Have solution in today's Guardian, but don't understand why the answer to "E 1" was EROICA. I get the "1" bit, as 1 down was SYMPHONY, but why "E"? Similarly, why was PASTORAL "O" and CHORAL "N"?
These were all BeEthOveN symphonies.
E - 3rd letter of Beethoven leads to 3rd symphony - Eroica
O - 6th letter > 6th symphony >Pastoral
N - 9th letter >>Choral
Kettledrum, I'm awestruck, what a tortuous brain you must have (like Paul's). There was absolutely nothing in the clue that suggested linking the order of letters in Beethoven to the initials of the same symphony order...........but well done ! And tthanks.
Sorry, netkey! It looks like I'm trying to steal your thunder, but I've been away for a week and missed your MUCH EARLIER post. I agree with Green-eyed worm that Paul has a very tortuous mind...sometimes it's a question of making a guess at the answers and then working out the justification afterwards, which I think is what I did in this case. A week is a long time in crosswords!