Volume 206: Beethoven’s 3rd

Liner Notes

We pull out the second record from this seven disk box set. This one is filled with an incredible performance of a long piece of music from an incredible composer.

The Reader’s Digest liner notes for this seven record box set starts off “the nineteenth century was just opening in Vienna when the fist of an implacable genius knocked like destiny upon the doors of music.”

They were, of course, talking about the immortal Ludwig Van Beethoven. His symphonies live on in performances to this very day.

So, get ready to hear the man who is said to have set music free in Volume 206: Beethoven’s 3rd.

Video Intro

Listen here or on my PodBean Podcast Episode page:

You can check out the video version here or on YouTube:

Credits and Copyrights:

See information from the Discogs.com page here

Beethoven, René Leibowitz, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Beecham Choral Society – The Nine Symphonies Of Beethoven
Label: Reader’s Digest – RD 4-6, RCA Custom – RD 4-6 (1-7)
Format: 7 x Vinyl, LP Box Set
Released: 1966
Genre: Classical
Style: Romantic, Choral

Disk two of this 7 record set is all the third symphony

We will hear 3 of the 4 movements.

First Movement – Allegro Con Brio
Second Movement – Marcia Funebre: Adagio Assai
Fourth Movement – Allegro Molto; Poco Andante; Presto

I do not own the rights to this music. ASCAP, BMI licenses provided by third-party platforms for music that is not under Public Domain.

#beethoven #beethovens3rd #romanticera

Here is the Episode Script!

Thanks sweetie and thank YOU for tuning into episode 206 of Spinning My Dad’s Vinyl.

We pull out the second record from this seven disk box set. This one is filled with an incredible performance of a long piece of music from an incredible composer.

The Reader’s Digest liner notes for this seven record box set starts off…quote…the nineteenth century was just opening in Vienna when the fist of an implacable genius knocked like destiny upon the doors of music. unquote.

They were, of course, talking about the immortal Ludwig Van Beethoven. His symphonies live on in performances to this very day.

So, get ready to hear the man who is said to have set music free in Volume 206: Beethoven’s 3rd.

[Music: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 In E-Flat Major, Op. 55, First Movement – Allegro Con Brio]

The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and The Beecham Choral Society under the direction of René Leibowitz with the First Movement – Allegro Con Brio of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 In E-Flat Major, Op. 55 (“also known as Eroica”)

That was a mouthful.

Beethoven’s *Symphony No. 3, is one of the most groundbreaking works in Western classical music. Completed in 1804, it marked a dramatic shift from the classical traditions of Haydn and Mozart into the bold, emotive terrain of Romanticism. The symphony’s grand scale, emotional depth, and innovative structure, such as the extended development of themes in the first movement and the profound funeral march in the second, were revolutionary at the time.

Ok…Why this record for this episode?

This is one of those box sets I kept missing, and I have no real excuse other than I was enjoying the jazz and other types of music my dad collected. Plus it’s tough to play some of these classical recordings and break them up into anything that makes sense. I had almost forgotten about this set.

But I’m glad I stumbled upon it when I was doing my planning for this season. Because we are now on to record two. These are great recordings. And I’ve been enjoying listening to them as I continue to digitize them. I’m excited about the two episodes from this box set we’ll listen to next year.

But because the movements from the third symphony are really long, I’m only breaking twice.

So now let me tell you about my dad’s vinyl I am spinning for this episode.

Beethoven, René Leibowitz, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Beecham Choral Society – The Nine Symphonies Of Beethoven
Label: Reader’s Digest – RD 4-6
Format: 7 x Vinyl, LP Box Set
Released: 1966
Genre: Classical
Style: Romantic, Choral

There are extensive liner notes inside the front cover of the box set. There is a very extensive 20-page booklet included with the set.

I want to read one paragraph from that booklet.

The origin of the title Eroica, the Heroic Symphony, constitutes one of the best known of musical anecdotes. The tale happens to be true, to boot. At the beginning of Napoleon Bonapart’s career, when he was still first consul, Beethoven conceived an inordinate admiration for the Corsican. He likened him to the consuls of ancient Rome. He envisaged Napoleon as a benefactor of mankind, courageous enough to strike a blow full in the face of tyranny. But when, in 1804, Bonaparte accepted the title of Emperor and had himself crowned, Beethoven was outraged to the very core of his Democratic heart by what he considered a betrayal of the rights of man. He had just completed the manuscript of a symphony. Now he tore the title page bearing the dedication to Bonaparte. When the work was published the title had been changed to read: quote heroic symphony, for the celebration of the memory of a great man. Unquote.
It is said that Beethoven never again could bring himself to pronounce Napoleon’s name. When, many years later, he heard of The Emperor’s death at St Helena, he is supposed to have remarked, quote I composed the proper music for this catastrophe. unquote

There’s an example of the mix of music and politics from all those years ago.

Let’s see what prices this record is being sold at on discogs dot com.

$59.99 High
$10.00 Low

$29.92 Average
$25.00 Median

Last sold on Aug 24, 2024 for 30 bucks

I found several on eBay from 20 bucks through 69 and then 160 and then one at 380 dollars.

Amazon had copies from 30 to 70 dollars.

My dads’ records in this set are in fair condition. Not as much crackle and pop as I expected. It does get in the way of some of the quiet bits, but it’s not too bad.

The surface is really clean and for the most part scratch free. The records are protected in a quality thick paper sleeve.

The box is in fair to poor condition. Quite a lot of severe wear along the wide edge of the box set. Beethoven’s head shot is in blue and it looks as if it was lifted off a 20 dollar bill. There is also a scrape in it that looks like tape had been applied and then lifted. The back is still pretty white.

The internal booklet is in good condition and contains so much information that. Other than the snippet I just read, I’m not using it because it would REALLY take forever to get through this episode.

So I’ll value my dad’s vinyl at 10 bucks.

Now onto the second movement.

[Music: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 In E-Flat Major, Op. 55, Second Movement – Marcia Funebre: Adagio Assai]

Second Movement – Marcia Funebre: Adagio Assai

Critics from Beethoven’s time were often divided over this symphony. Some admired its ambition and power, while others found it overwhelming and chaotic. A reviewer described it as “a very long, daring, and difficult composition,” suggesting that audiences accustomed to more straightforward works struggled with its complexity. The symphony was undeniably polarizing but gained respect as it grew familiar to listeners over time. Today, critics universally regard the *Eroica* as a masterpiece, praising it as a turning point not only in Beethoven’s career but in music history itself. It set the stage for the large-scale symphonies of later Romantic composers like Brahms and Mahler.

Time now for this episode’s interesting side note and it has to do with the word opus you hear me throw around when I feature classical music on this show. And I’m not talking about the penguin from Bloom County.

In music, opus (which means “work” in Latin) is a way to organize and label a composer’s musical pieces. It started in the 17th century as a system to help keep track of all the works a composer created. Back then, composers were writing so much music that it could be hard to keep things in order, so they would number their pieces with “Op.” followed by a number, like “Op. 1” for their first published work. This helped musicians and publishers know which pieces came first and made it easier to organize their music.

However, opus numbers aren’t always in the order the music was written. Sometimes, a composer wrote a piece and didn’t publish it right away or had it published later in a collection. Other times, older works were assigned opus numbers after the composer had already moved on to writing newer ones. Because of this, the opus numbers don’t always tell you the exact order the music was composed, but they’re still a helpful way to identify each piece.
I’m now more confused than ever.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this episode as much as I enjoyed bringing it to you.

Of course, I’m mostly familiar with the fifth and ninth symphonies from Beethoven. We didn’t play much of the Long-haired music as people called it, while in the symphonic band.

I have seen Beethoven’s music performed by professionals. I saw the Cleveland Orchestra in the beautiful Severance Hall perform Shubert’s third and Beethoven’s Fifth this past February. I was so mesmerized by the fifth I didn’t realize 23 minutes had passed when those final notes hit and everyone started applauding.

It was everything I had hoped it would be.

I don’t remember this box set being around the house when growing up. But like I’ve said before, we kept finding stacks of albums in storage areas that hadn’t been visited in decades when we cleaned out my parents’ house.

OK…We are skipping the third, so now let’s move onto the concluding movement to this symphony.

[Music: Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 In E-Flat Major, Op. 55, Fourth Movement – Allegro Molto; Poco Andante; Presto]

Fourth Movement of Beethoven’s third symphony – Allegro Molto; Poco Andante; Presto performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and The Beecham Choral Society under the direction of René Leibowitz

Modern scholars and audiences celebrate the *Eh-RO-ih-KA* for its profound emotional impact and innovative qualities. Its themes of heroism, struggle, and triumph resonate universally, while its compositional techniques have influenced generations of musicians. Critics often highlight its ability to push boundaries without losing coherence, viewing it as a testament to Beethoven’s genius and a defining work of the Romantic era. The *Eroica* remains a cornerstone of the symphonic repertoire, continuing to inspire and challenge listeners with its bold vision and timeless humanity.

And there you have selections from the third symphony of one of, if not the greatest composer of all time. You’ll be hearing 4, 5 and 6 next year.

So thanks for tuning into Volume 206: Beethoven’s 3rd

however you did. If you want more information about this SHOW, head over to spinning my dad’s vinyl dot com.

I’ll be back next week with all my skips, scratches, and pops

FOR Volume 207: Good Country Record 1

Until then,
Go with the flow my friends.