Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 1 in C major, Op. 21, premieres at the Burgtheater, in Vienna, on April 2, 1800.

It is not known exactly when Beethoven finished writing this work, but sketches of the finale will be found to be from 1795.

Dedicated to Baron Gottfried van Swieten, an early patron of the composer, the symphony is clearly indebted to Beethoven's predecessors, particularly his teacher Joseph Haydn as well as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but nonetheless has characteristics that mark it uniquely as Beethoven's work, notably the frequent use of sforzandi and the prominent, more independent use of wind instruments.

Sketches for the finale are found among the exercises Beethoven wrote while studying counterpoint under Johann Georg Albrechtsberger in the spring of 1797.