1、Reading task and writingWorkbook P55A Good Master RememberedLudwig van Beethoven,a major composer of the nineteenth century,overcame many personal problems to achieve artistic greatness.Read the passage and discuss the questions:1 In what ways does the servant admire Beethoven?He admires his persist
2、ence in composing and the way be included his feelings about his deafness into his music.2 Give two examples of how Beethovens deafness affected him.Beethovens deafness affected him personally because he had to stop being a concert pianist and concentrate on composing music.It affected him musically
3、 because he was able to use his emotions in his music and write even greater music.3 What might Beethoven have done if he had net gone deaf?If he had not gone deaf,Beethoven would still have been famous as a great pianist.4 What would you concentrate on if you were to go deaf?5 Many people were frig
4、htened when they first met Beethoven.Why?His moods were changeable and could grow wild and angry.He sometimes appeared like a wild man.In addition he was often so involved in his music that he forgot to brush his hair or wear appropriate clothes.Listening Task on P561 Read these phrases before liste
5、ning to the tape for the first time.Tick them if you hear them mentioned._Fifth Symphony,First Movement _Choral Symphony_Ninth Symphony _Pastoral Symphony _Fate Symphony_Sunlight Sonata _Moonlight Sonata _Fifth Symphony,Third Movement第五交响曲第五交响曲 第九交响曲第九交响曲“命运命运”交响曲交响曲 月光奏鸣曲月光奏鸣曲“田园田园”交响曲交响曲“圣诞圣诞”交响曲交
6、响曲2 Listen a second time and fill in the chart.Symphony numberNickname What it is aboutFate SymphonyNo 5His attitude to his problem of deafness Pastoral SymphonyChoral SymphonyNo 9No6Love of nature Hope and joy HOW BEETHOVEN USED HIS DEAFNESS TO MAKE GREAT MUSICIn 1802 Beethoven became very upset wh
7、en he realized that he would never hear accurately again.Because he was unable to share his feelings with others,he poured all his feelings into his music.His fifth symphony was the first wherethese powerful feelings were expressed.In the first movement Beethoven introduces a strong beat,which is re
8、peated to make a rhythm,it has been described as“fate knocking at the doer”.It shows Beethovens attitude to his problem of deafness.(Extract of music from fifth symphony first movement)But his mood changes as the symphony continues.In the third movement his despair was transformed into something muc
9、h more exciting and challenging.It is as if he was refusing to be defeated by his deafness.Listen to the power of the music.(Extract from fifth symphony third movement)Beethovens love of nature was well-known.The countryside calmed and relaxed him and also found its way into his music.On many occasi
10、ons when he was struggling to finish a piece of music he would go for a long walk to sort out his ideas.He described this as working while he walked.These walks found their way in his sixth symphony,called the Pastoral symphony or countryside symphony,which is one of his most popular compositions.(E
11、xtract from the pastoral symphony)After 1812 his hearing became so bad that he became severely upset.Maybe he felt that nothing good would happen to him again.His musical output almost stopped.But strangely enough,this produced some of his mostemotional music.His ninth and last symphony,called the c
12、horal symphony,was his greatest composition.He used a poem by a German poet to express his feelings of hope and joy.(Extract from last movement of Beethovens ninth symphony)But Beethovens music was not always grand and important.Many of his pieces for the piano are personal and gentle.So we will fin
13、ish with one of his best-loved piano pieces,the Moonlight Sonata.The first movement describes a peaceful,quiet and beautiful moonlight nightwhen all troubles have disappeared and only the beauty of nature remains.(Complete Moonlight Sonata)SPEAKING TASKMany people think that Beethoven was always a g
14、enius.Other people think he would never have been such a great composer but for his deafness.Step 1:In pairs discuss:whether you think a genius is born or is made by circumstances;whether you think adversity makes one wise or not.Step 2:Have a class debate.Use the ideas and examples you have collect
15、ed to help you with your arguments.Beethovens life Born:1770 Died:1827Career:1795:already an important pianist,teacher of music,composer,and giver of concerts1798:deafness began to interfere1802:concentrated only on composing1817:totally deaf1823:last symphony composed S1:Do you think Beethoven was
16、always have been a genius or was he made into one by circumstances?S2:I think he was always a great musician.Lets look at his life before he went deaf.He was already aSample discussionalready a famous pianist and he did do some composing.But his composing was not the most important part of his work
17、before he became deaf.So I think circumstances made him a great composer.S1:Yes,but I suppose he must always have had it in him to be a great composer and the deafness gave him an opportunity to concentrate on it.It doesnt mean he wasnt born a genius-it just means he did not develop that skill fully
18、 at first.S2:OK.What other evidence is there?His compositions were good but not outstanding until the Fifth Symphony when be put all his feelings about his deafness into his music.It was this ability to express his emotions in music that made him a genius.That was the result of circumstances.S1:Of c
19、ourse youre right but his compositions were already well-known.He had the ability.Concentrating on it made it greater.Thats all.Anyway lets hear what the others have to say in the class debate,shall we?WRITING TASK Write a newspaper article putting forward your point of view about Beethoven.Remember
20、 to:*begin by describing your idea of a genius;*collect your ideas about whether Beethoven fits this description or whether he became a genius as a response to disaster in his life.Make each idea a new paragraph and set out a reason for each;*finish by repeating what you said in the first paragraph.
21、Make it clear whether you believe Beethoven showed perseverance to become a genius in the face of terrible difficulties or whether he was a born genius.Some useful words and expressionsDescribing the effect of deafnessDescribing the effect of composinglonely alone isolated differentawkward strange s
22、cared terrifieddesperate perseverant relief calm release successconquering concentrating overcoming demonstrating showing accepting Sample writingWHAT MAKES BEETHOVEN A GENIUSMy idea of a genius is someone who has a great talent but must develop this talent through hard work until it become good eno
23、ugh to produce the work of a genius.Beethoven was certainly a man like that.He had great talents as a composer of music.He played the piano and was a famous pianist of his day.He had also already begun to compose before hebecame deaf.His deafness forced him to concentrate on his composing and that p
24、roduced some very profound and important music.It made him into a real genius.The perseverance of Beethoven in the face of his deafness made him into a composer far more important than he would have been without it.Indeed it has beensuggested that his terrible difficulties pushed him into becoming a genius.I would agree with that and so I suggest that geniuses are made not born.HOMEWORK1.Write an article on the research of you own about the five people on page 58,Workbook.2.Review the whole unit and check your studies.
