Name of symphony by beethoven biography

Symphony No.8 in F Major (1812)

Beethoven’s Symphony No.8 is more light-hearted than many in the canon, and the composer himself referred to it fondly as “my little Symphony in F”, to distinguish it from the Sixth Symphony, which was also in F Major.

The work doesn’t have a dedication, and didn’t take long for Beethoven to complete; just four months.

It didn’t go down particularly that well at its premiere, either, if the critic who wrote the following account is to be believed: “The applause it received was not accompanied by that enthusiasm which distinguishes a work which gives universal delight; in short… it did not create a furor.”

Apparently Beethoven’s pupil Carl Czerny asked the composer why the Eighth Symphony wasn’t as popular as the Seventh before it, and Beethoven responded that it’s because it’s actually a better work.

Critics since have had nice things to say about the symphony, including writer and co