demusic1-3, Exercise 3: Testing a Beethoven story

Model answer (one possible choice: the withdrawn dedication of the Eroica to Napoleon; check):

The story: Beethoven admired Napoleon and meant to dedicate the Third Symphony to him, then tore up the title page in anger when Napoleon declared himself emperor in 1804.

What to check:
1. The earliest source of the story. It is usually traced to Beethoven's pupil Ferdinand Ries, writing years later (check). A story told long after the event is weaker evidence.
2. The surviving manuscript. The copyist's title page exists, with a scratched-out name (check), which supports part of the story but does not give the reason.
3. Beethoven's own letters and the published title, "to celebrate the memory of a great man", for what they say about his later view.
4. Modern biographies, to see how far scholars accept, qualify or reject the account.

Likely conclusion: partly documented (a dedication was changed), partly claimed (the dramatic reason and moment).