He himself thought it was his most important symphony: Inspired by the spirit of the French Revolution and the composer’s admiration of Napoleon, Beethoven originally wanted to title his third Symphony “Buonaparte”. Disappointed that Napoleon had proclaimed himself Emperor, Beethoven withdrew the dedication. Uniting the strains of French Revolutionary music with typically Beethovenian depth of sound and Bachian mastery of form, the Eroica remains Beethoven’s moving expression of a German vision of liberty, equality and brotherhood.