Classical Music Ludwig Van Beethoven

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1 Non-fiction: Classical Music Ludwig Van Beethoven Classical Music Ludwig Van Beethoven When Beethoven met Mozart in Vienna in 1787, Mozart said, You will make a big noise in the world. Mozart was right. Today Beethoven is known as one of the best composers of all time. Some of his most famous pieces are his Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, Fur Elise, and the Moonlight Sonata. See if your teacher can play these pieces of music for you. Ludwig Van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany on December 16, Beethoven had a big temper. He wasn t mad all of the time; he was just moody. 1 He would explode at someone, and then he would ask forgiveness and be very generous. He was also very impulsive. 2 Sometimes the famous composer would not finish writing the piece of music he was working on until the day of the performance. This gave his players almost no time to practice. Beethoven had a lot of friends, but he never married. His greatest passion in life was music. He poured his love into the notes he wrote. Some of his music falls into the category of Romanticism. This type of music, like Beethoven, is impulsive. It is based more on emotion than on structure and patterns. Have you ever heard of Napoleon, the emperor of France? At first, Beethoven was very impressed by Napoleon s revolutionary 3 ways. The end of the French monarchy excited him. He decided to dedicate one of his symphonies to Napoleon. But then, in 1804, Napoleon declared himself emperor. An absolute ruler ruled France. It was like a monarchy all over again! Beethoven was furious. He felt that Napoleon had betrayed the French people. He was so mad that he tore up the title of his symphony. 1 moody affected by changeable and gloomy moods 2 impulsive acting on sudden feelings rather than by thoughtful reasoning 3 revolutionary relating to the overthrow of one government and the substitution of another by the governed 1

2 Non-fiction: Classical Music Ludwig Van Beethoven Later in his life, Beethoven was giving a concert. He heard a nobleman start whispering during his performance. Beethoven looked up and stopped playing. He said, For such pigs I do not play! and refused to start again. Back then, wealthy people listened to music for entertainment. Concerts were like a hobby to them. There were no recordings. But Beethoven insisted that they take his music seriously. When he was 28, Beethoven began to lose his hearing. For a while he kept writing music. He wrote his first and only opera. He wrote one of his most famous symphonies, Number 5 in C minor during this time. He described the symphony as fate knocking at the door. He felt that his loss of hearing was a sign that death was coming for him. Even though he knew what was happening to him, Beethoven was horrified. He did not want to admit to his rival 4 musicians that he was losing his hearing. He thought that they might question his ability to play music. In the last decade of his life, Beethoven lost his hearing completely. Even though he could not hear, Beethoven could probably feel the vibrations of music. Shut off from the world of sound, Beethoven entered more and more into the world of notes in his head. All he wanted to do was play music. He began to be careless about taking care of himself. Sometimes he wouldn t bathe. Sometimes he wouldn t even dress. If friends came to visit him while he was writing music, he would not acknowledge them. Beethoven s last symphony took six years to compose. He wrote it to go with the words to a poem called Ode to Joy by a German poet. When the symphony was finished, Beethoven was almost completely deaf. Still, he insisted on conducting the piece himself. When all the instruments had stopped, he kept conducting because he could not hear that the piece had ended. Finally, 4 rival competitor; one who has the same claims as another 2

3 Non-fiction: Classical Music Ludwig Van Beethoven one of the singers let him know that the piece was over. He turned around slowly to see an audience applauding crazily with appreciation of his piece. On March 26, 1827, Beethoven died. Three days later, 20,000 people lined the streets for his funeral. He was very well known during his lifetime. He said once, Composers do not cry. Composers are made of fire. His songs still give this fire to his listeners today. 3

4 Questions: Classical Music Ludwig Van Beethoven Name: Date: 1. Beethoven s music falls into the category of Romanticism, because a. all of his songs were about love. b. his music was based on structure and patterns. c. his music was based more on emotion than on structure and patterns. d. that was the time period when he wrote his music. 2. When Beethoven tore up the title of his symphony to Napoleon, he wanted to show that a. he respected Napoleon. b. he was against Napoleon declaring himself emperor. c. he did not like Napoleon s revolutionary ideas for France. d. he had a bad temper. 3. How did Beethoven deal with losing his hearing? a. He wanted to only write and play music. b. He talked about his problem with his friends. c. He admitted that he was losing his hearing to other musicians. d. He stopped composing music. 4. When he described his Symphony in C Minor as fate knocking at the door, Beethoven meant that a. it was his first and only opera. b. the symphony contained many new sounds. c. he felt that losing his hearing meant death was coming. d. other musicians were going to pay attention to him. 5. The last piece of music Beethoven wrote was inspired by a. a poem. b. a friend. c. a book. d. another piece of music. 4

5 Questions: Classical Music Ludwig Van Beethoven 6. What does Beethoven s reaction to the nobleman whispering during his concert show about his personality? Explain using details from the text. 7. Explain how Beethoven s feelings for Napoleon changed over time? 8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Beethoven took music seriously and expected others too as well; when the person was attending his concert. a. instead b. especially c. often d. since 9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below. Throughout his life, Beethoven composed and conducted symphonies because he loved music, even after he had gone deaf. Who? Beethoven (did) What? Why? When? 10. Vocabulary Word: impulsive: acting on sudden feelings rather than by thoughtful reasoning Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: 5

6 Answers: Classical Music Ludwig Van Beethoven Passage Reading Level: Lexile 660 Teacher Guide and Answers Featured Text Structure: Descriptive the writer explains, defines or illustrates a concept or topic Passage Summary: Ludwig Van Beethoven was an emotional and talented composer. During his lifetime he wrote many symphonies and an opera. He continued to write music even after he had gone completely deaf. 1. Beethoven s music falls into the category of Romanticism, because a. all of his songs were about love. b. his music was based on structure and patterns. c. his music was based more on emotion than on structure and patterns. d. that was the time period when he wrote his music. 2. When Beethoven tore up the title of his symphony to Napoleon, he wanted to show that a. he respected Napoleon. b. he was against Napoleon declaring himself emperor. c. he did not like Napoleon s revolutionary ideas for France. d. he had a bad temper. 3. How did Beethoven deal with losing his hearing? a. He wanted to only write and play music. b. He talked about his problem with his friends. c. He admitted that he was losing his hearing to other musicians. d. He stopped composing music. 4. When he described his Symphony in C Minor as fate knocking at the door, Beethoven meant that a. it was his first and only opera. b. the symphony contained many new sounds. c. he felt that losing his hearing meant death was coming. d. other musicians were going to pay attention to him. 5. The last piece of music Beethoven wrote was inspired by a. a poem. b. a friend. c. a book. d. another piece of music. 6

7 Answers: Classical Music Ludwig Van Beethoven 6. What does Beethoven s reaction to the nobleman whispering during his concert show about his personality? Explain using details from the text. Suggested answer: Beethoven stopped playing when the nobleman whispered, and he said, For such pigs I do not play! and refused to start playing again. This might show that he had a proud personality, or that he was easily made angry, or that he was a person who highly valued music. 7. Explain how Beethoven s feelings for Napoleon changed over time? Suggested answer: At first Beethoven was impressed by Napoleon s revolutionary ways. He was glad that Napoleon was getting rid of the monarchy that existed in France. Later, Beethoven was furious that Napoleon had declared himself emperor, or the sole ruler of France. 8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Beethoven took music seriously and expected others too as well; when the person was attending his concert. a. instead b. especially c. often d. since 9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below. Throughout his life, Beethoven composed and conducted symphonies because he loved music, even after he had gone deaf. Who? Beethoven (did) What? composed and conducted music Why? because he loved music When? throughout his life 10. Vocabulary Word: impulsive: acting on sudden feelings rather than by thoughtful reasoning Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: answers may vary. 7