With his Third Symphony, Ludwig van Beethoven expanded the idea of what a symphony could be. The "Eroica" was longer and more intense than a traditional symphony and called for a larger orchestra.
The man who helped inspire the symphony? Napoleon Bonaparte, a leader whose vision initially captivated Beethoven. Then Napoleon crowned himself emperor, and a disgusted Beethoven responded by dedicating the finished piece to "the memory of a great man."
Watch a performance
Here's the Berlin Philharmonic and conductor Leonard Bernstein playing Symphony No. 3: