Ludwig van Beethoven: The Music He Couldn't Hear
He was losing his hearing, but he kept writing music. At the first performance of his Ninth Symphony, he couldn't hear the applause. Learn five B1 words with the true story of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
The music ended.
The whole theatre was clapping and cheering.
But the man who wrote the music could not hear a thing.
This is the story of Ludwig van Beethoven.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. Your is how well you can hear sounds.
He started to lose his .
. A is a long piece of music for a big group of musicians.
It usually has four parts.
The plural is .
He wrote nine .
. An is a large group of musicians who play together, with violins, drums and many other instruments.
The was twice the usual size.
. A is when people play music or act for an audience.
The first was on the seventh of May.
. is the sound of people clapping their hands because they liked something.
It's uncountable, so we don't say .
He couldn't hear the .
Now, one pattern: although, or even though.
We use it when the second idea is a surprise.
He couldn't hear the music.
He wrote it.
Although he couldn't hear the music, he wrote it.
Ready? Let's begin.
Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany, in 1770.
His father, a singer, made him practise the piano for hours.
At seven, he played his first concert.
But his father told everyone he was only six!
At twenty-one, he moved to Vienna and soon became a star.
But in 1798, he started to lose his .
He heard a buzzing in his ears.
Could a musician make music without his ?
In 1802, he wrote a secret letter to his brothers.
Although he felt sad and alone, he wrote that music kept him going.
He never sent it.
People found it after his death.
Even though he heard less and less, he kept writing.
He wrote nine .
From about 1818, friends wrote their questions in little notebooks.
So how did he make music?
He heard it in his head.
In 1824, Vienna was waiting for his Ninth .
The first was on the seventh of May.
The was twice the usual size.
At the end, a big choir sang the Ode to Joy.
Beethoven stood on the stage next to the .
He moved his arms with the music.
Although the was right in front of him, he heard almost nothing.
Then the music stopped.
, he thought.
He was still facing the .
Behind him, people were standing and clapping.
He couldn't hear the .
Then a young singer gently turned him around.
Now he could see it.
People were waving their hats and handkerchiefs.
Today, its music is the official song of the European Union.
And in 1977, two spacecraft carried his music into space!
Let's review. He started to lose his .
He wrote nine .
The was twice the usual size.
The first was on the seventh of May.
He couldn't hear the .
And remember: although he couldn't hear the music, he wrote it.
Beethoven's story teaches us: even when you lose something important, you can still make something great.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
hearing noun
how well you can hear sounds
“He started to lose his hearing.”
symphony noun
a long piece of music for a big group of musicians, usually in four parts
“He wrote nine symphonies.”
orchestra noun
a large group of musicians who play different instruments together
“The orchestra was twice the usual size.”
performance noun
when people play music or act for an audience
“The first performance was on the seventh of May.”
applause noun
the sound of people clapping because they liked something (uncountable)
“He couldn't hear the applause.”
conductor noun
the person who stands in front of an orchestra and shows the musicians how to play
“Beethoven stood on the stage next to the conductor.”
silence noun
when there is no sound at all
“Silence, he thought.”
premiere noun
the first time a piece of music, a play or a film is shown to the public
“The first performance was on the seventh of May.”
Grammar in the story
although / even though + clause, + main clause
We use it for: two ideas, where the second one is a surprise
- although / even though + the first idea
- a comma, then the surprising idea
- even though is a little stronger than although
From the story
- Although he felt sad and alone, he wrote that music kept him going.
- Even though he heard less and less, he kept writing.
Find it in the story 5 times
Your turn
he heard less and less, he kept writing.
the orchestra was right in front of him, he heard almost nothing.
Although he felt sad and alone, he that music kept him going.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: What is your favourite piece of music? How does it make you feel? Say two sentences in English.
After you watch: Tell Beethoven’s story in four sentences. Use one sentence with although or even though.
Think about it: Beethoven lost his hearing but kept making music. Have you ever kept going when something was hard?
