This music , written in 1809-1810 (during the Napoleonic Wars) by Beethoven, is the introductory part of the incident music for the play "Egmont" by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The play is a political manifesto for freedom and justice by describing the life and heroism of a Flemish nobleman, Count of Egmont, who refused to accept oppression by the Spanish invader, fought for independence and died as a martyr for liberty. The play ends on the hero's last call for independence.
Beethoven, who was an admirer of Goethe, composed this piece during the Napoleonic wars and was very personally involved with the story. Firstly, because the play was about the land of his beloved grandfather. Secondly, because his political ideals were against oppression and he had publicly expressed his outrage over Bonaparte's decision to crown himself emperor in 1809. Therefore, through his music Beethoven praised the bravery of a man who sacrificed his life in his fight for independence. Count Egmont had to be remembered for fighting for human freedom and his martyrdom.
The music has a slow opening, depicting the oppression of the Spanish rule. Listen carefully to the music to find the clues of the story: the deep strings reflect the Spanish judges prosecuting the Count, the plaintive winds express the Count's wife who asks for mercy for her husband, the powerful brass illustrate the verdict of "guilty" for the Count, the first violins show the final pleading and then a abrupt fall in the notes in the first and second violins show the executioner's sword killing the Count. But the ending is the most surprising: Goethe had asked Beethoven that the ending not be sorrowful, so the tension of the melody builds up at the end to illustrate that Count Egmont's spirit and struggle survive and become a beacon of light and hope for the next generations. A music full of ideals and optimism!