such a thematic work. However, Beethoven’s friend Johann Nepomuk Mälzel (inventor of the mechanical metronome) convinced him to compose it. The brief was simple: Maelzel wanted a work he could notate for his invention, the panharmonicon, or mechanical orchestra. The contraption was able to play most of the military band instruments of the day.

Unfortunately, Maelzel’s machine could not accommodate the 100 parts Beethoven scored it for. Neither could he build a panharmonicon large enough. Thus, Beethoven reworked the Siegessimfonie (“Victory Symphony”) for orchestra. He also added a first part and renamed it Wellington’s Victory. The work proved extremely popular and earned Beethoven a substantial income.

How Did Beethoven Portray the Battle of Vittoria in Music? 

In Beethoven’s composition, the music goes to war and each side is represented by a musical idea. Before the musical battle begins, a snare drum introduces a military march followed by the trumpets signaling the approaching English and French sides.

A large battery of percussion instruments is used to depict the war musically: for the muskets, two side drums (englisches/französisches Trommeln in the score), two bass drums (Kanone, or cannons), and ratchets are used. Various other “military” sound effects are used like playing on the side drum’s rim to emulate shots being fired, bass drum emulating cannon shots, and so forth. The percussion section is divided into two sections to simulate the opposing sides on the battlefield.

The work is divided into four parts as will be discussed below.

Part 1: Introductions (Schlacht)

First, you’ll hear the English side, where the orchestra plays Rule Britannia (video) composed by Thomas Arne in 1740. The French are represented by a tune you might recognize as For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow, but it is actually a French folksong, Malbrough s’en va-t-en guerre (“Marlborough has left for the war”).

Part 2: The Battle Commences (Aufforderung — Gegenruft — Schlacht)

In the second part, after both sides have been introduced, a solo trumpet is heard again. Before the battle commences, the French side presents their war cry on the trumpet (at 02:51), followed by an answer from the English (at 03:04).

Finally, the moment both sides have been waiting for. The battle commences (at 03:14) and figuratively, all hell breaks loose. Over the orchestra, the percussion section gets its turn to shine. Two percussion sections or “sides” are tasked with portraying the war. In typical Beethovenian style, the orchestra takes a meandering journey through major to minor key signatures while the war rages in the percussion section.

Part 3: The Troops Charge Forward (Sturmmarsch)

When the audience thought the worst was over, Beethoven surprised them with an epic combination of side drums supported by the strings emulating troops storming over the battlefield (at 05:11).

The cannon shots are frequent, the music is restless with a heroic quality. The troops are in the middle of a full-blown war. Upward surges in the orchestra add to the drama. The music intensifies and war wages on the stage. Toward the end of this part (at 06:51) the orchestra calms down. It is almost as if to evoke a feeling of hopelessness in the listener or to provide a moment to contemplate the horrors of war.

These three parts make up the first part; Beethoven added to the “Victory Symphony” when he reworked the composition for orchestra.

Part 4: The (Miniature) Victory Symphony (Sieges-Symphonie)

Considering the title of the Victory Symphony, we could say that Beethoven composed a “miniature” symphony. The introduction (at 07:35) serves to introduce the victorious feeling the work is portraying leading to the first movement (Allegro con brio at 07:57). God Save the King might be considered the slow, second movement (at 09:13). Rather than quoting the English national anthem and ending the composition, Beethoven composes variations on the theme of God Save the King taking the listener on a musical journey. The third movement (at 09:52) comprises a Minuet and Trio, finally giving way to the last movement, which is introduced by a solo melody in the first violins (at 12:14).

While Beethoven broke the mold with his Eroica symphony by expanding the form to new heights, here he presents a miniature symphony without clear demarcations in around seven minutes. He further shows off his mastery of orchestral writing by ending the work in the “final” movement with an intricate fugue based on snippets from the English national anthem.

Beethoven admired Napoleon Bonaparte and the ideals he represented after the French Revolution and his coup in 1899. The idea that all men are equal and brothers as well as liberty for all, as espoused by Napoleon Bonaparte, resonated with Beethoven’s feelings toward the nobility. Although when Beethoven needed money, he was quick to cozy up to his patrons, who were incidentally in the noble classes. However, he wanted to be regarded and treated as their equal and not a servant in their employ. It is safe to assume that Beethoven had an ambivalent attitude towards the nobility, who helped him to afford his lifestyle and compose music freely.

Initially, the work was a celebration of Napoleon’s life and achievements. Beethoven drew many parallels between himself and Napoleon: both came from humble backgrounds, both achieved greatness in new cities, and they were the same height.

However, Beethoven heard about Napoleon crowning himself as the emperor of France (in Napoleon’s propaganda machine’s words: Emperor of the French). In a fit of rage, he scratched Bonaparte’s name from the manuscript score and named it the Eroica or Heroic Symphony. To add insult to injury, Beethoven’s beloved Vienna was at war with France on two occasions in 1805 and 1809. This certainly did not endear Napoleon to Beethoven.

The ideals of the French Revolution and Bonaparte’s series of wars across Europe did little to salvage his opinion.

Beethoven and Napoleon: Beethoven’s Internal War

To say that Beethoven had a fraught relationship with Napoleon Bonaparte in his innermost being might be an understatement. The published Eroica score simply stated that it was “composed to celebrate the remembrance of a great man.” Scholars and enthusiasts have speculated that the “great man” could have been Bonaparte, others, say it is Beethoven himself because the symphony was started shortly after the Heiligenstadt Testament in which he expresses his dismay with losing his hearing and contemplating suicide. One could say that the symphony is a testament to his (and other’s overcoming difficulties) perseverance in the face of personal adversity.

Beethoven’s opinion of Napoleon probably further soured when he invaded Vienna in November 1805. Four years later, the French under Napoleon invaded Vienna a second time in May 1809. During the second occupation, Beethoven fled from his apartment and hid away in his brother’s basement. To protect what was left of his hearing (he was completely deaf by the time he was 44) he tied pillows to his head to shield his ears from the sounds of the bombardment.

One might go so far as to say that Wellington’s Victory is Beethoven’s tongue-in-the-cheek musical joke at Napoleon Bonaparte’s expense. We can only speculate how Beethoven felt about war. Considering that he hid away during the second French occupation of Vienna and tried to protect his hearing from the bombardment outside, he was probably not a great admirer of war. Or the noise that goes with it. Wellington’s Victory is not regarded today as one of Beethoven’s finest compositions but it gives us a glimpse into the great composer’s mind.