The Reading / Listening - Beethoven - Level 2

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was played in Vienna for the 200th anniversary of its first performance. The premiere of Beethoven's masterpiece took place in Austria's capital city on the 7th of May, 1824. The German composer lived and worked in Vienna for much of his life. He composed his most famous works there. A member of the choir told the BBC how happy she was to sing in the 200-year celebration. She said: "It's the whole world to us to be able to sing this wonderful message of love. You're lifted up…when you're singing."

Many people think the Ninth Symphony is one of the greatest pieces of music ever written. It is one of the most widely-recognized classical works. The symphony's fourth movement is called Ode to Joy. This was revolutionary 200 years ago because it used a choir. A version of Ode to Joy is the anthem of the European Union. It is played by orchestras worldwide. The Ode represents peace and international understanding. A singer in a Viennese choir called Beethoven's Ninth "wonderful". She added that it "moves from the darkness to the light".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Beethoven - Level 0 Beethoven - Level 1   or  Beethoven - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c14kv70d1keo
  • https://www.dw.com/en/beethovens-ninth-symphony-200-years-on/a-68919265
  • https://theconversation.com/beethovens-ninth-symphony-at-200-revolutionary-work-of-art-has-spawned-two-centuries-of-joy-goodwill-and-propaganda-221734


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. the 200th anniversary of
  2. The premiere of Beethoven's
  3. lived and worked in Vienna for
  4. He composed his most famous
  5. sing in the 200-year
  6. It's the whole
  7. sing this wonderful
  8. You're lifted up
  1. works there
  2. celebration
  3. when you're singing
  4. its first performance
  5. much of his life
  6. message of love
  7. world to us
  8. masterpiece

Paragraph 2

  1. one of the greatest pieces of
  2. one of the most widely-recognized
  3. This was revolutionary
  4. the anthem of
  5. It is played by
  6. international
  7. A singer in a
  8. it moves from the darkness
  1. 200 years ago
  2. Viennese choir
  3. understanding
  4. to the light
  5. the European Union
  6. music ever written
  7. orchestras worldwide
  8. classical works

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (1) ___________________ Vienna for the 200th anniversary (2) ___________________ performance. The premiere of Beethoven's masterpiece took place in Austria's (3) ___________________ the 7th of May, 1824. The German composer lived and worked in Vienna (4) ___________________ his life. He composed his most famous works there. A member of the choir told the BBC how happy she (5) ___________________ in the 200-year celebration. She said: "It's the whole world to us to be able to sing this wonderful message of love. You're (6) ___________________ you're singing."

Many people think the Ninth Symphony is one of (7) ___________________ of music ever written. It is one of the most widely-recognized classical works. The symphony's fourth (8) ___________________ Ode to Joy. This was revolutionary 200 years ago because it (9) ___________________. A version of Ode to Joy is the anthem of the European Union. It (10) ___________________ orchestras worldwide. The Ode (11) ___________________ international understanding. A singer in a Viennese choir called Beethoven's Ninth "wonderful". She added that it "moves from the darkness (12) ___________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Beethoven'sNinthSymphonywasplayedinViennaforthe200thanniver
saryofitsfirstperformance.ThepremiereofBeethoven'smasterpiecet
ookplaceinAustria'scapitalcityonthe7thofMay,1824.TheGermanco
mposerlivedandworkedinViennaformuchofhislife.Hecomposedhism
ostfamousworksthere.AmemberofthechoirtoldtheBBChowhappysh
ewastosinginthe200-yearcelebration.Shesaid:"It'sthewholeworldt
oustobeabletosingthiswonderfulmessageoflove.You'reliftedup…wh
enyou'resinging."ManypeoplethinktheNinthSymphonyisoneofthegr
eatestpiecesofmusiceverwritten.Itisoneofthemostwidely-recogniz
edclassicalworks.Thesymphony'sfourthmovementiscalledOdetoJoy
.Thiswasrevolutionary200yearsagobecauseitusedachoir.Aversionof
OdetoJoyistheanthemoftheEuropeanUnion.Itisplayedbyorchestras
worldwide.TheOderepresentspeaceandinternationalunderstanding.
AsingerinaViennesechoircalledBeethoven'sNinth"wonderful".Shead
dedthatit"movesfromthedarknesstothelight".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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