1、Workbook,Unit 1,Reading task,Ludwig van Beethoven, a major composer of the nineteenth century, overcame many personal problems to achieve artistic greatness.,A Good Master Remembered,Reading,1 Read the passage and discuss the questions in pairs. Then get together with another pair and compare your a
2、nswers.,In what ways does the servant admire Beethoven?,He admires his persistence 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 bein
3、g a concert pianist and concentrate on composing music. It affected him musically 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 pi
4、anist.,4 What would you concentrate on if you were to go deaf?,5 Many people were frightened whenthey 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 hi
5、s hair or wear appropriate clothes.,Listening Task,Read these phrases before listening 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 _Fi
6、fth Symphony, Third Movement,第五交响曲,第九交响曲,“命运”交响曲,月光奏鸣曲,“田园”交响曲,“圣诞”交响曲,2 Listen a second time and fill in the chart.,No 5,His attitude to his problem of deafness,No 9,No 6,Love of nature,Hope and joy,HOW BEETHOVEN USED HIS DEAFNESS TO MAKE GREAT MUSIC In 1802 Beethoven became very upset when he real
7、ized 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 where,Listening Text,these powerful feelings were expressed. In the first movement Beethoven introduces a strong beat,
8、which is repeated 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 i
9、nto something much 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 hi
10、s music. On many occasions 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
11、 most popular compositions. ( Extract 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 most emotional music. Hi
12、s ninth and last symphony,called the choral 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 p
13、iano are personal and gentle. So we will finish with one of his best-loved piano pieces, the Moonlight Sonata. The first movement describes a peaceful,quiet and beautiful moonlight night when all troubles have disappeared and only the beauty of nature remains. (Complete Moonlight Sonata),Many people
14、 think that Beethoven was always a genius. Other people think he would never have been such a great composer but for his deafness.,Speaking task,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
15、 class debate.Use the ideas and examples you have collected to help you with your arguments.,Beethovens life Born: 1770 Died:1827 Career: 1795: already an important pianist, teacher of music, composer, and giver of concerts 1798: deafness began to interfere 1802: concentrated only on composing 1817:
16、 totally deaf 1823: last symphony composed,S1: Do you think Beethoven was 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 a,Sample discussion,already a famous pianist and he did
17、do some composing. But his composing was not the most important part of his work 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. I
18、t doesnt mean he wasnt born a genius - it just means he did not develop that skill fully 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 expr
19、ess his emotions in music that made him a genius. That was the result of circumstances.,S1: Of course 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
20、 we?,Write a newspaper article putting forward your point of view about Beethoven. Remember to:,Writing task,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 id
21、ea a new paragraph and set out a reason for each;,* finish by repeating what you said in the first paragraph. 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 expressions,My
22、idea of a genius is someone who has a great talent but must develop this talent through hard work until it become good enough to produce the work of a genius.,Sample writing,WHAT MAKES BEETHOVEN A GENIUS,Beethoven was certainly a man like that. He had great talents as acomposer of music. He played t
23、he piano and was a famous pianist of his day. He had also already begun to compose before he became deaf. His deafness forced him to concentrate on his composing and that produced some very profound and important music. It made him into a real genius.,The perseverance of Beethoven in the face of his
24、 deafness made him into a composer far more important than he would have been without it. Indeed it has been suggested 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.,Project,Victor Hugo is one of the most fa
25、mous French writers of the nineteenthcentury. He wrote novels,poems, and plays. He was as important to French literature in the nineteenth century as Shakespeare is to English literature in the sixteenth century.,Victor Hugo (1802-1885),He was very involved in the politics of his day and wrote many
26、stories showing bow difficult life was for poor people in France at that time. His most famous books are Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.,Christopher Reeve (1952-2004),He was an actor in films and became famous when he played Superman in a seriesof films about that cartooncharacter. H
27、owever, disaster struck when he fell off his horse and became paralyzed from the neck down.,He bravely tried to cope with his illness and to help others with the same condition. He gave money for research into his condition but although he improved, Christopher Reeve was never able to walk or take p
28、art in films as an ordinary actor again.,Sima Qian (about 145 BC-87 BC),Sima Qian was one of the first imperial historians who triedto write a comprehensive history of China. He collecteddocuments of people who had worked for earlier emperors and reported their conclusions. He showed that there can
29、be two interpretations of the same,Reign when he reported two different ideas about the methods and achievements of Emperor Qin.Eventually he offended the Han Emperor Wu when he supported a disgraced general. For this offence he was punished and disgraced. Instead of committing suicide to save his h
30、onour, Sima Qian continued his work on the history of China. His writings have been invaluable for later scholars.,Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890),Vincent van Gogh was Dutch but lived most of his adult life in France. He became a painter and met many important Impressionist painters such as Monet and P
31、issaro. He had a very difficult personality which made it difficult for him to get on with others.,He cut off the lower half of his left ear and give to a prostitute. As he grew older Vincent became more and more odd and he put all his feelings and emotions into his paintings. He used intense colour
32、s and violent brushstrokes to make his paintings very powerful and emotional.,Yet he only sold one painting in his lifetime. Nevertheless, he bas become one of the most important of the Post-Impressionist painters.,Frederic Chopin ( 1810-1849),Chopin grew up in Warsaw, Poland but moved to France in
33、1831. He lived there for the rest of his life. He was a very gifted pianist who earned his living as a performer and teacher.,However he was also a talented composer and wrote many important ballades and rondos for the piano. His ambitious style of playing and composition influenced many other composers such as Debussy, Liszt, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov. He died of tuberculosis (TB) when he was at the height of his fame.,Homework,1. Write an article on the research of you own about the five peopleon page 58, Workbook.Review the whole unit and check your studies.,
