英语听力—环球英语 711 Feeling the Music

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I’m Adam Navis.
Voice 2
And I’m Robin² Basselin. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Do you recognize this song? It is called ‘Ode to Joy’. It is performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Westminster Choir³. It is one of the most famous pieces of music in the world. It has a feeling of happiness and joy. But amazingly, the man who wrote it was not able to hear the music. The man was Ludwig van Beethoven.
Voice 2
Today’s Spotlight is on Ludwig van Beethoven. Many people consider him the greatest writer of classical music ever. Even people who do not listen to classical music will recognize many of his works. But one thing makes him different than most other musical writers. He continued to write music even after he lost his ability to hear.
Voice 1
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in 1770 in Bonn, Germany. His father was a musician for the royal court. He believed that his son had amazing musical skills. And he began teaching his son to play the piano, a large musical instrument. But Beethoven’s father was not the best teacher. He was a very difficult man. He drank too much alcohol. Often, when he drank alcohol, he would wake his son from sleep. He would force Beethoven to play the piano. For many people, this experience would have made them hate the piano. But Beethoven was very skilled at playing the piano. Even in these conditions Beethoven learned to love the piano.
Voice 2
At the age of seven, Beethoven had his first real teacher. He began to perform in public. Beethoven learned the music of the writers Mozart and Bach. After a few years of study, he published his first piece of music. It was called ‘Nine Variations for Piano in C Minor⁴.’ Beethoven was only ten years old.
Voice 1
Beethoven continued to study and perform for many years. When he was twenty-two years old, his father died. After this he moved to the city of Vienna. At the time, all the best musicians went to Vienna. This was where musicians demonstrated their skills. They proved their abilities. And Beethoven had no trouble proving himself.
Voice 2
Beethoven changed the musical style. He did this by writing with strong musical conflict. He played with power and energy. In Vienna, it was popular for two piano players to compete in front of people. They were judged on their creativity and intensity⁵. Beethoven almost always won.
Voice 1
Here is an example of his style. This is his Symphony Number Five. It is played by the Philharmonic Orchestra.
Voice 2
In the year 1800 Beethoven introduced his first symphony. Musicians perform this music with many instruments together in an orchestra. Beethoven became the most popular musician of his time. He no longer had to struggle for money. But Beethoven did have one big problem. He was losing his ability to hear.
Voice 1
What is a musician who cannot hear? How would he know if he was playing well? How could he write music if he could not hear it? For Beethoven, music was his life. This condition was very difficult for him. In a letter to his brothers, he wrote:
Voice 3
“For six years, I have had a condition that cannot be cured. It was made worse by bad doctors. I hoped, year after year for improvement. But I finally knew that a cure may take years or even be impossible. I am not able to say to people: speak louder, shout, for I cannot hear. How could I possibly admit to the weakness of this sense? A sense which I possessed⁶ to the greatest perfection. I cannot do it.”
Voice 2
Soon, he could not hide his condition. He considered retiring from music. But Beethoven had a strong will. He decided⁷ to keep making music. His friends began to write down what they were saying in small books. Then he would write or speak back. Several hundred of these books remain. They give us a lot of information about Beethoven.
Voice 1
By 1820, Beethoven was fifty years old. And he was almost completely deaf. He could not hear anything. He could only feel the vibration⁸, the physical movement, of the piano. He had a special piano made for him. It had a piece of wood connected to it. Beethoven would bite onto the wood. This way he could feel the music. He continued to write and play. It was during this time that he wrote some of his best music. Here is an example of a piece of music from this time. It is called Symphony Number Nine.
Voice 2
Even though he could not hear, Beethoven directed the first performance of this music. He would hear the music in his head. The people listening found the music both strange and moving. They loved it. The people loved it so much that they could not restrain themselves. They stood and cheered. But Beethoven could not hear them. He was hearing the music in his mind. Someone had to walk up to Beethoven and turn him around. Then he could see the people clapping their hands and cheering.
Voice 1
Beethoven did many things for classical music. He believed that writing music was more important that performing it. He used musical conflict and unexpected musical changes. Traditionally, music had four movements. But Beethoven would write as many as he needed. But the greatest mark of Beethoven’s greatness is how much of his music is known by people who do not listen to classical music. We end with another piece Beethoven wrote after losing his ability to hear. It is called the Moonlight Sonata⁹.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 robin   

n.知更鸟，红襟鸟

参考例句：

• The robin is the messenger of spring.知更鸟是报春的使者。
• We knew spring was coming as we had seen a robin.我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天要到了。

3 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

4 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

5 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

6 possessed   

adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的

参考例句：

• He flew out of the room like a man possessed.他像着了魔似地猛然冲出房门。
• He behaved like someone possessed.他行为举止像是魔怔了。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 vibration   

n.颤动，振动；摆动

参考例句：

• There is so much vibration on a ship that one cannot write.船上的震动大得使人无法书写。
• The vibration of the window woke me up.窗子的震动把我惊醒了。

9 sonata   

n.奏鸣曲

参考例句：

• He played a piano sonata of his own composition.他弹奏了一首自作的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• The young boy played the violin sonata masterfully.那个小男孩的小提琴奏鸣曲拉得很熟练。