Ludwig van Beethoven: The Music He Couldn't Hear

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.

Hearing. Your hearing is how well you can hear sounds.

He started to lose his hearing.

Symphony. A symphony is a long piece of music for a big group of musicians.

It usually has four parts.

The plural is symphonies.

He wrote nine symphonies.

Orchestra. An orchestra is a large group of musicians who play together, with violins, drums and many other instruments.

The orchestra was twice the usual size.

Performance. A performance is when people play music or act for an audience.

The first performance was on the seventh of May.

Applause. Applause is the sound of people clapping their hands because they liked something.

It's uncountable, so we don't say applauses.

He couldn't hear the applause.

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 hearing.

He heard a buzzing in his ears.

Could a musician make music without his hearing?

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 symphonies.

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 Symphony.

The first performance was on the seventh of May.

The orchestra was twice the usual size.

At the end, a big choir sang the Ode to Joy.

Beethoven stood on the stage next to the conductor.

He moved his arms with the music.

Although the orchestra was right in front of him, he heard almost nothing.

Then the music stopped.

Silence, he thought.

He was still facing the orchestra.

Behind him, people were standing and clapping.

He couldn't hear the applause.

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 hearing.

He wrote nine symphonies.

The orchestra was twice the usual size.

The first performance was on the seventh of May.

He couldn't hear the applause.

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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