The Reading / Listening - Beethoven - Level 1

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony was played in Vienna for its 200th anniversary. The premiere of Beethoven's masterpiece took place in Vienna on the 7th of May, 1824. Beethoven lived and worked in Vienna for most of his life. He wrote many of his famous works there. A woman who sang in the choir told the BBC: "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."

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is one of the greatest and most widely-recognized pieces of music ever written. The symphony's fourth movement is called Ode to Joy. A version of Ode to Joy is the anthem of the European Union. The Ode represents peace and international understanding. The singer in the choir said Beethoven's Ninth was "wonderful". She said it "moves from the darkness to the light".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Beethoven - Level 0 Beethoven - Level 2   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. Beethoven's Ninth Symphony
  2. its 200th
  3. The premiere of Beethoven's
  4. took place
  5. Beethoven lived and
  6. for most
  7. He wrote many of his famous
  8. be able to sing this wonderful
  1. works there
  2. in Vienna
  3. anniversary
  4. worked in Vienna
  5. message of love
  6. was played in Vienna
  7. of his life
  8. masterpiece

Paragraph 2

  1. one of the
  2. widely-recognized
  3. The symphony's fourth
  4. the anthem of the
  5. The Ode represents
  6. international
  7. The singer in the
  8. it moves from the darkness
  1. understanding
  2. to the light
  3. pieces of music
  4. greatest
  5. choir
  6. movement
  7. peace
  8. European Union

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony (1) ___________________ Vienna for its 200th anniversary. (2) ___________________ Beethoven's masterpiece (3) ___________________ Vienna on the 7th of May, 1824. Beethoven lived and worked in Vienna for most of his life. He (4) ___________________ his famous works there. A woman who sang in the choir told the BBC: "It's (5) ___________________ to us to be able to sing this wonderful message of love. You're lifted up…(6) ___________________."

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony is one (7) ___________________ and most widely-recognized pieces of (8) ___________________. The symphony's fourth (9) ___________________ Ode to Joy. A version of Ode to Joy is (10) ___________________ the European Union. The Ode (11) ___________________ international understanding. The singer in the choir said Beethoven's Ninth was "wonderful". She said it "moves from (12) ___________________ the light".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Beethoven'sNinthSymphonywasplayedinViennaforits200thanniver
sary.ThepremiereofBeethoven'smasterpiecetookplaceinViennaont
he7thofMay,1824.BeethovenlivedandworkedinViennaformostofhisl
ife.Hewrotemanyofhisfamousworksthere.Awomanwhosanginthech
oirtoldtheBBC:"It'sthewholeworldtoustobeabletosingthiswonderful
messageoflove.You'reliftedup…whenyou'resinging."Beethoven'sNi
nthSymphonyisoneofthegreatestandmostwidely-recognizedpiece
sofmusiceverwritten.Thesymphony'sfourthmovementiscalledOdeto
Joy.AversionofOdetoJoyistheanthemoftheEuropeanUnion.TheOder
epresentspeaceandinternationalunderstanding.Thesingerinthechoi
rsaidBeethoven'sNinthwas"wonderful".Shesaidit"movesfromthedar
knesstothelight".

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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