An aggregation of eminent musicians volunteered their services for the occasion, sinking their differences in patriotic elation.  Moscheles, already then a great pianist, played the cymbals.  Meyerbeer presided at the big drum.  Spohr took a prominent part, together with Salieri, Romberg and Huemmel.  The fact that Beethoven conducted it indicates that his deafness could not have been so bad at this time.  The concert took place on December 8, and, as may be supposed, was a brilliant success.  It was repeated four days later.  At each performance, the principal event, was, not the Seventh Symphony, but rather the Battle-piece, which, performed by full orchestra for the first time, won loud and frequent applause.

After the second performance Beethoven gave a letter to the public in which he says, “The concert was a rare assemblage of eminent performers, each glad to contribute by his presence and talents something towards the benefit of the country, even to the extent of taking subordinate places in the orchestra where required.  On me devolved the conduct of the whole, because the music was composed by me.  Had it been written by any one else, I would as cheerfully have taken my place at the big drum, for we were all actuated by the feeling of patriotism and the desire to benefit those who had sacrificed so much for us.”

The concert had to be repeated in January and in February following, as patriotism was still the ruling idea with the populace.  At the February concert the Eighth Symphony was on the programme, but in each case the piece de resistance was the Battle Symphony.  It was produced again in March, when Beethoven conducted it, together with the Egmont Overture, at the annual concert for the Theatre-Armenfonds.  The symphony soon found its way to England and enjoyed great popularity there from its connection with Wellington.  It frequently appeared on the programmes under the name of Wellington’s Victory.

The general esteem in which Beethoven was held by the Viennese led to a demand for another hearing of Fidelio, which had been out of sight and mind for eight years.  The libretto was again worked over (this time by Treitschke), and submitted to Beethoven.  The revised form seems to have pleased him at once, although very important changes were made which imposed on him a herculean task.  New music had to be written for certain portions, and the whole rearranged and adapted to the new conditions.  Everything was going Beethoven’s way in these years, which may explain his good-natured acquiescence in these demands.  “Your revision suits me so well,” he wrote Treitschke, “that I have decided once more to rebuild the desolate ruins of an ancient fortress.”  This time the opera was a pronounced success, although alterations and emendations were in order more or less during the entire season.  On July 18, it was performed for Beethoven’s benefit.  Moscheles made a piano arrangement of the score, and must have considered it a great task, as he wrote at the end.