The Fifth's Trombones

Returning to the subject of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony for a moment, another of the noteworthy aspects of the piece is the fact that in the fourth movement, Beethoven adds several instruments to the orchestral mix that don’t play in the first three movements: a piccolo, a contrabassoon, and three trombones. Many reference books say that Beethoven’s Fifth was the first symphony to feature trombones. It certainly is the first symphonic work still in the standard repertoire to include trombones, and it may have been the first such work performed publicly. But there was one slightly earlier symphony with trombones that likely beat Beethoven to the punch by several months: the Symphony in E-flat major by Swedish composer Joachim Nikolas Eggert (1779-1813). Eggert’s active composing career lasted barely a decade before his death of tuberculosis at age 34. But his catalog of works – including two operas, nine string quartets, a number of ceremonial cantatas, and four completed symphonies – had a fairly significant effect on the development of Swedish music.

The third of those four symphonies, which features a trio of trombones, was completed sometime in April or May 1807, as Beethoven was hard at work on the Fifth. On May 4, 1807 Eggert presented the score of the E-flat major Symphony to the Swedish Royal Academy of Music, a token of appreciation for having elected him as a new member. Ten days after that the Swedish Royal Court Orchestra presented an all-Eggert concert, led by the composer himself – Eggert’s public debut as a conductor – at which two of his symphonies was performed. There is some debate as to which of his symphonies were heard, but chances are good that the E-flat Symphony was one of them. Therefore his work was heard by an audience fully eighteen months before Beethoven’s Fifth.

Some of the above information came from this page, which provides much more information on Eggert and the trombone question.