Symphony no. 1 (C major) op. 21

Beethoven's First Symphony was premièred in Viennas Hoftheater (Burgtheater) on 2 April 1800 during his first academy, together with a Mozart symphony, arias from Haydn's Creation, a Beethoven piano concerto (probably op. 15) and his Septet op. 20. He may even have composed the symphony specifically for this occasion.

Unlike many of his later works, there is no written evidence for the genesis of the First Symphony, for neither a complete autograph score nor sketches have survived (a complete sketchbook from this period is probably lost). As we know from his extant sketches, Beethoven had already worked on a symphony in C major in Vienna in 1795-96. This first attempt came to nothing, however, and when he again began work on a C-major symphony several years later he surprisingly ignored the material from his first attempt and started afresh. All he used from the previous attempt was the opening of the rondo theme from the finale.

Initially the symphony was meant to be dedicated to Beethoven's first great patron, supporter and employer, Maximilian Franz, Elector of Cologne, who resided in Bonn. Recognizing the boy's potential, he awarded him a travel grant in late 1792 and sent him to study with Haydn in Vienna. Beethoven regularly received money from the Bonn archbishop until 1794. When the French troops occupying the Rhineland secularized the archbishop's court, Beethoven's former position vanished and his return to Bonn became unfeasible. By then, however, he was already so successful in Vienna that he no longer needed the archbishop's support. Yet he remained grateful to his patron, as is shown by the dedication of his first large-scale orchestral work. In June 1801 he informed the publisher Franz Anton Hoffmeister in Leipzig about the dedication for the original edition. However, the unexpected death of Max Franz on 27 July 1801 made this dedication unnecessary, and Beethoven finally decided to dedicate the piece to Baron van Swieten. The first edition of the symphony probably appeared in November 1801. (J.R.)