Beethoven composed Wellington’s Victory, or the Battle of Vitoria on the occasion of Duke Wellington’s victory during the Napoleonic wars in Victoria in northern Spain. The idea had come from Johann NepomukMälzel, inventor of the metronome, among other things, who imagined the work to be performed on a mechanical instrument of his invention, the panharmonicon. Beethoven added an introduction and a battle scene to the original piece and premi?redthe work with great success on 12 December 1813. The orchestra of Wellington’s Victory involves six trumpets, a formidable percussion group, as well as artillery effects, cannon and rifle shots. At the start of the work the British Army’s trumpet call is played from one side of the podium, then the British patriotic song “Rule Britannia”. The same is repeated from the French side, who respond with the French folk song “Marlborough s’enva-t-en guerre”. Next, we hear the French and the British trumpet calls to war and the battle begins in a shocking naturalistic fashion. The second part, the Victory Symphony features a short introduction, followed by “God save the King” which Beethoven transforms into a fast and brilliant coda.